WEBVTT
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The feed
for this streaming event
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brought to you by adminmonitor.com
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will begin momentarily.
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Thank you for your patience.
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This is the
electric investor owned
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utility safety briefing
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to the California Public
Utilities Commission
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and the Office of Energy
Infrastructure Safety meeting.
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Thank you, Carolina
Contreras, you may begin.
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Hello everyone,
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and welcome to Bear
Valley Electric Service
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and Pacific Gas and
Electric Safety update briefing
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to the California Public
Utilities Commission
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and the Office of Energy
Infrastructure Safety.
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My name is Carolina Contreras,
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I staff at the safety policy division,
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and I will be your facilitator today.
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At today's briefing,
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members of the board
of directors of Bear Valley
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and PG&E will present
and answer questions
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from the CPUC and Energy
Safety regarding updates
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on their electric
safety related efforts.
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Due to the coronavirus pandemic
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and the shelter in place order,
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we are conducting today's meeting online
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and by remote participation.
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The meeting is live-streamed
on the CPUC's website.
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You can view the meeting at
www.adminmonitor.com/ca/cpuc/.
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Closed captioning is available
in English and Spanish
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through the webcast.
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You can click on the
green button to select
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your language of choice.
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Joining us on the virtual dais today
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are CPUC President Batjer
and her fellow Commissioners,
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Shiroma and Houck,
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as well as the Director of the Office
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of Energy Infrastructure
Safety, Caroline Thomas Jacob.
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Unfortunately, Commissioner Recshouen
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and Commissioner Gusmanasevas
are unable to join us today.
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In terms of a format
for today's briefing,
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we will hold a morning
session for Bear Valley Electric
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and an afternoon session for PG&E,
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which is scheduled to start at 1:00 PM.
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After opening remarks
from the dais this morning,
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we will begin Bear Valley's
session with public comments.
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We will then move on to
a 25 minute presentation
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by Bear Valley Electric representatives
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on their safety update, followed
by a discussion and Q&A
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from the Commissioners
and Energy Safety director.
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We are scheduled to
break for lunch at 12:00 PM
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and we'll reconvene at
1:00 PM for PG&E's portion.
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The afternoon will commence
with public comments
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for PG&E's session.
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We will then move on to
a 45 minute presentation
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by PG&E representatives,
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followed by discussion and Q&A
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from the Commissioners
and Energy Safety director.
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We are scheduled to
conclude today at 3:00 PM.
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We will have an opportunity
for public comment
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at the beginning of each
of today's two sessions.
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Bear Valley's public
comment session will come first
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and will begin around 10:15 AM.
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PG&E's public comment
session will take place
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in the afternoon, and is
estimated to begin at 1:00 PM.
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If you wish to make a public comment,
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dial 800-857-1917 and
enter passcode 1767567
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and press *1.
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You will be placed into a queue
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and the operator will take
your name and information.
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You will be called upon to speak
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when we get to the public
comment period in today's agenda.
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We will provide two
minutes to each speaker,
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so please be mindful of the time.
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You will hear a bell
sound when your time is up.
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Please be mindful to
other callers in the queue
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and stay within your allotted time.
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We also have Spanish
interpretation available.
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Dial 800-857-1917 and
enter passcode 3799627#
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to be connected to the Spanish line.
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I ask that today's
speakers remain mindful
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and speak clearly.
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We will now repeat
public comment information
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in Spanish.
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(speaking in Spanish)
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I will now turn it over
to President Batjer
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for opening remarks.
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Thank you so much, Carolina.
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And I want to say good
morning to everyone.
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I'd like to, of course, welcome
my fellow Commissioners
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and Director Thomas Jacob
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from the Office of Energy
Infrastructure and Safety.
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Today's meeting with
Bear Valley and PG&E
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is the second in a series of meetings
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we have put in place to hear annually
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from representatives of the
utilities boards of directors
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on a comprehensive set of
electric safety related issues.
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The first meeting in this
series was held in August
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with SCE Edison and SDG&E.
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While this meeting is a new initiative,
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it is part of the CPUC
and Energy Safety's
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ongoing effort to hold public meetings
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with utility leadership across
a range of safety issues
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including wildfire mitigation,
public safety power shutoff,
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and represents our continued commitment
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to transparency and accountability
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around important public safety issues.
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Presentations like the
ones we will hear today
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are critical to ensuring
we are kept informed
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by the utilities around
their responsibility
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for continuing to improve
their safety performance
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including the development and maturation
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of their organizational safety cultures.
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A stern safety culture
is essential for strong
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and effective safety
performance, and that culture
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is set by utility leadership.
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So a venue such as this,
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where utility leadership
can present their view
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of their own company's
safety performance
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and hear from the public and regulators,
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is a very valuable feedback loop.
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We also believe that a public meeting
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with board members is a
reasonable and effective way
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for the utilities to
demonstrate they have met one
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of the statutory criteria for
obtaining safety certificates
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which requires the
electrical corporation
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to establish board of
directors-level reporting
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to this Commission on safety issues.
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While public briefings
enhance transparency,
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I also want to recognize
that we have many staff
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at the CPUC who focus
exclusively on safety oversight
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and enforcement work
which happens outside
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of the public view.
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Also we have been working for years
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to enhance the level of
engagement in assessing the risk
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the utilities face and determine
a more quantifiable basis
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for assessing safety performance
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in our safety model
assessment proceedings,
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and our risk assessment
and mitigation proceedings.
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Today's meetings further
enhance our oversight work
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by providing the public a venue to hear
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the presentation of the board,
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and for getting a better
public understanding
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of the priorities and
actions of the board
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and the executive leadership.
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Monday marked three years
since PG&E infrastructure
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ignited the deadly campfire.
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I wanted to recognize this occurrence
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and that of the 84 lives that were lost.
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This anniversary is a grim
and anguishing reminder
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of the need for sustained
and ongoing actions
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by PG&E and other utilities
to operate their systems safely,
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and to put the care and
wellbeing of their customers
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in every business choice they make.
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Oftentimes in regulation,
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one can get consumed
in statistics and metrics.
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How is a utility doing this
year compared to last year?
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And month over month?
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But in this work and in today's meeting,
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I want to hold center
that it is real people
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we are talking about.
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Real people's lives who were lost
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because of a neglect to
uphold the responsibility
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to operate safely,
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and real people whose
lives were upended.
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It is the real people that guide my
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and my fellow Commissioner's
unwavering commitment
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to exercising every level we have
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to continue to push utilities
to forefront the customer
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and forefront their safety.
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With that in mind, I am
very much looking forward
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to hearing from Bear
Valley and PG&E leadership
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on their key priorities and
efforts to improve safety,
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and to hear about the
board-level accountability
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for the utility leadership related
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to the company's safety performance.
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So I want to thank very much
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the Safety Policy Division,
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the Office of the Commission,
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and the Office of Energy
Infrastructure Safety
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for organizing this very
important briefing today.
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With that, Carolina, I
will turn it back to you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you, President Batjer.
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Commissioner Shiroma?
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Ah yes, thank you, Carolina.
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I very much appreciate the efforts today
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to provide the updates.
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These are of the highest importance
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in establishing accountability
at the highest levels
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of the organizations.
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The governing boards set the tone.
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They set the expectations.
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And we will learn today
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about the board of director's
efforts in development
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of governance structures
to ensure that both
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the Bear Valley and PG&E
teams are effective and efficient
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in implementing safety efforts.
