Are you all set up there? Okay, I think, let me
just double check here in Sacramento if we're ready. Do we have any
members of the public? Not at this time. Okay. All right, then, good
morning and welcome. I'm calling the California Public Utilities
Commission Business Meeting of November 13, 2019, Public Agenda Number
3451 to order. It is with great sadness that I call this meeting in
honor of Edgar Hansen, a very valued friend, colleague and member of
the Commission's audio-visual team who passed away just last Friday.
Colleagues and friends have said Edgar was a wonderful, hard working
and dedicated ITSD team member, and he was a beautiful light here at
the CPUC. It is just with great sadness. He seemed to me, in my brief
meetings with Edgar, to be such a wonderful personality and such a
eager professional. I just want, before we have a few minutes to reflect
and take a moment of silence, I want to ask all of you to please
keep Edgar and his family in your hearts. And I'd like to turn now to
my fellow commissioners for any reflections they would like to make.
I just wanted to briefly say that I knew Edgar my whole five
years here at the Commission. And he was just the sweetest person. And he was always
here setting up our connections with our committee meetings and with our commission
meetings and with our closed session up in the big conference room. And whenever
the equipment would not cooperate, he just sort of cheerfully managed everything. And
he always had a smile on his face, and he was always happy to say hello and chat.
And and I will, he and Robert were such an amazing team. And I will really, really
miss Edgar. So I just wanted to make sure that we spent a moment to think about him.
Absolutely.
He was a warm, wonderful, constructive,
always positive person. And I had written down literally exactly
what Commissioner Randolph said. I never once saw him angry or in a
bad mood or without a smile on his face. He will be deeply missed.
I also wanted to add my deepest sympathies. Like
the other commissioners, Edgar was one of the first people that I met here
in San Francisco. And I think for the public that has attended our voting
meetings and workshops, knew Edgar was a familiar face and always nice.
Always with a ready smile. And he was taken from us suddenly and that is
just extra, extra tough. I really want to express, especially to Edgar's
coworkers or people who worked with him most closely day by day, we are holding
you close to our hearts as well. And we will not forget Edgar. Thank you.
Well, he was use my ????
brother. I just feel really, for his family. I just,
the the last conversation I had Edgar, he was very excited
to retire, to be with his, he was bragging at that
moment about his granddaughter and her a great athleticism
and wanting to watch her play, I believe it was
softball, but you all said it very, very correctly. He
was a very kind heart. And he will be deeply missed.
Thank you. I now ask for a
moment of quiet reflection. Please join me.
Thank you all very much. I do want to remind
commission employees how very, very important, in times like this,
it is to seek out counseling and seek out bereavement counseling
and help. It's extremely, your health, your mental health and your
heart health, is very important to us. So please avail yourself to
the counseling that we are providing.Sso thank you very much for
joining with me in the moment of silence in remembrance. And everyone
please join Commissioner Randolph in a pledge to allegience.
Please rise For the Pledge of Allegiance. I
pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the
Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with
liberty and justice for all. Robert, can you play the safety announcement?
As you are aware, our number one priority is safety. As
such, we were address certain safety concerns in this venue. In the event
of an emergency, please calmly proceed toward the exits. We have four exits,
two in the rear and one on either side of the dais. In the event we need
to evacuate the building, our assembly point is in the Garden Plaza area
between the War Memorial Herbs Theater and the War Memorial Opera House on Van
Ness. When going out the rear exits, head through the courtyard and down the
front steps, then head south on Van ness by crossing McAllister Street.
You'll find the Garden Plaza area on your right immediately after walking
past the Herbs theater. When going out the side exits after heading out
either exits, you'll find yourself on Golden Gate Avenue. From there, proceed
east, turn south on Van Ness, and walked towards McAllister Street. After
crossing McCallister, the Garden Plaza area will be on your right after passing
the War Memorial Herbs Theater. In the event of an emergency, Executive
Director Alice Stebbins will call 911, and our public advisor, Alison
Brown, is certified in CPR and first aid. Thank you for your attention.
Okay, we now turn to public comment.
The commission provides three minutes to each speaker.
