California PUC signs off on wildfire mitigation plans for investor-owned utilities

摘要

California regulators Thursday approved legislatively mandated plans aimed at preventing wildfires by cutting back vegetation from electrical equipment, installing insulated electric lines, stepping up inspections and setting up monitoring cameras, among other measures. In addition to approving the individual plans, which the state's investor-owned utilities proposed, the California Public Utilities Commission also issued an overall decision that addresses issues common to all the plans. Those plans are required by Senate Bill 901, a law the state passed in 2018 after devastating blazes swept through utility service areas, threatening the companies' financial viability. The law states that the commission's approval of wildfire mitigation plans does not constitute approval for recovery of the costs associated with the actions outlined in the plans, according to the overall decision. Rather, that issue is a separate matter to be addressed in each utility's general rate case.