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The commemoration of the
campfire and those lives lost
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are an important reminder
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of the governing
board's responsibilities
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and the influence that they have
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on the entire organization.
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And though the two
utilities are different in size
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and geography and customer base,
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the principles apply the same, again,
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in terms of the accountability
of the governing boards,
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the accountability that
they hold over their teams,
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and I look forward to a
robust and detailed discussion.
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Thank you.
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Thank you,
Commissioner Shiroma.
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Director Thomas Jacob.
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Good morning, and
thank you, President Batjer
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and Commissioner Shiroma.
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I just want to say I definitely concur
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with all of what you guys just said.
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President Batjer, very
eloquently described
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the severity and
importance of this effort.
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I think it's important to
root today's discussion
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in the fact that the landscape
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in which each of the
utilities build, operate,
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and maintain their grid,
and the risk calculus
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for doing so, has fundamentally changed.
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As the impact of climate
change continues to worsen
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and California experiences (indistinct)
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that increase the risk of wildfire,
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the importance of
building and maintaining
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a culture of safety
and wildfire resilience
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for employees, customers,
and the general public
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becomes ever more critical.
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With over 8,300 fires
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and more than 3 million acres
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burned this year in California,
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the numbers, more importantly
the impact of those fires
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on the residents, communities,
and our environment
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are staggering.
00:13:39.152 --> 00:13:42.030
Year over year, the threat
is only continuing to escalate.
00:13:42.030 --> 00:13:44.810
Safety and climate
resilience must be considered
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and prioritized in every
decision that utility makes
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to ensure every opportunity is maximized
00:13:50.730 --> 00:13:53.740
to improve worker safety
and reduce or eliminate
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the likelihood of an ignition
from an electrical line.
00:13:56.610 --> 00:13:58.480
Building a culture of safety,
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where safety's not just what you do,
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but it's who you are, is not easy,
00:14:02.410 --> 00:14:03.690
nor does it happen overnight.
00:14:03.690 --> 00:14:05.930
It takes hard work, universal buy in,
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and a strong commitment to leadership.
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It means developing a
culture based on safety
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and risk management,
not just focused solely
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on compliance, but a
culture that reduces risk
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across how you build, operate,
00:14:16.910 --> 00:14:19.110
and maintain your infrastructure.
00:14:19.110 --> 00:14:20.520
Through the safety culture assessments
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our team conducted this year,
00:14:22.470 --> 00:14:24.970
I know PG&E and Bear
Valley's governance work,
00:14:24.970 --> 00:14:27.360
I also know that there's
still much you need to do
00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:29.750
to ensure that the entire organization,
00:14:29.750 --> 00:14:32.020
from the board down
to the frontline worker
00:14:32.020 --> 00:14:34.420
including employees and contractors,
00:14:34.420 --> 00:14:37.930
prioritize safety in every
decision, in every action,
00:14:37.930 --> 00:14:40.280
to improve safety
outcomes for your workforce,
00:14:40.280 --> 00:14:41.113
for your customers,
00:14:41.113 --> 00:14:43.410
and the communities
in which you operate.
00:14:43.410 --> 00:14:45.270
As we're coming to the
end of the calendar year
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and the compliance period
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for the 2021 wildfire mitigation plan,
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I'm particularly interested in hearing
00:14:50.820 --> 00:14:52.670
from both PG&E and Bear Valley
00:14:52.670 --> 00:14:54.580
about the specific safety improvements
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implemented this year,
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and how each of you plan to address
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the commitments you've made
00:14:58.490 --> 00:15:00.840
for which you're
currently behind schedule.
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I'll leave it at that for now
00:15:01.960 --> 00:15:05.000
as I'm sure I'll have questions
after the presentations.
00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:06.972
With that again, thank
you for the opportunity
00:15:06.972 --> 00:15:09.940
here today and I
appreciate the Commission
00:15:09.940 --> 00:15:11.740
organizing the briefing.
00:15:11.740 --> 00:15:12.853
Back to you, Carolina.
00:15:14.090 --> 00:15:16.470
Thank you, Director
Thomas Jacob.
00:15:16.470 --> 00:15:17.420
Commissioner Houck?
00:15:19.810 --> 00:15:20.960
Thank you, Carolina.
00:15:20.960 --> 00:15:22.290
I want to thank you
00:15:22.290 --> 00:15:24.630
and all of the Safety
Policy Division staff
00:15:24.630 --> 00:15:26.970
for organizing today's public meeting,
00:15:26.970 --> 00:15:29.960
as well as Energy Safety
for their continued partnership
00:15:29.960 --> 00:15:33.470
with the CPUC on
wildfire safety matters.
00:15:33.470 --> 00:15:35.960
I concur with the
comments that were made
00:15:35.960 --> 00:15:37.890
by my fellow Commissioners,
00:15:37.890 --> 00:15:41.310
particularly President Batjer's comments
00:15:41.310 --> 00:15:43.470
regarding the need to prioritize safety
00:15:43.470 --> 00:15:48.260
and how what the utilities
are doing impact people's lives.
00:15:48.260 --> 00:15:50.870
I'm looking forward to learning
more about the progress
00:15:50.870 --> 00:15:53.230
that both Bear Valley and PG&E have made
00:15:53.230 --> 00:15:55.270
in improving the safety of their systems
00:15:55.270 --> 00:15:57.310
and their goals for
future implementation
00:15:57.310 --> 00:15:59.290
of safety measures.
00:15:59.290 --> 00:16:00.950
I had the opportunity last week,
00:16:00.950 --> 00:16:03.390
along with Turn, SCD, and Energy Safety,
00:16:03.390 --> 00:16:04.620
to visit some of the sites
00:16:04.620 --> 00:16:06.500
where PG&E is currently conducting
00:16:06.500 --> 00:16:08.530
it's wildfire mitigation work.
00:16:08.530 --> 00:16:10.900
This provided an
opportunity for all of us to see
00:16:10.900 --> 00:16:12.750
what was happening on the ground,
00:16:12.750 --> 00:16:15.300
and have PG&E address
some of the questions raised
00:16:15.300 --> 00:16:17.420
by the public including implementation
00:16:17.420 --> 00:16:18.570
of fast trip settings,
00:16:18.570 --> 00:16:20.080
which I believe they'll be talking about
00:16:20.080 --> 00:16:21.673
in today's presentation.
00:16:22.680 --> 00:16:25.160
So I appreciate PG&E
engaging in dialogue
00:16:25.160 --> 00:16:27.460
with all of us regarding
its recent safety work
00:16:27.460 --> 00:16:30.020
and the progress they've made to date.
00:16:30.020 --> 00:16:31.880
There's still a lot of work to be done
00:16:31.880 --> 00:16:34.750
and I just want to reiterate
what's been said already
00:16:34.750 --> 00:16:37.120
that we intend to hold
the utilities accountable
00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:39.840
for providing safe
and reliable electricity
00:16:39.840 --> 00:16:42.350
to their customers,
and I'm looking forward
00:16:42.350 --> 00:16:44.380
to hearing more from
both utilities today
00:16:44.380 --> 00:16:46.750
in their briefings on how
they're going to be implementing
00:16:46.750 --> 00:16:49.080
safety measure and
what they've done to date.
00:16:49.080 --> 00:16:50.023
So thank you.