There will be a sign held up in front of you over here to
alert you of one minute remaining. If you have written
comments, please hand them to Executive Director Alice
Stebbins. The Commission rules do not allow for parties in
proceedings to speak about open proceedings. However, the
public can make comments addressing items on the consent and
regular agendas and including items not on the agenda.
Please note that there will not be public comment on items
on the closed session agenda. With that guidance in mind,
I welcome today's speakers. Please come up to the podium
when I call your name, and I'm also gonna call the next
person in line. And they can take a seat right up front, so
that they'll be near the podium for public comment to start.
Our first two commenters are Will Abrams and Tom Dow.
(no sound), party to a few the different proceedings.
But I'm here today to speak as an individual resident of Sonoma County.
And I very much appreciate the recent press releases and statements
that have come from the Commission. I think I've been particularly
pleased with the urgency expressed in those documents and through
those statements. I think all of us are feeling the pain associated
with recent activity from our utilities, from the power safety
shutoffs. I did want to speak a little bit about the implications to
residents. So myself and my family left the initial power shut off that
happened a few weeks ago, and were trying to plan accordingly, didn't
know where we would head to. The Kincaid Fire had us evacuate a second
time with our family, and we were looking for safe places to go.
I think many folks who are in California are wondering where is safety.
I think part of what goes through folks' minds as they look at
these events are the safety implications, obviously, and the financial
implications. I've had friends come to me who lost substantial sums
of money due to the power outages. I've had a number of people who ran
from the flames in the 2017 wildfires and the 2018 wildfires were
particularly traumatised by this round of wildfires, wondering where
to go. For myself and my family, we evacuated from the Kincaid fire.
We saw wildfires along the Richmond area. And then were troubled by
the fires at the Kirkiness bridge, and we just need to really keep
the implications of public safety and financial security in mind. Many
Californians are debating about whether California is still safe.
Is this a safe place to live? We are on the front lines of attacking
climate change right here in this room. If we cannot do it in the state
of California, the most progressive state in the country, in the most
progressive city, in the state of California and with the people
in this room, it does not bode well for others in terms of this
approach. I appreciate the urgency expressed in the communications. I
ask that the Commission please take meaningful steps to set the playing
field to set the ground rules for the path forward. Thank you.
Mr Abrams, can I ask you a question? You
said this this set of wildfires was particularly traumatizing. Is that
because it's the third straight year, or because the scale evacuations made
it difficult for people to find a place to relocate? Or a combination?
Yeah, all the above. So, you know, after,
you know, 2017. So I lost my home, we ran from the
flames, had literally no warning, and then, the next
year in Santa Rosa, we had to deal with the smoke coming
from Paradise and the trauma that occurred there, you
know, sending our kids out to school in facemasks,
wondering, are they gonna have school today? Is it safe in
the community for them? And then we regroup as a family
and say, OK, we made it through this year, and then we
prepare a plan for where we can go, where are we going
toe live in the state of California, where it's going
to be safe? Is it out of the wildlife urban interface?
Is it away from utility infrastructure that can cause
fires? And then this year, as we're evacuating, where
do we go? There's no indication of where it's safe.
Is it financially secure? Can I build a life for my
family and provide financial security for my family
while these things are still going on? These questions
are being asked by everyone, and the more discussion
there is without substantive ground rules for how we're
going to have a path forward. There needs to be a
comprehensive strategy, and by no means is this the only
place for that strategy to occur. It's happening in all
sectors, but this is where the leadership needs to be.
Part of what's wonderful about regulators is that you
can cut through the rhetoric, right? And setting rules
and regulations for how we have a path forward is so
critical. And that's why I feel that this is where we
really need to set the standard for how we move forward
as a state in adjusting climate change and addressing
the wildfires and all the things that are coming from
it. So it's it's particularly distressful for folks.
Thank you. Tony Dow, followed by Anthony Zuniga.
my name is Tom Dow, and Tony was on Leave It to Beaver.
But I take it as a compliment. For those of you who will remember
Leave it to Beaver that is. I'm here, thank you, for the time
to speak. I'm here to speak regarding an item that's not on the
agenda, but it will be on the next meeting agenda, which is AA170905.
