Pacific Gas and Electric representatives met for a virtual town hall, open to the public via Microsoft Teams Thursday. Here they discussed mitigation efforts and preventative measures to the ongoing fire risk faced in this county as well as others in the Northern California region.
Dave Canny, Regional Vice President, began the presentation highlighting the changes PG&E has undertaken this past year in order to attain higher levels of fire safety in their daily operations. These improvements include the undergrounding of 155 miles of electrical lines with additional miles planned for this year. They also plan on continuing efforts in overhead hardening by replacing outdated poles “with stronger poles and covered power lines” according to the pge.com/undergrounding website. These efforts are part of a plan addressing the recent increases in demand for electricity, which is a growing problem that PG&E has had on its radar since 2015.
Canny also addressed the Potter Valley Project, where they are in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) process of decommissioning the Pillsbury Lake Dam. Canny shared that after searching for a partner to assume responsibility for the damn for almost a decade, PG&E was unsuccessful in doing so and is now looking to collaborate with a few local entities including the Round Valley Tribe in Mendocino in order to decipher the future of the dam.
Regional Senior Manager Brian Gerving expressed PG&E’s desire to keep neighborhoods safer while remaining “committed to raising rates no more than four percent next year.” Canny also mentioned the increases stating, “Rate increases in 2024 were significant, and we are looking at ways to minimize these over the course of the year.” Gerving added, “We, as a utility company, are focused on how to better service our customers.” The rate increases are to help provide funds for improving the company’s situational awareness with additional cameras as well as enhancing power lines and protecting equipment. Some of this improved equipment are the automatic shutoffs that cut power to the power line when damage is detected.
Gerving also shared some insight as to when the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events will occur, explaining the list of criteria that must exist in order for the power to be cut off. That criteria includes winds with gusts from 25 miles per hour and up and also humidity at less than 30 percent.
Also on the call was Eric Haggerty, Senior Manager of Vegetation Management, who shared information regarding what to expect when PG&E is clearing problematic vegetation around their power poles and other equipment. Haggerty noted that there would be steps to contact the homeowner, inspections, and then the tree work and limb removal. He said, “When greater than four inches in diameter the wood will remain on the property and it is the responsibility of the homeowner to remove it.”
He also shared some tips on attaining 100 feet of defensible space by leaving the proper space between planted vegetation or landscapes, creating fuel breaks, and removing surface litter like pine cones and other flammable debris.
Regional Safety Director Shelby Stanton also presented an emergency checklist of what should be inside of your go bag. These items include food and water for you, your children and your pets, as well as a first aid kit, a radio and spare batteries, medical and personal items, and cash and credit cards. These items can make a huge difference in evacuations especially when you have little time to leave.
Gerving closed the webinar with an open discussion for questions, also reminding viewers of the CARE, FERA, and LIHEAP programs that are available for those struggling to keep up with their utility bill. He also noted the progress map and outage center that are available on their website, along with other valuable information and recordings of the webinars they have held so far.