00:16:52.310 --> 00:16:55.770
Thank you, Commissioners
and director Thomas Jacobs.
00:16:55.770 --> 00:16:58.430
We will now turn to the
public comments portion
00:16:58.430 --> 00:17:00.860
of Bear Valley's session
in today's agenda.
00:17:00.860 --> 00:17:02.980
We want to make a clarification,
00:17:02.980 --> 00:17:07.390
the passcode that we
let you know about earlier
00:17:08.670 --> 00:17:09.560
needs to be corrected.
00:17:09.560 --> 00:17:12.210
So I will correct it in
my following statement.
00:17:12.210 --> 00:17:14.800
As a reminder, if you wish
to make a public comment,
00:17:14.800 --> 00:17:19.800
dial into 800-857-1917
and enter passcode 5180519
00:17:25.833 --> 00:17:26.960
for the English line.
00:17:26.960 --> 00:17:29.270
Again, that has been corrected
00:17:29.270 --> 00:17:31.951
and I'll repeat the corrected passcode.
00:17:31.951 --> 00:17:36.860
5180519 for the English line.
00:17:36.860 --> 00:17:40.077
And the passcode for the
Spanish line is 379929627.
00:17:45.449 --> 00:17:46.880
Excuse me, I'll repeat the
passcode for the Spanish line.
00:17:46.880 --> 00:17:51.880
That is 3799627 for the Spanish line.
00:17:53.192 --> 00:17:56.010
Unmute your phone and press *1,
00:17:56.010 --> 00:17:57.970
you will be placed into a queue
00:17:57.970 --> 00:18:01.000
and the operator will take
your name and information.
00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:03.360
You will be called upon
to speak in the order
00:18:03.360 --> 00:18:05.103
your call was received.
00:18:06.190 --> 00:18:08.870
You will have two minutes to speak.
00:18:08.870 --> 00:18:12.540
You will hear a bell
sound when your time is up.
00:18:12.540 --> 00:18:14.908
Please be mindful of
other speakers in the queue
00:18:14.908 --> 00:18:17.400
and keep to your allotted time.
00:18:17.400 --> 00:18:19.240
I will now turn it to the operator
00:18:19.240 --> 00:18:21.513
to open the public
comment telephone line.
00:18:25.120 --> 00:18:26.573
Thank you.
00:18:26.573 --> 00:18:28.500
The public comment
telephone line is now open.
00:18:28.500 --> 00:18:30.000
Again, if you wish to speak
00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:32.970
during the public comment
period please press *1,
00:18:32.970 --> 00:18:34.190
unmute your phone,
00:18:34.190 --> 00:18:36.960
and clearly record your
name when prompted
00:18:36.960 --> 00:18:38.330
so I may introduce you.
00:18:38.330 --> 00:18:41.370
Again, that is *1 to ask us questions.
00:18:41.370 --> 00:18:44.240
It may take a few moments
for comments to come though,
00:18:44.240 --> 00:18:45.153
please stand by.
00:19:06.401 --> 00:19:09.330
So it sounds like we
have no current speakers
00:19:09.330 --> 00:19:10.283
on the queue.
00:19:11.300 --> 00:19:16.300
We will then move on with
no more comments on the line.
00:19:17.100 --> 00:19:21.730
The public comment period
for Bear Valley is now closed.
00:19:21.730 --> 00:19:26.590
Thank you to all who
would like to call later.
00:19:26.590 --> 00:19:30.080
There will be another public
comment session for PG&E.
00:19:32.004 --> 00:19:33.570
To provide written comments,
00:19:33.570 --> 00:19:37.863
please send them to
carolina.contreras@cpuc.ca.gov.
00:19:41.060 --> 00:19:44.130
We will now hear from
Bear Valley Electric Services
00:19:44.130 --> 00:19:46.370
representative, Paul Marconi
00:19:47.380 --> 00:19:50.262
Paul Marconi is president, treasurer,
00:19:50.262 --> 00:19:53.590
secretary, and safety and
operations committee chairman
00:19:53.590 --> 00:19:55.610
for Bear Valley Services.
00:19:55.610 --> 00:19:56.670
Welcome, Mr. Marconi,
00:19:56.670 --> 00:19:59.357
you are scheduled for 30 minutes.
00:19:59.357 --> 00:20:00.553
I am turning it over to you now.
00:20:03.570 --> 00:20:04.976
Thank you.
00:20:04.976 --> 00:20:05.809
Are you gonna display the slides?
00:20:05.809 --> 00:20:07.320
Yes, okay.
00:20:07.320 --> 00:20:11.160
Good morning, President
Batjer, Commissioner Shiroma,
00:20:11.160 --> 00:20:13.820
Commissioner Houck,
Director Thomas Jacobs,
00:20:13.820 --> 00:20:16.483
staff, and members of the public.
00:20:18.490 --> 00:20:20.590
Thank you for inviting me to provide
00:20:20.590 --> 00:20:22.830
Bear Valley Electric Service Inc.'s
00:20:22.830 --> 00:20:24.453
board-level update.
00:20:26.220 --> 00:20:30.010
Bear Valley is committed to
ensure safety of the public,
00:20:30.010 --> 00:20:33.300
our customers, and
stakeholders that are exposed
00:20:33.300 --> 00:20:36.000
to our facilities and operations.
00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:38.530
We are committed to
continually implementing
00:20:38.530 --> 00:20:43.010
and executing initiatives
to reduce the risk of wildfire,
00:20:43.010 --> 00:20:45.950
and we are also committed
to providing a safe,
00:20:45.950 --> 00:20:49.640
healthful workplace
for all of our employees,
00:20:49.640 --> 00:20:53.300
on-site contractors,
vendors, and other visitors
00:20:53.300 --> 00:20:55.180
to our facilities.
00:20:55.180 --> 00:20:57.280
We can go onto the next slide, please.
00:21:02.033 --> 00:21:03.830
During this briefing,
I'll brief the topics
00:21:03.830 --> 00:21:08.546
that were requested in that order.
00:21:08.546 --> 00:21:09.963
So we can go to the next slide.
00:21:13.670 --> 00:21:15.760
Bear Valley is small.
00:21:15.760 --> 00:21:19.710
32 square miles, if you
want to subtract the lake,
00:21:19.710 --> 00:21:21.330
you can take another four and a half
00:21:21.330 --> 00:21:23.913
to five square miles out
depending on lake level.
00:21:25.381 --> 00:21:29.270
Most of our facilities
are at 7,000 feet.
00:21:29.270 --> 00:21:31.120
We're in the San Bernardino Mountains
00:21:32.020 --> 00:21:34.840
where you have an alpine environment.
00:21:34.840 --> 00:21:39.690
That means heavy tree,
pine-type vegetation.
00:21:39.690 --> 00:21:43.083
Mostly dry environment, about 8% a year.
00:21:44.806 --> 00:21:48.380
Entire service area is in
the high fire threat district.
00:21:48.380 --> 00:21:52.050
90% is tier 2, about 10% is tier 3,
00:21:52.050 --> 00:21:56.213
that Southern red
area is our tier 3 area.
00:21:57.060 --> 00:21:59.520
Our jurisdiction's pretty simple.
00:21:59.520 --> 00:22:01.850
County of San Bernardino,
City of Big Bear Lake,
00:22:01.850 --> 00:22:03.123
US Forest Service.