In plain English, the port of San Diego's shore power rates
for cruise lines. I'm with Carnival Corporation, now a consultant,
after 23 years of employment. Carnival Corp is the parent
of Holland America, Princes, and Carnival Cruise lines, among
others, were engaged in a very competitive leisure travel industry
vacation industry with many choices of where the ships go and whether
people take a cruise or not. It is a very competitive market.
The short power requirement to connect ships to grid tight electricity
is relatively recent. It's not a new phenomenon. In fact,
my company was involved in developing it years ago, but it's
successful.Tthe recent administrative law judge's decision or
recommendation, we appreciate the work that the judge did on this,
it is a challenging issue. We have a unique load, a big load
that's only there a few hours a week. But unfortunately, the result
of this recommendation would be result in about three times,
300% increase in rates. And what is described as a glide path
could in fact, be an off-ramp by five years out, an exit ramp.
We've had a good relationship with the Port of San Diego, along
with other ports in California for many years. We hope that the
Commission can consider and work on a solution that will allow us
to continue that. It seems a little bit like what I'm talking about
cruise vacations when it's compared to the first two topics is
somewhat trivial, maybe, but for a lot of people working in San
Diego and the port itself, it's an important segment of the
economy. And I appreciate the time that you've taken. We want it to
be competitive. And this would put San Diego a non-competitive
situation compared to other California ports. Thank you very much.
Thank you. Anthony Zuniga.
followed by Reinette Senum, mayor of Nevada City.
Good morning, Commissioners. My name is Anthony
Zuniga. I'm the president of the International Longshore
and Warehouse Union, Local 29, in San Diego. I'm here today
regarding Case A170905. I stand here today to support SDG&E
and the port of San Diego in requesting a competitive shore
power rate for the cruise terminals. The IOWU represents over
42,000 members. That's including the dock workers that load
and unload ships in the US, West Coast, Alaska and Hawaii.
This includes about the 500 members that I represent the port
of San Diego and the cruise ship terminals we work. Cruise
ships are important to our livelihood as each vessel calls
for about 40 to 70 longshoremen when in port, and these are
living wage jobs that allow us to provide for our families,
send our kids to schools and save for retirement. And we do
not want this to go away. In fact, when cruise ships reached
a low of 68 in 2014, that represented economic hardship
for us. But the hard work with the Port of San Diego and the
cruise lines, the number of cruises will reach about 100
this year, and we hope to see the number of cruise ships
rise back to our peak in 2008, which was 255 cruise vessels.
Controlling costs such as electricity costs, it's important
to our recovery in San Diego and getting these cruise ships
back. So for that reason, I'm here to ask the Commission to
carefully consider your decision on electricity rates for the
cruise ships calling in San Diego. Each ship, each ship call
is important to the IOWU regional employment and the regional
economy and would be a shame at the C PUC sets rates to high
slowing our upward growth in cruise calls or even leading
the less cruise calls in San Diego. That wouldn't help any
of us. That wouldn't help the 500 longshoremen I represent
in San Diego, the electricity ratepayers or the city of San
Diego in itself. I thank you for your time, thank you.
Thank you, Mayor Senum. Followed by Rebecca Lieberman.
Hello. Thank you so much. I appreciate
this time to speak to all of you today. My name is
Reinette Senum. I come from Nevada City, California. The
place that PG&E was signed into existence. As a matter
of fact. I'm gonna go through very quickly, so you have
to listen fast, of a laundry list of the effects of the
PSPS event on our community in Nevada City, Grass Valley,
and Nevada County. We had mom and Pops businesses
closed for days on end, grocery stores, restaurants. Who
was also impacted were farmers, deliveries, the elderly,
disabled were unable to make 911 calls. AirBnBs and
hotels, manufacturers prepping for holidays. Orders were
also impacted. Tourism, schools, medical facilities.
