SB 292: Electricity: wildfire mitigation: deenergization events and reliability.

Existing law requires electrical corporations, local publicly owned electric utilities, and electrical cooperatives to annually prepare wildfire mitigation plans that include, among other things, descriptions of protocols for disabling reclosers and deenergizing portions of the electrical distribution system that consider the associated impacts on public safety and protocols related to mitigating public safety impacts of disabling reclosers and deenergizing portions of the electrical distribution system. Existing law requires the wildfire mitigation plans of electrical corporations to identify circuits that have frequently been deenergized pursuant to a deenergization event to mitigate the risk of wildfire and the measures taken, or planned to be taken, by the electrical corporation to reduce the need for, and impact of, future deenergization of those circuits.

This bill would require electrical corporations to work with representatives of state agencies and community-based organizations that serve, advocate on behalf of, or serve and advocate on behalf of, persons from the access and functional needs population, as defined, to develop and make publicly available a plan to support that population during deenergization events, as provided. The bill would require electrical corporations, after each deenergization event, to prepare a post-deenergization event report, as provided, and would require the report to be filed, served, distributed, and published, as specified. The bill would require the Public Utilities Commission, on or before January 1, 2027, to determine whether that report should also include other specified information.

Existing law requires the commission to require an electrical corporation to include in an annual reliability report information on the reliability of service to end-use customers that identifies the frequency and duration of interruptions of service. Existing law requires that information in the annual reliability report prepared by an electrical corporation and made publicly available be provided with sufficient confidentiality to protect electrical system security.

This bill would require the commission, on or before January 1, 2027, to determine whether its existing policies, procedures, and rules should be revised or enhanced to augment the safety and reliability of the electrical distribution system, as provided. The bill would require a local publicly owned electric utility to prepare an annual reliability report that identifies the frequency and duration of interruptions of service and includes certain other information. The bill would require that information in the annual reliability report prepared by the local publicly owned electric utility and made publicly available be provided with sufficient confidentiality to protect electrical system security. By imposing additional duties on a local publicly owned electric utility, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

Under existing law, a violation of any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.

Because a violation of a commission action implementing this bills requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.

This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for specified reasons.