00:22:05.370 --> 00:22:09.640
We have 24,623 customers.
00:22:09.640 --> 00:22:12.190
We have a permanent resident population
00:22:12.190 --> 00:22:14.663
of about 22,000 residents.
00:22:16.590 --> 00:22:21.590
About 30% permanent residents
and 70% second home owners
00:22:25.140 --> 00:22:26.970
in Bear Valley.
00:22:26.970 --> 00:22:30.490
Our population can swell to over 200,000
00:22:30.490 --> 00:22:32.683
generally between
Christmas and New Years,
00:22:33.730 --> 00:22:35.360
and just as a data point,
00:22:35.360 --> 00:22:38.563
last year, we had over six
million visitors to Bear Valley.
00:22:40.886 --> 00:22:41.720
So our normal power supplies
00:22:41.720 --> 00:22:44.869
comes from Southern
California Edison lines.
00:22:44.869 --> 00:22:45.702
Next slide, please.
00:22:50.410 --> 00:22:53.140
The framework of our
key priorities and efforts
00:22:53.140 --> 00:22:57.970
are organized along
the guidelines provided
00:22:57.970 --> 00:23:00.063
in the wildfire mitigation planning,
00:23:01.360 --> 00:23:06.360
and while some of these
categories of initiatives
00:23:06.950 --> 00:23:10.730
are mostly on a tactical
level, they spill into both,
00:23:10.730 --> 00:23:15.730
but I would say the board
and senior management
00:23:16.180 --> 00:23:18.810
operate mostly in the strategic level,
00:23:18.810 --> 00:23:21.480
reaching out to the tactical to inspect
00:23:21.480 --> 00:23:23.220
and see how we're doing.
00:23:23.220 --> 00:23:26.040
And the frontline managers
and supervisors operate
00:23:26.040 --> 00:23:28.083
more in the tactical level.
00:23:30.430 --> 00:23:31.830
We can go to the next slide.
00:23:36.670 --> 00:23:39.720
So we've got 86 initiatives in progress.
00:23:39.720 --> 00:23:41.010
I'm just gonna highlight some
00:23:41.010 --> 00:23:45.330
of what I think are the more compelling
00:23:45.330 --> 00:23:48.970
towards achieving a safe grid.
00:23:48.970 --> 00:23:51.283
One is a covered wire project.
00:23:54.047 --> 00:23:55.670
We did some pilot testing
00:23:55.670 --> 00:23:57.790
and also worked with the other utilities
00:23:57.790 --> 00:24:02.113
and we selected the priority
wires as our primary product.
00:24:03.420 --> 00:24:06.623
It has a fire retardant
in its insulation layers,
00:24:07.940 --> 00:24:11.530
and we have a program to replace
00:24:11.530 --> 00:24:13.710
approximately 4.3 circuit miles
00:24:13.710 --> 00:24:16.310
on the sub-transmission system,
00:24:16.310 --> 00:24:21.083
and 8.6 miles on the
distribution system per year.
00:24:21.960 --> 00:24:24.810
To date, we've replaced approximately
00:24:24.810 --> 00:24:27.640
9 circuit miles on sub-transmission
00:24:27.640 --> 00:24:30.563
and 10 circuit miles
on the distribution.
00:24:32.530 --> 00:24:37.530
When we replace the
bare wire with covered wire,
00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:42.350
those poles are completely hardened,
00:24:42.350 --> 00:24:46.830
they're wind loaded,
tested with spider calc,
00:24:46.830 --> 00:24:51.063
they're tested for
their structural integrity,
00:24:52.780 --> 00:24:55.690
the hardware on the pole is changed out
00:24:55.690 --> 00:24:58.180
so that we have a
completely hardened system
00:24:58.180 --> 00:25:00.563
when we're done with that.
00:25:04.580 --> 00:25:08.450
The risk assessment
and mapping is a project
00:25:08.450 --> 00:25:11.020
that we focused on this year.
00:25:11.020 --> 00:25:15.060
In the past, Bear Valley
follows what the small,
00:25:15.060 --> 00:25:17.240
multi-jurisdictional utilities used
00:25:17.240 --> 00:25:19.633
for risk-based decision making,
00:25:21.950 --> 00:25:24.240
but this is going beyond that.
00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:26.700
We hired a consultant to develop
00:25:26.700 --> 00:25:29.130
specific risk modeling
to include risk maps
00:25:29.130 --> 00:25:32.700
that show the overall
ignition probability,
00:25:32.700 --> 00:25:36.540
and then the estimated
wildfire consequence
00:25:36.540 --> 00:25:38.543
along our electric lines.
00:25:40.360 --> 00:25:43.943
And this project, we've
had previews of the results,
00:25:44.900 --> 00:25:47.143
this project will be
completed by December.
00:25:49.080 --> 00:25:51.860
The results of this
project will be included
00:25:51.860 --> 00:25:56.860
in our 2022 WNP update,
00:25:58.950 --> 00:26:00.853
as well as in our next rate case.
00:26:02.860 --> 00:26:07.860
And honestly, most of
the results are consistent
00:26:08.060 --> 00:26:13.060
with what we had discovered
with our own internal models.
00:26:13.110 --> 00:26:15.310
The biggest thing that this project does
00:26:15.310 --> 00:26:20.040
is it uses much more
sophisticated weather
00:26:20.040 --> 00:26:24.090
and wildfire spread databases.
00:26:24.090 --> 00:26:28.510
It also uses ignition
probability databases
00:26:29.820 --> 00:26:32.520
that we didn't have access to.
00:26:32.520 --> 00:26:34.970
So I'm pretty excited about this project
00:26:34.970 --> 00:26:36.963
being completed this year.
00:26:37.960 --> 00:26:40.360
This year, we also implemented drones
00:26:40.360 --> 00:26:44.120
to conduct imaging and
thermography inspections
00:26:44.120 --> 00:26:46.280
on our facilities, and we just completed
00:26:46.280 --> 00:26:48.313
our first one in September.
00:26:50.660 --> 00:26:54.590
And we also have a
project that's ongoing
00:26:54.590 --> 00:26:57.250
to go and assess
the structural integrity
00:26:57.250 --> 00:26:59.203
of about 8,000 poles.
00:27:00.620 --> 00:27:05.620
To date, we've tested 3,024 poles.
00:27:05.930 --> 00:27:10.930
We've replaced 773
poles as a result of that,
00:27:11.260 --> 00:27:13.693
and we remediated 110 poles.
00:27:15.370 --> 00:27:16.740
When we do the load assessments,
00:27:16.740 --> 00:27:19.873
we do a 3D stress
analysis using spider calc.
00:27:23.370 --> 00:27:25.650
Some of the other utilities use ohcount,
00:27:25.650 --> 00:27:27.550
those are all acceptable.
00:27:27.550 --> 00:27:32.550
We also check for the
internal deterioration
00:27:33.140 --> 00:27:36.590
of the poles, and we
also look for uncorrectable
00:27:36.590 --> 00:27:40.873
geo95 deficiencies when
we do these assessments.
00:27:43.200 --> 00:27:44.600
We can go to the next slide.
00:27:47.680 --> 00:27:50.560
Another initiative that
we have ongoing now
00:27:50.560 --> 00:27:54.793
is the evacuation
hardening route project.
00:27:56.020 --> 00:27:58.763
We did a pilot to look
at different solutions.
