PG&E trimming plan means wider power shut-offs, court told

PG&E agreed to new probation conditions Wednesday that will increase the scope of its power shut-offs.

Under the terms, the utility will take into account compliance with vegetation management work in deciding where to cut power during windstorms. It suggested additional language to U.S. District Judge William Alsup's proposed conditions to clarify the method it will use to decide when to de-energize lines and when it's obligated to do so.

"There will be larger de-energization events than would have otherwise occurred under PG&E's current standards," company attorneys wrote.

PG&E said in a statement that it recommended changes to Alsup's proposals to "ensure our alignment with the court toward the shared aim of public safety."

"We also shared with the court changes that will be made during the 2021 fire season to better reduce risk across our system and look forward to discussing our ongoing efforts to prevent wildfires at the upcoming hearing," the statement read.

Alsup proposed new probation conditions in December to rein in the company for failing to meet safety goals and comply with state law. USA v. Pacific Gas & Electric Co., 14-cr-00175 (N.D. Cal., filed April 1, 2014).

PG&E's failure to properly carry out public safety power shut offs is suspected by Shasta County and the utility to have caused the Zogg Fire, which killed four people and destroyed 204 structures. The utility did not de-energize the line that allegedly started the blaze despite the presence of hazardous trees in the area that were not trimmed.

PG&E said in court filings that the algorithm that identifies areas for power shut-offs does not consider compliance with vegetation clearance mandates.

Responding to Alsup's recommendation to "take into account all information" concerning the extent to which the utility has completed vegetation management work when identifying an area to cut off power, PG&E agreed to consider the existence of remaining trees that have to be trimmed in the two highest priority groups.

PG&E's policy calls for all Priority 1 trees to be worked within 24 hours and Priority 2 trees to be addressed within 30 days.

A method to include the new thresholds for triggering a power shut-off will be developed and shared with the judge within three months, PG&E said. Given potential public safety risks, it will incorporate expert analyses on how many customers may lose power and how long they will remain without it.

"This proposed language specifies that PG&E will, in addition to the areas identified for de-energization under other scoping criteria for a [shut-off] event, develop a methodology to identify areas not otherwise slated for de-energization that have outstanding Priority 1 or Priority 2 tags and de-energize those areas if the forecast conditions in those areas are above specified fire-risk thresholds," company attorneys wrote.

Shasta and Tehama counties have sued PG&E in state court, alleging its equipment sparked the Zogg Fire. The utility reported in financial filings in December that it expected to be held liable for more than $275 million in damages caused by the blaze.