The Barbed Wire - January 31, 2020

January 31, 2020
CPUC Directs PG&E to Establish Local Government Working Groups
RCRC Thanks Governor for Swift Action on Emergency Wildfire Projects
Infrastructure Update
Bill of the Week: Senate Bill 378 (Wiener) – Electrical Corporations: De-Energization Events
BULLETIN BOARD
LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY UPDATE

CPUC Directs PG&E to Establish Local Government Working Groups

Late Thursday, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) President Marybel Batjer signed a ruling requiring Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) to establish active working groups with local governments across PG&E’s service territory, among other things.  The CPUC initiated two proceedings to tackle the complex issues surrounding Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs) and their role in wildfire prevention.  RCRC was granted party status in both of these proceedings, allowing our organization to weigh in with recommendations that benefit California’s rural counties, including “improving communication and coordination with counties.”  

Specifically, the ruling states:

“Within 30 days of the issuance of this ruling PG&E shall establish active working groups with tribal and local governments across PG&E’s service territory, grouped by county or by other geographical boundary as appropriate, in which the needs of tribal and local governments during, before, and after PSPS event are identified and addressed.  PG&E shall also develop its 2020 de-energization protocols using feedback from the working groups.  The protocols shall include, at a minimum, the provision of Community Resource Centers, communication strategies, information sharing, identification of critical facilities and access and functional needs customers, and contingency plans.  PG&E shall convene the working groups at least monthly…”

RCRC supports the CPUC’s directive requiring PG&E to establish working groups with tribal and local governments to improve the provision of Community Resource Centers, communications with local governments, information sharing, identification of critical facilities and Access and Functional Needs (AFN) populations and mitigation of impacts to those constituencies.  RCRC further supports the CPUC’s action requiring PG&E to provide greater detail on the actions it has taken to reduce the size and scope (and improve the implementation) of future Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events. 

RCRC’s letter outlining our full IOU recommendations can be accessed here.  The full ruling can be accessed here.

RCRC Thanks Governor for Swift Action on Emergency Wildfire Projects

Earlier this week, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the completion of 34 of the 35 emergency community wildfire prevention projects undertaken by the state as a result of his March 2019 Emergency Proclamation.  The projects are all working fuel breaks, and are designed to help protect 200 communities in high wildfire risk areas statewide from catastrophic wildfires like 2018’s Carr Fire in Shasta County and Camp Fire in Butte County.  The effort is of vital importance to many RCRC member counties, as 19 of the 35 projects are located in RCRC counties.  

The projects are part of a larger forest resilience and wildfire protection strategy being undertaken by the state in collaboration with federal and local partners, including RCRC and its member counties, that was initiated by the passage of the RCRC-supported  Senate Bill 901 (Dodd) in 2018, and the formation of the Governor’s Forest Management Task Force, in which RCRC is an active participant.  RCRC continues to support the Governor and his Administration on his forest health, resilience and wildfire prevention efforts.

RCRC’s letter can be accessed here.

Infrastructure Update

On Wednesday, House Democrats unveiled a $760 billion framework to fund infrastructure investments over five years. The framework brings together a wide array of Democrat policy priorities, including surface transportation, airport infrastructure, wastewater and drinking water investments, and rural broadband expansion, among others.  

Unlike prior attempts at an infrastructure package, this one does not shy away from climate-centric proposals, including calls to make federal buildings carbon-neutral, transition to renewable fuels for aviation, and improve rail and transit options.  The full framework can be accessed here.

The Democrats' package rivals the $1.5 trillion, 10-year infrastructure plan that President Donald Trump unveiled with great fanfare two years ago.  However, Trump's proposal would have relied mainly on state, local and private dollars, a controversial element even among many Republicans, and focused heavily on reducing the amount of time it takes to approve permits for projects.  Democrats have not yet explained how they plan to pay for the package, but members of the caucus have offered a wide range of possible options.  House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) and Ways & Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Massachusetts) have said that they will not pursue contentious solutions like a gas tax increase without having conversations with the White House first, despite DeFazio's assertion that this would be his preferred method to do so, given that the federal gas tax has not risen since 1993.  

Although the package is expected to ultimately stall in the Senate, this has not stopped House Republicans from offering glimpses of optimism surrounding the Democrats’ proposal.  The evening prior to the plan’s release, House Republicans released a list of their own infrastructure priorities, which included unusually bipartisan concessions, such as breaking away from the gas tax, focusing attention on rural infrastructure needs, and even the potential inclusion of provisions related to climate. 

Provisions of Interest

  • Water: $50.5 billion dedicated toward clean water and wastewater infrastructure, $25.4 billion toward drinking water and $34.3 billion toward clean energy. Democrats are also calling for a $40 billion investment to address local water quality issues and to establish a new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program to deal with chemicals including PFAS. Calls for new EPA regulations come on the heels of EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s announcement last week of the long-anticipated replacement of the Obama-era “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rules.
  • Rural Broadband: $86 billion to help deliver advanced internet connectivity throughout America. Encompassed in this portion of the plan is $80 billion for building out broadband infrastructure to underserved communities and $5 billion for low-interest loan financing. Also included is $540 million to boost state efforts to help increase digital equity and adoption of broadband, as well as $600 million to support these priorities for covered populations.

Bill of the Week: Senate Bill 378 (Wiener) – Electrical Corporations: De-Energization Events

RCRC has lent its support to Senate Bill 378, authored by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco).  SB 378 would make a number of changes to increase disclosure of electrical system infrastructure needs and to improve the implementation of Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events, evaluate their impacts, and compensate individuals and local governments for associated losses.  SB 378 also incentivizes well-constructed, surgical PSPS events that are no larger than necessary to avoid wildfire risk.  

RCRC is supportive of SB 378’s requirement for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to establish a procedure for the compensation of customers and local governments for costs accrued during PSPS events.   In addition, RCRC appreciates that SB 378 would require the CPUC to evaluate the economic, environmental, public health, and public safety impacts of PSPS events so that local governments can better evaluate their role in wildfire avoidance.

RCRC’s support letter can be accessed here.  SB 378 passed out of the Senate, and now awaits action in the Assembly.  For more information, contact John Kennedy, Legislative Advocate, at (916) 447-4806 or jkennedy@rcrcnet.org.

BULLETIN BOARD

Announcements regarding hearings, grants, and public comment notices of importance to California's rural counties.

Western Interstate Region Conference Coming to California

Join RCRC, Mariposa County, and the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) for the 2020 National Association of Counties’ (NACo) Western Interstate Region (WIR) Conference at Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite!  Mariposa County Supervisor Kevin Cann serves as WIR President, and is looking forward to hosting his colleagues from the 15 western states in Mariposa County.  Read More…

 

California Farm to School Conference

Click here

 

Alpine County Seeks Director of Finance

Click here

 

California Welfare Directors Association Seeks Communications and Outreach Manager

Click here

LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY UPDATE

RCRC members are encouraged to share letters addressed to state and federal representatives and regulatory bodies with RCRC’s Government Affairs staff.  Click “Read More” to access information related to the current status of legislation and regulations impacting California’s rural counties.