LAKE COUNTY— The Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E’s) repeated and overlapping Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events of fall 2019 brought unsustainable hardship to Lake County residents, families, and businesses, and the message from Lake County residents was loud and clear: “Enough is enough.”
October 31, 2019, the governing bodies of the Cities of Clearlake and Lakeport and the County of Lake responded, coming together for a historic joint meeting, to amplify mounting concerns. A letter was submitted to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), with the promise of more action to come. In the time since, local officials have shared County residents’ stories with PG&E’s leadership, our State Representatives, and beyond.
The work continues Friday, February 21, at 1 p.m. Residents are invited to attend a meeting of Lake County’s Public Safety Power Shutoff Committee, with representatives from County and City governments.
- What: Lake Countywide PSPS Committee Meeting
- When: Friday, February 21, 1 p.m.
- Where: Lake County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport, CA, 95453
Aaron Johnson, PG&E’s Vice President of Customer Energy Solutions, will be present to provide an update on efforts toward long-term solutions, including plans to harden city centers, critical facilities, and schools against future PSPS events. Creative solutions are a must:
“I am encouraged PG&E has prioritized attending this meeting,” notes County Administrative Officer, Carol J. Huchingson. “Years of neglect of infrastructure maintenance and failure to adopt safety and grid management practices common in other states contributed to PSPS Events becoming a necessity, and they cannot be an enduring norm.”
CPUC Commissioner Martha Guzman Aceves, appointed by former Governor Brown in December 2016, will also be present. Notes Huchingson:
“In response to input from Lake County residents and others, the CPUC initiated an investigation into PG&E’s PSPS Events on November 13. Californians demanded accountability, and we expect Commissioner Guzman Aceves will lend insight into how the CPUC’s oversight functions, and ongoing work to minimize use and ultimately eliminate the PSPS as a tool for our Public Utilities.”
Updates are expected from the offices of Lake County’s State representatives, as well.
“We benefit from very active and engaged representation at the State level,” affirms Huchingson. “Senator McGuire and Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry both appreciate the uncertainty brought by intermittent availability of power during periods of high fire risk is an existential concern for all Californians, and particularly those most vulnerable.”
Public input is essential at this critical juncture.
“Truly, the management of PSPS Events is among the most urgent state level policy matters of our time, in that it affects the ability of every one of us to plan our lives,” concludes Huchingson. “The right players are going to be in the room, and I sincerely hope residents and business owners will fill the Board Chambers, and make their perspectives known.”