00:27:59.850 --> 00:28:03.620
We evaluated our evacuation
routes with the sheriff
00:28:03.620 --> 00:28:04.993
and local fire departments,
00:28:06.150 --> 00:28:09.880
and we have three
main evacuation routes.
00:28:09.880 --> 00:28:14.030
Some of the facilities along
those evacuation routes
00:28:14.030 --> 00:28:15.250
are already underground
00:28:15.250 --> 00:28:18.610
or were fire resistant composite poles.
00:28:18.610 --> 00:28:23.400
We identified 812 poles
with holds along those routes,
00:28:23.400 --> 00:28:26.430
and so we targeted them for hardening.
00:28:26.430 --> 00:28:30.970
The method that we chose
was to install a wire mesh wrap
00:28:31.920 --> 00:28:33.573
on those poles.
00:28:34.664 --> 00:28:37.467
400 this year have been installed,
00:28:37.467 --> 00:28:40.010
and 412 next year.
00:28:40.010 --> 00:28:43.720
That was, by far, the
most effective, rapid,
00:28:46.940 --> 00:28:49.960
and economical approach
to achieve 100% hardening
00:28:49.960 --> 00:28:52.633
along our evacuation
routes in a two year period.
00:28:55.660 --> 00:28:57.750
We also have implemented a policy
00:28:57.750 --> 00:29:00.650
that any time we replace a wood pole
00:29:00.650 --> 00:29:04.060
on the evacuation route,
we will replace it with steel
00:29:04.060 --> 00:29:07.593
or fire resistant composite poles.
00:29:12.010 --> 00:29:13.650
We have a grid automation project
00:29:13.650 --> 00:29:16.140
and installed a fiber
network in our service area.
00:29:16.140 --> 00:29:19.220
Basically mimics our
sub-transmission system
00:29:19.220 --> 00:29:22.323
and connects all of our substations.
00:29:22.323 --> 00:29:24.893
The fiber network is about 90% complete.
00:29:25.990 --> 00:29:29.300
We also developed a
SCADA software system,
00:29:29.300 --> 00:29:31.520
and next year we will actually begin
00:29:31.520 --> 00:29:33.903
connecting substations
and field devices.
00:29:34.780 --> 00:29:38.280
And this will set the backbone
for newer technologies
00:29:40.010 --> 00:29:41.430
in years to come.
00:29:41.430 --> 00:29:45.253
For example, fast acting
switches connected to sensors.
00:29:46.830 --> 00:29:50.030
We also have a project that installs,
00:29:50.030 --> 00:29:52.070
it's called the fault localization
00:29:52.070 --> 00:29:54.720
isolation system restoration,
00:29:54.720 --> 00:29:57.383
or as in the business, FLISR,
00:29:58.470 --> 00:30:02.300
and basically, if you think of
our sub-transmission system,
00:30:02.300 --> 00:30:06.290
it's a circle that connects
all of our substations
00:30:06.290 --> 00:30:07.693
and our power supplies.
00:30:08.980 --> 00:30:13.980
By installing nine
IntelliRuptor pulse closers,
00:30:15.510 --> 00:30:18.100
these devices talk to each other
00:30:18.100 --> 00:30:20.980
and whenever a fault
occurs on a 34 KB system,
00:30:20.980 --> 00:30:23.920
it's immediately isolated
by two of the switches
00:30:23.920 --> 00:30:25.750
and the rest of the system is restored.
00:30:25.750 --> 00:30:30.750
So it enhances our fire safety
by quickly isolating faults,
00:30:32.380 --> 00:30:35.480
minimizes the number of
customers to no more than 2,000
00:30:35.480 --> 00:30:40.010
can be out of power,
and it allows the crews
00:30:40.010 --> 00:30:43.760
to know exactly between
which switches the fault is
00:30:43.760 --> 00:30:45.150
so they can get there quickly
00:30:45.150 --> 00:30:49.123
and quickly assess what's going on.
00:30:51.550 --> 00:30:53.280
Probably our most ambitious project
00:30:53.280 --> 00:30:55.910
is the Radford line replacement.
00:30:55.910 --> 00:31:00.335
If you recall on the map
that was on the third slide,
00:31:00.335 --> 00:31:01.670
there was a line coming
up from the South,
00:31:01.670 --> 00:31:04.183
that goes right through
the forest service area.
00:31:05.240 --> 00:31:08.600
It's the high fire
threat tier 3 district.
00:31:08.600 --> 00:31:13.350
It replaces the 34,000
volt line and all the poles,
00:31:13.350 --> 00:31:17.867
about 67, with covered
wire and fire resistant poles
00:31:17.867 --> 00:31:21.023
using a distressed iron product.
00:31:22.630 --> 00:31:26.650
Right now, that project
is in full evaluation
00:31:26.650 --> 00:31:29.530
by the US Forestry
Service for permitting
00:31:29.530 --> 00:31:31.920
and we expect to begin construction
00:31:31.920 --> 00:31:36.850
at the end of the Winter
weather in April of 2022,
00:31:36.850 --> 00:31:40.543
and should be completed
before October 2022.
00:31:41.570 --> 00:31:43.950
Most of those poles
will have to be replaced
00:31:43.950 --> 00:31:48.220
using helicopters due to
the steepness of the slope
00:31:48.220 --> 00:31:49.523
and lack of roads.
00:31:51.290 --> 00:31:53.750
The final project that
I wanted to mention
00:31:54.830 --> 00:31:56.770
of the initiatives in progress
00:31:56.770 --> 00:31:59.690
is the tree attachment removal project.
00:31:59.690 --> 00:32:01.479
When we started this project,
00:32:01.479 --> 00:32:06.479
there was 1,207 tree attachments.
00:32:06.935 --> 00:32:08.673
To date, we've removed 493
00:32:10.820 --> 00:32:15.190
and we have installed 286 new poles.
00:32:15.190 --> 00:32:17.300
As you can imagine, when
you use tree attachments,
00:32:17.300 --> 00:32:19.070
you have to follow the trees.
00:32:19.070 --> 00:32:23.960
When you use poles, you
can use a more economical
00:32:23.960 --> 00:32:26.860
and effective geometry
that uses less poles.
00:32:26.860 --> 00:32:30.220
And yes, the tree attachment
in that picture is gone,
00:32:30.220 --> 00:32:31.713
it was the first one gone.
00:32:33.840 --> 00:32:34.673
Next.
00:32:42.930 --> 00:32:46.000
We've enjoyed a pretty
good safety record.
00:32:46.000 --> 00:32:50.927
In fact today, this brief
was as of 29 October,
00:32:50.927 --> 00:32:55.480
we were at 904 days accident free
00:32:55.480 --> 00:32:59.523
and very thankful for that.
00:33:00.700 --> 00:33:04.780
However, I fear complacency
and so we have to work every day
00:33:04.780 --> 00:33:09.666
to ensure complacency doesn't set in,
00:33:09.666 --> 00:33:14.363
especially when the record is so strong.
00:33:15.860 --> 00:33:18.890
Every day without
incident is a win to us,
00:33:18.890 --> 00:33:21.523
but the next day is a
completely new play,
00:33:22.400 --> 00:33:26.540
and so we're pushing
our managers, supervisors,
00:33:26.540 --> 00:33:28.110
to be engaged in the field
00:33:29.230 --> 00:33:32.080
'cause in my mind that's
where the rubber meets the road,
00:33:33.050 --> 00:33:36.170
and that's where we have to
maintain our high standards,
00:33:36.170 --> 00:33:37.133
out in the field.
