Sacramento, CA…The first filing period on the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) rulemaking on de-energization practices for investor-owned utilities (IOUs) ended on Monday, with RCRC filing extensive comments on the proposal’s first phase. The rulemaking is looking at future practices for California’s largest IOUs when performing targeted power shut offs to prevent ignitions during high wildfire hazard conditions, such as high winds, and will ultimately dictate how IOUs communicate, coordinate, and conduct power shut offs to help prevent catastrophic wildfires.

At the direction of RCRC’s Board of Directors, RCRC filed for official party status on March 18, 2019 in order to fully participate in the de-energization rulemaking. RCRC’s comments include specifics about the timing and frequency of communication from IOUs, particularly with local governments and critical facilities that rely on electricity such as hospitals and elderly care facilities. RCRC’s comments can be accessed here. For more information on the rulemaking or RCRC’s comments, please contact Staci Heaton at sheaton@rcrcnet.org, or Leigh Kammerich at lkammerich@rcrcnet.org.