A change in rules over so-called public safety power shut-offs, commonly known as intentional or preemptive blackouts, will take away Southern California Edison’s carte blanche power to cut electricity to Malibu’s neighborhoods.
In other words, the policy that opened the door for utilities to unilaterally call for power shut-offs during high winds is going to be revised, after a unanimous vote by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) about one month after the devastating Woolsey Fire.
After those questions are addressed, the CPUC—not the utility companies—will set the policies for preemptive blackouts.
Local Malibu radio station KBUU 99.1 FM, under the moniker of its parent, Zuma Beach FM, challenged the policy earlier this year. Now, the station is declaring victory after the vote during the CPUC’s Dec. 13 meeting.
“The California Public Utilities Commission is crafting new rules for electric companies to follow on blackouts … handing a victory to the Malibu radio station that challenged giving total control on preemptive blackouts to the power monopoly,” a Dec. 14 post by the radio station stated.
The introduction of the public safety power shut-off policy this summer created a massive public outcry in Malibu, resulting in multiple public hearings and forums and an eventual formal challenge, not only from Zuma Beach FM, but from the City of Malibu and local school district as well.
The arguments against the policy were numerous, including some posted by KBUU News: “Some people depend on electricity to power medical devices. Residents cannot be given evacuation orders. Water pumps fail.”
But the commission and Southern California Edison agreed that being able to shut down power during high winds could lessen the chance of wildfires being sparked by utility lines.
A comprehensive review of the plan, including the examination of a long list of questions regarding various aspects of the policy, will begin soon.
Some of these questions include: “Should the commission limit de-energization in specific ways?” “Should we develop metrics for determining when de-energization is appropriate?” and “How much discretion should the IOUs [Investor Owned Utilities] have in calling de-energization events?”
In total, more than two dozen questions were raised—a list “identical” to the ones presented by Zuma Beach FM last summer, according to the station.
The move comes following the passage and adoption of SB 901, fire safety legislation that moved oversight into the hands of the CPUC.
“SB 901 was amended to include a statewide bond fund to pay for fire damages, but in exchange, a robust rulemaking for wildfire issues was required,” a spokesperson from the station wrote in an email to The Malibu Times. “They must be drafted in public, with public input. This is what we demanded in our application for rehearing.”
But this formal rulemaking process is not an indication the policy itself will be thrown out.
“Several members of the Public Utilities Commission said before Thursday’s vote that they saw power shut-offs as increasingly needed to prevent wildfire ignition, alongside other actions utilities can take to reduce risks,” according to an article published on the LA Times’ website on Dec. 13. “Commissioner Carla Peterman described shutoffs as ‘an option we don’t want to have to exercise often, but will exercise as necessary.’”