00:33:40.280 --> 00:33:41.680
We can go to the next slide.
00:33:46.684 --> 00:33:51.684
The table on the right shows
the risk reduction to date
00:33:52.083 --> 00:33:54.863
based on our fire safety matrix.
00:33:55.804 --> 00:33:59.143
It's about a 14% reduction in risk.
00:34:00.250 --> 00:34:03.130
It's based on a model
that's not perfect,
00:34:03.130 --> 00:34:05.943
but it does allow us to
track the relative progress
00:34:05.943 --> 00:34:09.050
over time, and I would
love to a risk reduction meter
00:34:09.050 --> 00:34:11.940
in my office that was
updated every hour,
00:34:11.940 --> 00:34:14.713
but short of that, I get this.
00:34:17.180 --> 00:34:20.640
And the nice thing
about the model is one,
00:34:20.640 --> 00:34:22.200
whenever we make changes to the model,
00:34:22.200 --> 00:34:25.050
we go back and plug in the original data
00:34:25.050 --> 00:34:28.033
so that we have apples
to apples comparisons,
00:34:28.950 --> 00:34:31.610
and it allows us to
evaluate each circuit
00:34:31.610 --> 00:34:33.730
and then the totality of circuits.
00:34:33.730 --> 00:34:38.540
It also allows us to say
hey, if I do 2.5 circuit miles
00:34:38.540 --> 00:34:40.950
of covered wire on the bulbon circuits,
00:34:40.950 --> 00:34:43.110
what's the impact on risk reduction?
00:34:43.110 --> 00:34:45.760
So we're able to put our
detailed work plans for 2022
00:34:47.210 --> 00:34:49.550
and estimate what we
think we're gonna achieve
00:34:49.550 --> 00:34:50.993
that year in risk reduction.
00:34:53.010 --> 00:34:56.513
And I think what we're
seeing is we are improving risk,
00:34:57.540 --> 00:35:01.210
and our goal is to get
rid of our high risk circuits,
00:35:01.210 --> 00:35:05.320
and then once we are
in the medium risk field,
00:35:05.320 --> 00:35:06.843
bring us down to low risk.
00:35:09.530 --> 00:35:13.180
This algorithm that we
use takes about 20 inputs
00:35:15.718 --> 00:35:18.218
and it includes everything,
even just for example,
00:35:19.195 --> 00:35:20.410
if we complete our ground patrol
00:35:20.410 --> 00:35:24.290
and find a number of
deficiencies, risk will go up
00:35:24.290 --> 00:35:26.150
when we plug that in the model.
00:35:26.150 --> 00:35:27.520
So it's dynamic as well,
00:35:27.520 --> 00:35:30.563
it's not just looking
at hardening issues.
00:35:31.920 --> 00:35:33.370
You can go to the next slide.
00:35:39.030 --> 00:35:41.680
We did implement enhanced
vegetation management
00:35:43.350 --> 00:35:46.050
back in the Spring of 2018.
00:35:46.050 --> 00:35:48.060
I was following the
Commission's decision
00:35:48.060 --> 00:35:52.710
in 2017, in December, which introduced
00:35:54.790 --> 00:35:58.660
more vegetation requirements,
00:35:58.660 --> 00:36:02.680
and we took that on
and we also increased
00:36:02.680 --> 00:36:03.890
some of our standards.
00:36:03.890 --> 00:36:05.960
For example, a little bit
of the sub-transmission
00:36:05.960 --> 00:36:08.433
we have a blue sky requirement.
00:36:10.020 --> 00:36:11.870
We increased our minimum line clearance
00:36:11.870 --> 00:36:15.250
from 48 inches to 72 inches.
00:36:15.250 --> 00:36:18.560
So by geo95, you have to start trimming
00:36:18.560 --> 00:36:20.780
when it gets to 48 inches,
00:36:20.780 --> 00:36:23.169
we start trimming at 72 inches
00:36:23.169 --> 00:36:25.853
and then we trim out 12 feet minimum.
00:36:27.350 --> 00:36:30.480
We also have a
program to eliminate trees
00:36:30.480 --> 00:36:32.993
that pose a risk to our lines,
00:36:35.650 --> 00:36:38.380
and that's not just trees that
are in the clearance zone,
00:36:38.380 --> 00:36:41.260
it could be a tree across
the street that is dead
00:36:41.260 --> 00:36:44.123
or diseased and
could fall into our lines.
00:36:45.580 --> 00:36:50.310
So that's another key element
of our vegetation program.
00:36:50.310 --> 00:36:54.780
We have a contracted forester
on staff who's not associated
00:36:54.780 --> 00:36:56.933
with our vegetation
clearance contractor,
00:36:57.770 --> 00:37:01.350
who advises us out in the
field on how we're doing.
00:37:01.350 --> 00:37:05.420
And then finally, all the
managers and supervisors
00:37:05.420 --> 00:37:09.340
and certain subject matter
experts including myself,
00:37:09.340 --> 00:37:14.220
we go out and we do
vegetation management QCs.
00:37:14.220 --> 00:37:16.920
In the last three months,
we were all doing it weekly,
00:37:18.094 --> 00:37:21.300
and we divide the
work by the contractor.
00:37:21.300 --> 00:37:24.040
As you can see by the
numbers of vegetation contact
00:37:24.040 --> 00:37:27.650
on lines has gone down
significantly since we implemented
00:37:27.650 --> 00:37:31.983
these enhanced vegetation
management measures.
00:37:34.760 --> 00:37:37.380
And the other benefit of this, honestly,
00:37:37.380 --> 00:37:39.690
is improved reliability in the Winter
00:37:39.690 --> 00:37:41.980
when we have a lot of snow storms
00:37:41.980 --> 00:37:44.910
where vegetation will hit the lines.
00:37:44.910 --> 00:37:47.020
May not be a fire threat at that point
00:37:47.020 --> 00:37:49.210
because of all the
snow, a wildfire threat,
00:37:49.210 --> 00:37:52.530
but it's a reliability issue,
00:37:52.530 --> 00:37:56.970
we don't get as many
outages now due to vegetation,
00:37:56.970 --> 00:37:59.913
and so people don't lose
their heat in the cold weather.
00:38:01.560 --> 00:38:02.960
We can go to the next slide.
00:38:07.480 --> 00:38:09.980
These are some of the
initiatives we've completed.
00:38:10.840 --> 00:38:13.140
Similar to what San
Diego Gas Electric did,
00:38:13.140 --> 00:38:16.560
we installed the Pulse
Conditioned IntelliRupters
00:38:16.560 --> 00:38:18.615
on our re-closers.
00:38:18.615 --> 00:38:22.100
Those are the ones that
when they automatically cycle
00:38:22.100 --> 00:38:27.100
on a fault, they only test with
10% of the previous power.
00:38:28.200 --> 00:38:31.550
So the amount of energy
sent down the line to test
00:38:31.550 --> 00:38:35.080
is reduced, reducing the
likelihood of putting high energy
00:38:35.080 --> 00:38:38.370
into a fault that may still exist,
00:38:38.370 --> 00:38:41.093
thereby reducing
the likelihood of a fire.
