On Monday, RCRC joined a coalition of local government stakeholders requesting the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issue an emergency order setting electric de-energization protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic. A de-energization, or Public Safety Power Shut-off (PSPS), could put people, communities and hospitals in an untenable position during this overwhelming public health crisis and the coalition is making the request to reduce foreseeable threats to public health and safety during this difficult time.

While utilities have announced curtailing routine maintenance outages during the state’s stay-at-home order, as fire season approaches it is critical to take action to reduce harms that could impact public safety in the midst of the COVID-19 emergency. The PSPS events in 2019 made it clear that de-energization events can become emergency events in their own right, creating widespread public safety and economic crises. The impacts of a dual COVID-19/de-energization event would reach beyond medical care issues and affect essential retail stores, grocery stores, and pharmacies already struggling to keep basic supplies in stock as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and could worsen supply chain shortages.

Requests in this motion include:

  • Requiring utilities to consult and coordinate with local emergency managers prior to any de-energization;
  • Requiring utilities to consider specific factors prior to a de-energization in an area with a shelter-in-place order such as the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, number of reported COVID-19 cases, the number of medically fragile or vulnerable customers within a de-energization footprint, as well as the number and type of critical facilities affected—ranging from a loss of internet service to the loss of bulk refrigeration for grocery stores;
  • Local governments can request and receive an exemption from a PSPS event if it would exceed the local capacity to respond to the consequences of a shutoff; and,
  • Utilities must partner with local government and state agencies to identify critical treatment facilities, including temporary facilities, with overflow capabilities and keep them operational with any necessary backup generation.

De-energization requirements specific to the COVID-19 pandemic do not inherently force a choice between wildfire safety and COVID-19 safety. With proper advance planning and coordination between the utilities, local governments, and state agencies, and with increased deployment of grid-based strategies and portable backup generation, it should be possible to avoid choosing between shutting off power to communities fighting against COVID-19 and preventing a wildfire.

The joint motion and the entirety of RCRC’s requests can be viewed here.