Basically we were sent back into the dark ages. We lost
electricity. Our cell phones could not get code red,
whatsoever, could not make a call out or text out. For many
people are landlines were also affected, our Internet,
and I would like to speak to something called unintended
consequences. This was such an incredible hit to our
local economy that you have to understand that we have
many nonprofits and watershed organizations that are
actually trying to restore our forests and the unintended
consequences of this is we're about ready to repeat
history, and what I mean is the first ever environmental
regulation in United States came through what's called
the Sawyer Act, the Sawyer Act of 1876, when we actually
stopped the hydraulic mining that was sending all the
deluge of debris from our mountains into the Delta and
into the farmland and into the San Francisco Bay. The
reason why it's so imperative that we have a healthy local
economy is because that local economy actually invests
in our local watershed and non-profit organizations
that restore our forests that are ready to burn down. We
are very similar to Paradise, and if we have the same
kind of catastrophic fires, that means not only are you
going to lose our cities or towns, but you're going to
lose the stewards of those watersheds. Why is that important
to all of you here down river? Because if we have
a catastrophic fire and our old toxic mining legacy, we
are a gold mining town, that means when you have that
kind of catastrophic fire, you actually scorch the soil.
And once again you expose the 150 year old mining legacy.
What's in that toxic mining legacy? Mercury, arsenic,
other heavy metals. What does that mean for everyone
downstream? We're talking 25 million and users of water,
we're talking that this toxic mining legacy, once again,
comes to the surface, goes washing down into our streams
in our watersheds, and it affects the breadbasket
of America. It goes into the Wine country. It goes into
the rice fields, it goes into the ranchers. And the
wineries, it goes on and on and on. And this is the
unintended consequence. So how do we, what do we do about
this? The best thing, and what we're trying to do, is we
want to become our own power utility. We want the power
grid back in the hands of the people. Why? Because we
are the stewards of the watershed, of the forests. We
have everything to lose, and we have everything to gain.
We will take better care of the transmission lines and
make sure to decentralize the energy production. So that's
it's the safest possible and is reliable as possible .
If this continues the happen, we will cease to exist
as a community, and the CPUC and PG&E and all the
citizens of California are going to lose the best stewards
of your watershed. Thank you so much for your time.
Thank you. Rebecca Lieberman, followed by Jordan Blatchford
Good morning, President cnd
commissioners. I'm here to speak regarding Case A170905. My
name is Rebecca Lieberman, and I'm here on behalf of the
San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, representing
over 2500 member businesses and around 300,000 jobs. The
San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce is pleased to
support a sustainable electricity rate for cruise power
use. The chamber is a longtime partner of the Port of
San Diego in attracting cruise business to San Diego and
its terminals. The cruise industry is a critical engine
for commerce and jobs in the area, accounting for an
annual economic output of over $80 million and 650 jobs.
Anything that hampers the cruise industry, including
rising shore power rates, would negatively affect San
Diego and the region as a whole. The proposed decision
confirms that if cruise ships were to leave San Diego,
other SDG&E customers would end up paying more. Although
it seems counterintuitive, even when a rate discount is
given to the account, all SDG&E rate payers benefit from
the retention of the port's electric sales. Further,
loss of some or all the port's electric sales will
increase the revenue burden on all SDG&E rate payers. Put
simply if cruises go away, other rate payers will
actually pay more, increasing the burden on the region. A
drop in electricity sales doesn't create winners, but
only losers. On behalf of the chamber, I offer my full
support for approval of the E. M. P between the port and
SDG&E, so that both may continue to operate the best
interest of their business and the communities that they
serve. I also have a signed letter from our president
and former Mayor, Jerry Sanders, reiterating the Chamber's
support. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Thank you. Jordan Latchford. Followed by Conrad Ware.
Good morning Commissioners. I'm here to speak regarding
case A 170905. My name is Jordan Latchford, and I'm here on behalf of
the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation in support of the
Port of San Diego and San Diego Gas and Electric in passing their Joint
Energy Management pla. EDC is focused on building an inclusive economy that
maximizes regional prosperity enhances global competitiveness. The cruise
industry plays a key role in San Diego's tourism and local economy. A
single in-transit call made as one stop during the cruise generates a total
economic impact to the region of nearly $600,000. Efforts that hamper the
cruise industry, including rising shore power rates, are detrimental to San
Diego and the regional economy as a whole. The shore power rate, as proposed
by the EMP, will protect the economic outputs of the cruise industry
in San Diego, while protecting the economic and environmental development
of the community. In alignment with our mission to maximize the region's
economic prosperity, San Diego Regional EDC will continue to offer its support
for approval of this plan. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Thank you, Conrad Ware. Followed by Emil Borde.
