SACRAMENTO
Senator McGuire’s bill to expedite utility improvements and safety measures to curb massive power shutoffs passes full Senate
Last year, residents across Northern California endured multiple, sustained power shutoffs that put residents health and safety at risk, disrupted local economies and lacked oversight and planning. At one point, some Californians lost power for a total of 14 days in a one-month period.
Senator Mike McGuire’s legislation, SB 1312, will hold utilities accountable for grid hardening, modernization and vegetation management by expediting these improvements which will ensure power shutoffs have smaller footprints and shorter durations. The bill passed the full Senate with bipartisan support on Friday.
“SB 1312 provides the framework to ensure that power shutoff events become the tool of last resort, and not the default strategy as we saw across Northern California last fall,” Senator Mike McGuire said. “PG&E, in particular, is years behind in grid modernization and hardening and this bill will advance an expedited schedule to make desperately needed modernizations and improvements to their system. The bill, along with previous state actions, will ensure these devastating shutoff events do not continue to disrupt and endanger the lives of Californians. Last fall cannot become the new normal.”
SB 1312 requires Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs) to prioritize public health and safety as well as reliable electrical service that Californians deserve in this day and age.
Currently, the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) requires IOUs to fill out reports after Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events. These reports, however, often lack key information and proper review. Out of the dozens of reports filed last fall, the CPUC conducted only one official review.
“Our state lacks a formal process for future reviews of shutoff events, and clearly the level of review without a process has been insufficient at best,” McGuire said. “This is simply not acceptable.”
SB 1312 provides the necessary framework to shorten and decrease the frequency of PSPS events and to ultimately eliminate their use by requiring Investor Owned Utilities (IOUs) to take both short and long term steps to harden their infrastructure. To strengthen the existing PSPS process, SB 1312 does the following:
Require that IOUs identify power lines that are more likely to cause power shutoff events or wildfires.
Require IOUs to include details about the lines that cause the power shutoffs in their after-event reports, including how many miles of lines were impacted and how many circuits were impacted. This will allow state agencies to truly pinpoint and develop a fix-it plan.
Require IOUs to harden their infrastructure that caused the power shutoff event and report back to the CPUC on their progress one year after the shutoff event. Currently, utilities are behind in their hardening and vegetation management.
Require the CPUC to hold hearings to determine whether a power shutoff event is in accordance with standards and authorize the Commission to levy fines if needed.
Prohibit IOUs from charging Californians for electricity not provided during a power shutoff event when power is cut.
Authorize the California Office of Emergency Services (OES), CAL FIRE, and the CPUC to create consistent procedures for power shutoff events in the best interest of Californians by collaborating on what each agency needs, including the notification process, guidelines on how lines will be re-powered, and what the footprint of the outage will be.
Require that IOUs identify and harden power lines that are more likely to cause PSPS events or wildfires within a four year timeline instead of the 12-14 years proposed by PG&E.
SB 1312 will now move to the Assembly in the coming weeks. SB 1312 is supported by California State Sheriffs’ Association, California Fire Chiefs Association, and the League of California Cities to name a few.
—Submitted
UKIAH
Mendocino College “mostly online” Fall 2020 – registration now open
Enrollment and registration is open for the “mostly online” fall 2020 semester at Mendocino College. The semester will begin August 17.
Mendocino College faculty have been working to find creative ways to migrate as much of their curriculum to an online format as possible given limitations due to COVID-19. Most classes will be fully online. However, a limited number of classes are hybrid, meaning they will provide some on ground sessions, such as Auto, Nursing and other Career Education courses. Also, some art, music and science labs will have limited on ground sessions. All sessions held in person will follow cleaning, social distancing, mask, and small group protocols designed specifically for the classroom activity, equipment, and size.
“Our goal is to provide our students with a safe, engaging, high-quality learning environment given the current restrictions put in place,” said Vice President of Academic Affairs, Debra Polak. “We want students to be able to continue their education this fall with as little interruption as possible. To that end, we have designed a comprehensive schedule. We also hope that students who might be uncertain about taking online classes will reach out to us, so we can share information about the many resources we will have to support them.”
Mendocino College provides a host of support and services geared toward student success in this new learning environment, including free tutoring, books, tuition, and more. More than half the students who attend Mendocino College qualify for some form of financial aid, and many meet the guidelines that eliminate unit fees completely, regardless of their financial situation through the Mendocino College Promise Program. For more information about eligibility, please visit www.mendocino.edu/promise.
Currently enrolled students can register for classes using MyMendo, which can be found by visiting www.mendocino.edu. New students can apply online at www.mendocino.edu. To make a counseling appointment, please email counselingappointments@mendocino.edu.
—Submitted