00:38:41.940 --> 00:38:45.790
However, on these high risk states,
00:38:45.790 --> 00:38:48.533
we put our re-closers
set to manual anyways.
00:38:50.870 --> 00:38:54.743
We've partnered with
UCSD, Dr. Neil Driscoll,
00:38:58.090 --> 00:39:03.090
and the ski resort, and
Big Bear Fire Department,
00:39:03.970 --> 00:39:08.970
Cal Fire, and San
Bernardino Fire Department,
00:39:09.390 --> 00:39:14.390
and we installed 15
cameras at seven sites
00:39:16.700 --> 00:39:20.710
and we have excellent
coverage of our service area
00:39:20.710 --> 00:39:22.793
with the ALERTWildfire cameras.
00:39:24.479 --> 00:39:27.200
In fact, two of the cameras
are on one of our poles
00:39:27.200 --> 00:39:31.520
at Dead Man's Ridge, and I
think I talked about Cal Fire
00:39:31.520 --> 00:39:32.890
and Big Bear Fire Department,
00:39:32.890 --> 00:39:35.710
they were very satisfied
with the coverage
00:39:35.710 --> 00:39:36.773
that we've achieved.
00:39:38.910 --> 00:39:41.113
I'm not sure if the
brief is still visible.
00:39:46.990 --> 00:39:48.110
This is Brendan with IT.
00:39:48.110 --> 00:39:49.783
It should be still visible.
00:39:51.730 --> 00:39:52.563
Okay.
00:39:53.780 --> 00:39:55.785
It disappeared from my screen,
00:39:55.785 --> 00:39:57.853
but if everyone can see it, fine.
00:39:59.530 --> 00:40:03.580
We also sectionalized our system
00:40:03.580 --> 00:40:05.503
the high risk areas that,
00:40:06.814 --> 00:40:08.310
if we were to have a PSPS,
00:40:08.310 --> 00:40:09.720
these could be the most likely areas,
00:40:09.720 --> 00:40:13.110
such that we wouldn't affect customers
00:40:13.110 --> 00:40:16.283
that weren't at risk in a PSPS scenario.
00:40:18.190 --> 00:40:20.290
We also have been doing LIDAR.
00:40:20.290 --> 00:40:23.083
The Light Detection and Ranging surveys,
00:40:24.570 --> 00:40:27.200
and this year we
completed our third one.
00:40:27.200 --> 00:40:29.560
This has become an
annual routine for us,
00:40:29.560 --> 00:40:33.763
and a very useful tool.
00:40:35.100 --> 00:40:36.950
The other thing we've completed
00:40:36.950 --> 00:40:39.630
is our third party ground patrol.
00:40:39.630 --> 00:40:43.650
So this is the third year
that we've completed this.
00:40:43.650 --> 00:40:47.770
In addition to us conducting
geo165 ground patrols
00:40:47.770 --> 00:40:51.510
each year, we have an
independent, third party contractor
00:40:51.510 --> 00:40:55.780
come in who doesn't do
any construction work for us,
00:40:55.780 --> 00:41:00.727
do a QC on our system.
00:41:03.330 --> 00:41:05.560
Another project we've
completed is weather stations.
00:41:05.560 --> 00:41:07.580
We've installed 20 weather stations
00:41:07.580 --> 00:41:08.980
throughout the service area.
00:41:11.250 --> 00:41:14.830
Divide 20 by 32, we probably
have the highest density
00:41:14.830 --> 00:41:17.170
per square mile of weather stations,
00:41:17.170 --> 00:41:19.120
but we do have some micro-climates here
00:41:19.120 --> 00:41:23.260
and these provide us
excellent weather data
00:41:23.260 --> 00:41:27.210
especially on wind, wind
gust data, average gust data,
00:41:27.210 --> 00:41:30.400
and also there's a historian
that collects weather
00:41:30.400 --> 00:41:32.530
at each of these stations,
00:41:32.530 --> 00:41:35.310
so as we go forward in the future,
00:41:35.310 --> 00:41:38.290
we'll have better
forecasting capabilities.
00:41:38.290 --> 00:41:43.090
And the final one, which
I think was our early win,
00:41:43.090 --> 00:41:45.750
was we had the fuse upgrade program
00:41:45.750 --> 00:41:48.470
where we eliminated all
expulsion (conventional) fuses
00:41:49.630 --> 00:41:50.653
from the system.
00:41:51.786 --> 00:41:54.850
3,114 expulsion fuses were replaced
00:41:54.850 --> 00:41:59.850
by 2,578 current limiting fuses
00:42:00.180 --> 00:42:04.083
and 536 electronic fuses.
00:42:06.217 --> 00:42:07.430
And you can see in the picture,
00:42:07.430 --> 00:42:10.500
what an expulsion
fuse does when it blows,
00:42:10.500 --> 00:42:14.100
it shoots out metal slag
which has the potential
00:42:14.100 --> 00:42:18.280
to cause sparks, which
could cause ignitions, fire,
00:42:18.280 --> 00:42:20.743
and therefore, potentially wildfire.
00:42:24.230 --> 00:42:25.430
We could go to the next.
00:42:28.890 --> 00:42:32.003
I don't think our challenges
are unlike the other utilities.
00:42:33.000 --> 00:42:38.000
I will say though, staff is a
challenge here in Bear Valley.
00:42:39.490 --> 00:42:41.290
We're kind of like an island,
00:42:41.290 --> 00:42:45.470
it's about 50 minutes
to an hour to get off
00:42:45.470 --> 00:42:47.160
or up the mountain.
00:42:47.160 --> 00:42:49.203
Even longer in bad weather,
00:42:50.410 --> 00:42:53.523
and we require our staff
to live in the service area.
00:42:54.660 --> 00:42:56.760
We do have a turnover rate
00:42:56.760 --> 00:43:00.573
of somewhere around 20-25% per year.
00:43:02.000 --> 00:43:07.000
So it's like starting a football season.
00:43:08.020 --> 00:43:11.520
Having a fairly new members
of the team every year,
00:43:11.520 --> 00:43:13.400
and having to get them trained up
00:43:13.400 --> 00:43:15.720
and get them into our safety culture
00:43:15.720 --> 00:43:18.213
and get them up to
speed on our standards.
00:43:20.260 --> 00:43:24.420
But Big Bear Lake does have
some very positive attributes,
00:43:24.420 --> 00:43:27.740
so our challenge is to
find staff that's aligned
00:43:27.740 --> 00:43:32.740
with those attributes and
I think as we focus on that
00:43:32.943 --> 00:43:37.943
when we make our hires, we
should be able to retain staff
00:43:37.971 --> 00:43:39.303
at a higher rate.
00:43:41.330 --> 00:43:44.080
Same issue with power line construction,
00:43:44.080 --> 00:43:47.150
contractors is a high
(indistinct) in the state.
00:43:47.150 --> 00:43:49.660
The big utilities have big projects,
00:43:49.660 --> 00:43:54.290
Bear Valley has relatively
small projects for them,
00:43:54.290 --> 00:43:56.880
and they also have to
mobilize their crews up here
00:43:56.880 --> 00:43:59.960
because there are no
power line companies
00:43:59.960 --> 00:44:01.990
in Big Bear Lake.
00:44:01.990 --> 00:44:04.790
However, we've been
successful at finding
00:44:06.456 --> 00:44:10.190
a number of contractors that
are willing to come up here.
