SB 559: Electricity: deenergization events: communications.

Existing law requires each electrical corporation to annually prepare a wildfire mitigation plan and to submit the plan to the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety for review and approval, as specified. Existing law requires a wildfire mitigation plan of an electrical corporation to include, among other things, protocols for deenergizing portions of the electrical distribution system that consider the associated impacts on public safety, and protocols related to mitigating the public safety impacts of those protocols, including impacts on critical first responders and on health and communications infrastructure. Existing law requires a wildfire mitigation plan of an electrical corporation to also include appropriate and feasible procedures for notifying a customer who may be impacted by the deenergizing of electrical lines and requires these procedures to consider the need to notify, as a priority, critical first responders, health care facilities, and operators of telecommunications infrastructure with premises within the footprint of a potential deenergization event.

This bill would require, at the start of a deenergization event, consistent with the above-described protocols, an electrical corporation to immediately notify local emergency management organizations and local utility districts notify, when possible and at the time a decision to conduct a deenergization event is made, public safety partners about the potential public safety impacts of the deenergization, deenergization event, as specified. The bill would require detailed status information on restoration efforts to be made available to emergency management organizations, public safety officials, customers, and the public in real-time, public, where feasible, with regular progress updates issued at intervals of no more than 12 hours, for all impacted circuits, as specified. The bill would require, at the start in advance of a deenergization event, an electrical corporation to make a reasonable effort to publish and make available real-time weather conditions observed within the affected circuit being considered for deenergization, as provided. Once hazardous weather conditions subside, the bill would require an electrical corporation to prioritize the restoration of electricity and begin efforts to reenergize lines without unnecessary delays. delays when safe to do so. The bill would make electrical corporations responsible for the continual monitoring and eventual restoration of circuits affected by a deenergization event. The bill would require each electrical corporation to submit an annual report to the Public Utilities Commission that details its compliance with the transparency and restoration requirements of these provisions, as provided.

This bill would require the commission to oversee each electrical corporation’s compliance with these provisions to ensure that electrical corporations are meeting the transparency, communication, and restoration requirements. If an electrical corporation fails to comply with any of these provisions, including by failing to publish required weather data, notify public safety agencies, or meet communication standards, the bill would authorize the commission to impose financial penalties.

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

Because this bill requires action by the commission to implement its requirements, and because a violation of that action would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

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 a specified reason.