The California Public Utilities Commission has announced a formal investigation into PG&E’s historic and controversial Public Safety Power Shutoffs last month to assess whether the company’s leadership properly balanced the utility’s need to provide safe and reliable service.
“It is important for the CPUC to determine if the utilities complied with using Public Safety Power Shutoffs as a last resort, and to collect the knowledge gained towards any revisions needed for next year,” Commissioner Genevieve Shiroma said in a statement Wednesday.
“It is essential that our protocols and the utilities’ practices provide the best service and protections for customers in the face of wildfires,” Shiroma said.
The proceeding, known formally as an “Order Instituting Investigation,” will provide a review of the effectiveness and impacts of the shutoffs with an eye toward revising existing regulations governing de-energization of the grid.
There may also be an enforcement phase, if the investigation finds that PG&E failed to comply with CPUC rules and regulations.
This comes after a series of shutoffs impacting 738,000 households and businesses across more than 30 counties in California, causing financial losses that have not yet been fully tallied.
The shutoffs have drawn the ire of residents and politicians alike, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has called for a “total reform” of the rules and regulations governing the process.
“Total reform” Newsom. lmao.
PG&E’s political contributions to greasy Gavin must have drawn his ire too.
Um, no.
It looks to me like Newsom is voicing public outrage, while fully cooperating on a private back channel with PGE, and they both know it. His public comments about the power shutoffs just aren’t convincing. I think they worked out the arrangement even before the first outage.
Newsom says to PGE privately, “Do what you have to do guys, but I’ll have to act like I’m outraged and disgruntled to calm the masses and make them think I’m on their side. Just know that no matter what I say I’m behind you 100%.” PGE says, “Okay, make it good, Gavin.”
Staggering that PG&E has soooo many millions to hand out to executives for literally decades but saw no need to deal with an issue that existed long before now…
But then again Executives exotic cars and trophy wives ain’t cheap.
Don’t kid yourself, it ain’t cheap for California politicians to drive exotic cars and have trophy wives either.
According to ABC10’s compilation of state records shows PG&E donated more than $800,000 directly to candidate campaigns, $372,000 to influence the outcome of votes on ballot questions, and another $3.2 million to political spending groups — much of which ultimately flowed to candidates.
Gov Newsom and his allies took $208,400 toward his 2018 run for governor after PG&E was convicted on felony charges resulting from the 2010 San Bruno gas explosion . That includes the maximum contribution of $58,400 directly to his campaign and another $150,000 to a political spending group called “Citizens Supporting Gavin Newsom for Governor 2018.”
In addition according to the Washington Post, PG&E’s philanthropic branch gave $358,000 to Newsom’s wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s nonprofit the Representation Project between 2011 and 2018.
The Post also reported that PG&E gave $10,000 to the Plumpjack Foundation, which is helmed by the governor’s sister Hilary Newsom.
Who appoints the members of the California Public Utilities Commission? The body that is suppose to look out for the interest of the public & regulate PG&E? Why none other the Gov. Newsom.
What a coincidence that PG&E gives money to politician and literally gets away with murder. I’m sure one has nothing to do with the other….
Gavin Newsom SIGNED OFF ON THE SHUT DOWNS. The fact this says PG&E drew ire from the Governor… PLEASE. Report the facts. He knew… He signed off on it… He OK’d the whole thing. Stop acting like he did freaking anything other than green light this. He wants to act and be seen as a hero. He is NOT. He’s a schister.
An interesting thing is while our power was out for almost 3 days, our neighbors a block away had power the whole time. I don’t understand how this made anything safer for anyone had a fire started in the neighborhood. It certainly was a waste of a lot of food at our house 🙁
The distribution system was never built to be able to isolate small areas. If the lines that serve a fire prone area pass through fire-safe areas then there is no alternative for the safe areas. It’s the same for gas and water. It costs extra during construction to add valves where there is no anticipated need for the near future, let alone 20 years in the future.
Same goes for politicians, they never plan beyond their anticipated term of office.
B.T.W. for the #2 blackout period, the houses on my side of the street were slated for blackout and the other side of the street were not. Fortunately nothing happened.
Believe the outages have less to do with fire than they do with transmission capacity. By taking transmission lines out of service, capacity to service customer demand is reduced.
Interrupting supply is also known as “shedding load”, in doing so they hope to prevent brown outs and overloads which trip out protection devices.
Clarification, should have been,
Interrupting supply to customers is also known as “shedding load”
They that control the flow of energy control the population. They determine how much light you can have, when you can get fresh water, what foods you can buy, prepare and consume. Since our politicians have done such a good job of running the state, they certainly would do a good job of running the power companies.
Gavin has received close to a million dollars to his campaign through donations from PG&E. Another interesting fact is that Gavin’s inlaws who reside in a town located in Marin county never got their power shut off but other towns surrounding that town got theirs turned off. Dems can’t even keep the power on here in this state. Sad.
And 99% of Employees Totally Disagree with that!
The CPUC is to blame as well – I hope their investigation is inward looking and reports on the deficiencies in their practice to monitor and report on the progress of this monopoly they allowed to exist.
They have the ability to exercise their RTA and investigate what is being done to ensure service and safety to the public, I want to know what THEY have done to minimize these problems/risks other then just point a finger at PG&E. I think litigation should include CPUC as well sine they failed to properly oversee the practices of the PG&E knowing the risk the company was operating under.
I find it hard to believe CPUC didn’t know the shutoffs were being considered as part of PG&Es risk mitigation plan. Same for Gavin – you knew, you knew!
And 99% of Employees Totally Disagree with that!
PG&E owns the CPUC.