Good morning, Commissioners. On behalf of
City of San Diego Mayor, Kevin Faulkner, I'm here to speak
on Case A170905. We're here today to voice support for the
CPUC implementing a shore line power electricity rate
that allows cruise lines to remain and grow their business
in San Diego and helps the city meet our environmental
goals. In reviewing the proposed decision by Administrative
Law Judge Lao, it is clear that setting this rate
is a complicated challenge. I respectfully request the
CPUC commissioners be conservative in setting a rate that
does not push cruises out of our region. You heard today
from our Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development
Corporation on how important the cruise line industry is to
the region. As the Port of San Diego and the greater San
Diego region move forward with plans for the future, we're
bound by the California Air Resources Board at-berth
air emissions regulations that require many types of
commercial vessels, including cruise ships, to use electricity
while at berth. Even though shore power increases costs
for the cruise lines, we support this requirement
because the environmental benefits it brings. So far, San Diego
has been able to pair economic growth with environmental
improvements. San Diego is ahead of schedule in reaching
its goal of cutting 2010 levels of greenhouse gas
emissions in half by 2035. And our region's economic output
continues to rise year over year, while GHG emission
steadily decrease. However, without the CPUC's help with
ensuring sustainable shore power rates, this progress
will be difficult to sustain. Please be our partner in
keeping economic growth and environmental improvements
moving in lockstep by setting a competitive shore power
rate for the cruise lines. Thank you for your time today.
Thank you. Emil Borde. Followed by Deborah Kaplan.
Good morning, Commissioners. My name is Emil
Borde. I am wearing the field jacket of Oregon Fire. Oregon
Fire is a volunteer fire department located east of White Sands
Missile Range and northeast of the town of Las Cruces. I
held the rank of lieutenant and trained with wild land fire
people as well as structure fires. I've been a volunteer for
15 years. I've retired and returned back to California. There
was a horrendous fires here in Northern California the
past three years. You know them all, the Tubbs, the Atlas,Carr
Fire, Camp Fire, and recently the Kincaid. All of these
fires are preventable. I say they are preventable. Why? Number
one, the fuel load. You can't have a fire unless there's
something to burn. And we have lots of trees and lots of
brush that have not been properly maintained over the years.
I used to see fire breaks as I was a youngster, teenager,
going out along behind Stanford University and other areas
in California. You don't see 'em now. All At least I don't
and traveled around. So what to do? I recommend rescind the
PSPS. It has put tremendous loads on thousands and thousands
of people. Businesses are closed. Many are thinking of
closing if it completes, if they cannot have their power.
So, there is Indian nation in New Mexico that Mascelleros.
They're near Rio Doso. I would suggest that staff and others
look into it. Their primary income comes from tourism as well
as cattle farming. But they also manage a large track of forest
which they provide lumber. They don't have wild land fires
there because they do what's needed to be done to prevent
them. Cut back the underbrush, cut the limbs off, the low
hanging limbs off the mature trees. And they even use fire,
when it's appropriate to do backfire so the fires don't
start. So again, PSPS has not worked. I don't think it will.
It's just impossible. So I stand for questions. Thank you.
Thank you. Deborah Kaplan?
(inaudible speech, inactive microphone)
--has given the impression
that notice is all that's required when
it's probably, it's very important, but only
a very small aspect of protecting people
from not, the effects of not having uninterrupted
power. It's also, I think, tempting
to focus on the results of PSPS events when in fact, because especially of climate
change, we're looking at more and more disasters and emergencies that threaten the
availability of power even without a PSPS event. And people with disabilities are and
seniors who rely on power are extremely vulnerable, but also people who understand,
because many of us have been delivering our
own programs for services for people to live
independently. We understand what it takes to actually run an effective program. So I
think we urge you to work, collaborate with
us. Listen to those of us who understand what
it takes to really create an effective program
and look at the issues very, very broadly.
