REDDING, Calif. — A new requirement could double, even triple the number of power safety shutoffs in some Northstate counties.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup who oversees PG&E's criminal probationwants to require the company to be more aggressive about de-energizing lines near tall trees.
On Tuesday, he indicated that is leaning toward imposing tougher conditions.
My view is quite clear: We should save lives,” Alsup said. “We don’t have the luxury to wait around. I am not open to the idea that we would kick the can down the road and study the problem to death.
The proposal outlined during a two-hour court hearing is the latest effort to prevent the utility's equipment from sparking more deadly wildfires. The goal is to reduce the likelihood that trees could fall onto long-neglected electrical equipment.
The federal court hearing came just one day after a Cal Fire investigation revealed that the deadly 2020 Zogg Fire was sparked by a tree falling on PG&E power lines.
During the hearing, Judge Alsup blasted PG&E for not cutting down the tree that started the fire after its removal had been recommended in 2018, calling the utility “grossly negligent.”
Under the stricter measures, PG&E projects it would have to turn off power 45 times during the next decade, a 67% increase from the 27 deliberate outages previously predicted.
The number of outages would triple in Trinity County while doubling in Shasta, Tehama, Mendocino, Placer, and Madera counties. The outages would nearly double in Butte, Nevada, and El Dorado counties.
The California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates PG&E, is opposing the additional power shut-offs. The commission says that more frequent outages would impose undue hardship on people who live in Trinity, Shasta and Tehama counties.
PG&E attorney Kevin Orsini assured Alsup the utility shares the judge’s goal of reducing wildfire risks posed by its power lines as the company pours billions of dollars into upgrading its equipment. He said the plan is workable.
Christine Hammond, an attorney for the Public Utilities Commission, urged the judge to take more time to vet the new conditions. She also urged him to weigh the added challenges facing households and businesses that may be forced to go without power for days.
Hammond said the consequences of past pre-emptive outages have been “very disquieting,” noting that PG&E hasn’t given adequate warning to hundreds of affected medical facilities that need electricity to care for their patients.
Alsup blamed state regulators for years of lax oversight that helped create the current dilemma by allowing PG&E to skimp on improvements to its fraying power grid and tree trimming over years.
It’s a Hobson’s choice, it’s a terrible choice that California is faced with,” Alsup lamented. “There is no really good answer to it. It’s just, which is the lesser of two tremendous evils.
The judge asked PG&E to submit more information about how the tougher conditions would affect the frequency of blackouts before he makes a ruling that he said will come ahead of the start of this summer’s wildfire season.
https://krcrtv.com/news/local/number-of-power-safety-shutoffs-could-double-in-some-northstate-counties