Bill would make utilities share information on vulnerable customers during shut-offs

A state legislator has introduced a trio of new bills on wildfire mitigation, including one that almost appeared to anticipate the next day’s headlines.

AB 2179, from Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-Marin County, would require electric utilities to share information about which homes receive medical baseline rates in case of a “de-energization event.”

The state’s Medical Baseline Program provides financial assistance and other benefits to homes in which someone has a qualifying medical condition, especially one requiring ongoing use of medical equipment. These customers can receive the ability to buy more power at cheaper baseline rates and can get extra notification of shut-offs.

“PG&E’s poorly planned and poorly executed public safety power shut-offs from 2019 exposed deep flaws in the utility that require our immediate action,” Levine said in a press release announcing his bills Tuesday. “We cannot wait for an electrical utility to drag its feet when local first responders are trying to help medically vulnerable residents.”

On Wednesday, The Chico Enterprise-Record reported the 2018 Camp Fire may have caused an additional 50 or more deaths besides the 85 listed by local authorizes. Much of this information was gleaned from court documents in which people attempted to make claims for deaths that occurred well after the fire, the paper said.

The alleged victims appear to be largely very ill or elderly people who required ventilators or other equipment in order to survive. Some died weeks or months later, often from complications that began in the immediate wake of evacuation or smoke exposure, the newspaper said.

In the wake of the Camp Fire and other blazes, Pacific Gas & Electric Company began instituting the shut-offs to prevent additional blazes from being sparked by electrical equipment in high winds or dangerous conditions.

According to Levine’s press release, local governments had difficulty getting information from the utility on the “highly vulnerable population” during shut-offs in October. Levine’s office did not respond to a call and email seeking comment.

Levine also introduced AB 2178, which would add power safety shut-offs to the list of events that could be used to make an emergency declaration by the governor or local officials. His third bill, AB 2180, would prevent utilities from diverting money intended to support their wildfire mitigation plans to other purposes.

Also on Wednesday, state Senate President pro tempore Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, announced the chamber would hold hearings over the next 90 days to strengthen the state’s wildfire planning. There is also additional legislation coming, according to a press release from her office, including bills intended to better regulate planned power shut-offs.

Levine’s office did not respond to a call and email seeking comment.