Possible solutions if they are defined very narrowly and without understanding of
complexities of living with a disability can
miss the mark. And a lot of money can be
spent without an effective solution that
actually achieves the goal that we've all been
working for. So we stand ready to work with you, provide you information, please
understand that narrow scoping creates narrow
solutions that are not affected. Thank you.
Thank you very much. That's it for
the speakers who signed up ahead of time. Is there anyone
else here in the public in San Francisco who wishes to speak?
All right. Seeing that. Is there anyone in Sacramento?
No, Commissioner
Randolph. There's no one here in Sacramento.
All right, thank you. The public comment period is
now closed. We will now take up the consent agenda, which is consists of
item one, preliminary categorizations and hearing determinations for recently
filed formal applications. Is there a motion for the consent calendar?
Second.
Okay. Clerk, would you please call the roll
- Commissioner Shiroma. - Commissioner Shiroma: Aye. - Agenda Clerk: Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
- Aye. - Agenda Clerk: Commissioner Randolph. - Commissioner Randolph: Aye.
- Commissioner Rechtschaffen. - Commissioner Rechtschaffen: Yes.
- President Batjer. - President Batjer: Aye.
The consent agenda item has passed
unanimously. We will now take up Item 2, the order instituting
investigation into the late 2019 Public Safety Power Shut
Off events. President Batjer will introduce item two.
Thank you, Commissioner Randolph. Item two is an order
instituting an investigation to determine whether California's investor-owned
utilities prioritized safety and complied with the Commission's regulations
and requirements with respect to their public safety power shut off, or PSPS
events, in late 2000. As I said at the commission meeting on October 18, 2019,
these sustained PSPS events cannot be the new normal for California. The
frequency and scope of the PSPS events of 2019 impacted communities and in a
profound way. It is imperative that we do more to mitigate wildfire risk and
reduce the use of PSPS in the future. The Commission opens this investigation
as a companion to the rulemaking 18-12-005 which examines utility denergization
of power lines in dangerous conditions. In addition to improving the practices
of the utilities in their future, we must also hold them accountable
for their conduct. This investigation will serve as a forum for taking evidence
to evaluate both the effectiveness and impacts of all phases of the PSPS
events. In the first phase of this proceeding, the Commission's Safety and
Enforcement Division, or SED, shall investigate and produce a consultant's
report that evaluates the utilities actions prior to, during, and after the
PSPS events in late 2019 and utility compliance with the CPUC existing
denergization regulations and requirements. The report shall also assess whether
further changes to existing denergization regulations and requirements are
necessary to ensure public safety. The consultant shall also review the quality
of the utilities, internal coordination, situational awareness, external
communications both from the point of view of the amount and quality of the
information provided and the effectiveness of the utilities, chosen methods
of communications, preplanning and execution of these PSPS events. This
investigation will also serve as a forum for the Commission to consider instances
when an electric corporations actions related to a PSPS event resulted in
violations of any statutes or CPUC's rules or regulations. If apparent
violations are found, the Commission will take action to ensure utilities are
held accountable. This investigation is important part of the Commission's
examination of PSPS events and ensuring public safety and safe reliable utility
service into the future. I ask your support of this proceeding. Thank you.
All right, do any of the Commissioners have comments?
Thank you. Thank you.
Present Batjer and Commissioner Randolph.
I think this is an important step. This has been get another year of of tumultuous
wildfire, and layered on top of that, the very, very expansive public safety powers
that the community's experienced. I very much appreciate in the comments of the
people who came today to speak with us, and I want to particularly note your Mayor
Senum of Nada City. Very eloquent in
describing what happened to your community and
the fact that, while Nevada City and Grass Valley are in a rural setting, very similar
to Paradise, that it's not only the effect on the businesses and the people, the
grocery stores and so forth, it is the higher
environment and highlighting the importance
of the rural communities, which may have less customers but have a very important
role to play in our overall environment of California and the safety of California.
All of these systems are interrelated. As we look at our steps to the future, as
far as what does it mean for California as a whole, not simply a matter of of rural
versus urban, forested areas or not? All of this has an interplay. I think that it's
very important, as President Batjer has outlined, that we continue to take the
experience garnered, determine were our orders
complied with in the first place that we
updated last spring? And then are there experiences to be guarded for making
improvements to our decisions and our orders?
I think that overall, nothing is done in
isolation, that last spring we set in play
updated wildfire mitigation plans, requiring
additional hardening, requiring additional vegetation management. And then also the
denergization decision, refered to as the
public safety power shut off, a last resort.
All of these things are meant to have a panoply of tools towards protecting our
communities and protecting customers and reducing risk. And this is our quest. And I
think this order to investigate is an important
step for further refining. And as we
prepare for next year's wildfire season. Lastly I do you want to say to Mr Abrams, I
can only imagine the trauma that your family
and others in your circumstances, first
of all, having your house burn down last year, and then to have wildfires again, you
know, threaten your family, and then, looking at where does safety reside. These
things are matters that all of us, as human beings and the human condition, must be
keenly aware of as well as we look at leaving
no community left behind, disadvantaged
communites, people with disabilities, seniors
and businesses and so forth. So thank
you. And I'm, you'll have my aye vote, President Batjer, on this OII. Thank you.
Um, I will echo the comments of both President Bachir and
commissioner She aroma to the extent that thes air really important interacting
proceedings, the basic rulemaking on D energy
ization will be taking a look at these
issues. But it's important that rule makings
are supported with proper investigation
and enforcement to ensure that the rulemaking
that the rules that were set forth in
that room making or followed So this this step is is a critical step to make that
rule making meaningful and then sort of the third leg of that three legged stool
is looking forward, Um, understanding what steps the utilities need to be taking
to deal with wildfire and, um, climate change in the future. And so part of that
is the wildfire mitigation plans. Part of that is, um, the climate adaptation
proceeding that looks at looking at how
utilities can plan ahead to look, look at other
climate change impacts. Um, and we have ah workshop on that later this week, Um,
things like the micro grid proceeding and other proceedings at the commission that
will really be looking at. How can we take steps moving forward to mitigate these
impacts? So I thank you for, um you are a quick work on this order, instituting
investigation. President Better and I will be supporting it. Any other commissioners?
In addition to what my
colleagues said, I want to reiterate that this is one
part of a comprehensive set of actions that the PUC is
taking both short term, medium term, and long term.
And Miss Kaplan, I wantto underscore that we are looking
at a broader range of solutions to try to provide
more distributed generation. Resiliency solutions to
help the most vulnerable residents and communities
around the state. We started on that path, but we
have a lot more to do. We're very open to suggestions
and ideas. We're looking at other measures through our
disaster emergency, our emergency disaster relief
proceeding, and will continue to try to do everything
we can to incorporate the lessons we've learned from
this year's power shut offs. And to make sure that
next year is very different than this year. Thank you.
Thank you.
All right. If there are no other comments for many
other Commissioners, I will ask the agenda clerk to please call the roll.
- For item 2. Commissioner Shiroma. - Commissioner Shiroma: Aye. - Agenda Clerk: Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
- Aye. - Agenda Clerk: Commissioner Randolph. - Commissioner Randolph: Aye.
- Commissioner Rechtschaffen. - Commissioner Rechtschaffen: Yes.
- President Bater - President Batjer: Aye.
Can I mention
one other thing? Just related to this. It is
important to note that in addition to this
proceeding, in the PSPS or the denergization
rulemaking that President Batjer is leading, we've
also issued an order to show cause, directed
at PG&E in particular, dealing with their
specific actions lack of compliance with PSPS
protocols that will be just focused on examining
whether penalties and in what amount would
be appropriate given their conduct relating to the recent round of shut offs. So that's
an additional action that's separate from this
order instituting investigation that we've
just opened directly related to adjust the PG&E's actions over the past several weeks.
Okay, Thank you. And just to reiterate, Item 2, the
order instituting investigation passed unanimously. There is no report for
items three and four on a recent consumer protection and safety activities and
management reports. Our next regular agenda item are Commissioner reports.
Is there anyone who would like to make a report? Seeing none, that finishes
out that item. And so that is our last public meeting agenda. So thank you
everyone for coming. And the public portion of the meeting is now adjourned.
Please clear the room for closed session on legal matters. Thank you.