00:44:10.190 --> 00:44:14.356
In fact at this point,
we have three major
00:44:14.356 --> 00:44:16.730
power line construction contractors
00:44:16.730 --> 00:44:18.350
that are engaged in work with us,
00:44:18.350 --> 00:44:20.640
and three different, so that's good news
00:44:20.640 --> 00:44:22.900
so that we're able to
go out to the market
00:44:22.900 --> 00:44:24.493
and get competitive bids.
00:44:27.860 --> 00:44:29.923
Supply chain is a challenge, obviously.
00:44:30.950 --> 00:44:35.330
I think initially when
we started implementing
00:44:35.330 --> 00:44:40.100
wildfire mitigation
efforts in 2018 and 2019
00:44:40.100 --> 00:44:43.740
there were some
significant supply challenges
00:44:43.740 --> 00:44:47.680
in getting covered wire,
the fire-resistant poles,
00:44:47.680 --> 00:44:51.680
and those materials, but
we've done a couple of things.
00:44:51.680 --> 00:44:55.110
One, we've built up a
supply on the mountain
00:44:56.470 --> 00:45:01.280
to meet our future project needs.
00:45:01.280 --> 00:45:03.480
We also established a vendor alliance
00:45:03.480 --> 00:45:07.600
with the main vendor for
Southern California Edison,
00:45:07.600 --> 00:45:10.580
and we looked at what
Southern California Edison uses
00:45:10.580 --> 00:45:14.320
in its grid hardening and
tried to align where possible
00:45:14.320 --> 00:45:19.320
our specs to theirs so that
those items are in stock locally
00:45:21.610 --> 00:45:22.903
in the same area.
00:45:25.038 --> 00:45:26.300
So we have enough
material now in the market
00:45:26.300 --> 00:45:29.120
so that if we were to
have a wildfire up here
00:45:29.120 --> 00:45:31.950
for any reason and we
had to rebuild a circuit,
00:45:31.950 --> 00:45:36.170
we don't have to build
that circuit in like time.
00:45:36.170 --> 00:45:39.610
For example, if it was a whip
pole circuit with bare wire,
00:45:39.610 --> 00:45:43.783
we would rebuild it with
steel poles and covered wire,
00:45:44.960 --> 00:45:46.900
and then we just have
to get more materials
00:45:46.900 --> 00:45:49.133
for the mitigation projects.
00:45:51.010 --> 00:45:52.800
So it's important to keep
material on the mountain,
00:45:52.800 --> 00:45:54.380
especially when you have storms
00:45:54.380 --> 00:45:56.280
that shut down the roads and so forth.
00:45:57.490 --> 00:46:01.593
And then the other
challenge is permitting.
00:46:05.370 --> 00:46:08.330
With forestry services
is a lengthy process,
00:46:08.330 --> 00:46:12.500
and we also have
challenges getting permits
00:46:12.500 --> 00:46:15.703
to clear vegetation in
the Caltran right of ways,
00:46:16.670 --> 00:46:19.580
but when we do see some stuff
00:46:19.580 --> 00:46:21.970
that we really need to get to now,
00:46:21.970 --> 00:46:26.693
we find them to be responsive
and so we work through those.
00:46:27.740 --> 00:46:30.050
The final challenge is COVID-19,
00:46:30.050 --> 00:46:32.450
I think it's a challenge
to everybody, obviously,
00:46:32.450 --> 00:46:34.800
but there's less person
to person engagement
00:46:34.800 --> 00:46:37.370
and that challenges
work site leadership,
00:46:37.370 --> 00:46:40.073
monitoring, mentoring,
and teaching staff,
00:46:41.848 --> 00:46:44.160
and so that's always
been a big challenge.
00:46:44.160 --> 00:46:47.570
It's important to me to be out
00:46:47.570 --> 00:46:49.553
and engaged with our staff,
00:46:50.970 --> 00:46:53.270
that's the way you teach
them and mentor them.
00:46:54.450 --> 00:46:56.150
If we could go to the next slides.
00:46:59.757 --> 00:47:03.683
We have established a
three year safety culture plan.
00:47:05.640 --> 00:47:08.349
We're working on
all of these initiatives,
00:47:08.349 --> 00:47:10.250
although some are due later
00:47:10.250 --> 00:47:13.170
that we want to be
at the maturity level.
00:47:13.170 --> 00:47:18.170
We also engage the EHS
consulting firm, BSI America,
00:47:18.280 --> 00:47:21.180
to perform a gap analysis and assist us
00:47:21.180 --> 00:47:23.730
with resolving gaps in implementing
00:47:23.730 --> 00:47:25.910
our safety culture plans.
00:47:25.910 --> 00:47:28.060
This will be a three year effort.
00:47:28.060 --> 00:47:30.692
Additionally, we're using the results
00:47:30.692 --> 00:47:32.411
of our safety culture assessments
00:47:32.411 --> 00:47:34.580
at the Office of Energy
Infrastructure Safety
00:47:34.580 --> 00:47:37.320
conducted through it's contractor NECRA
00:47:37.320 --> 00:47:40.320
to guide us and make course corrections.
00:47:40.320 --> 00:47:41.870
You could go to the next slide.
00:47:43.840 --> 00:47:47.000
We did receive our safety
culture assessment report
00:47:47.000 --> 00:47:48.313
for 2021.
00:47:50.500 --> 00:47:53.563
We found it to be a very useful tool.
00:47:54.890 --> 00:47:57.180
The report provided
an excellent description
00:47:57.180 --> 00:47:58.760
on opportunity for improvement.
00:47:58.760 --> 00:48:03.090
It also provided results
of the employee surveys
00:48:03.090 --> 00:48:07.917
in several formats that
really allowed Bear Valley
00:48:09.860 --> 00:48:12.720
to analyze the various
worker demographics
00:48:12.720 --> 00:48:14.970
and see where additional
improvement and work
00:48:16.430 --> 00:48:17.523
should be directed.
00:48:18.770 --> 00:48:20.743
The assessment noted the following:
00:48:22.680 --> 00:48:27.380
One, embedded leadership
skills into engaged management,
00:48:27.380 --> 00:48:30.417
12 month objective to
improve the Bear Valley
00:48:30.417 --> 00:48:31.800
safety culture.
00:48:31.800 --> 00:48:34.940
That is we need to
give the leadership skills
00:48:34.940 --> 00:48:36.850
to be engaged.
00:48:36.850 --> 00:48:41.190
Get out how to do a job hazard analysis,
00:48:41.190 --> 00:48:42.200
when you go out in the field,
00:48:42.200 --> 00:48:44.810
what are you looking at
when you see a line crew
00:48:44.810 --> 00:48:46.253
up on a pole or something?
00:48:47.735 --> 00:48:49.290
And then in collaboration
00:48:49.290 --> 00:48:52.160
with our vegetation
management contractor,
00:48:52.160 --> 00:48:54.070
develop and implement an action plan
00:48:54.070 --> 00:48:55.470
to address safety culture issues,
00:48:55.470 --> 00:48:58.410
in particular, regarding
the flow of information
00:48:58.410 --> 00:49:00.800
about wildfire hazard mitigation.
00:49:00.800 --> 00:49:05.623
This is our contractors
did the survey as well,
00:49:06.580 --> 00:49:10.874
and they had some issues
with employees do not feel
00:49:10.874 --> 00:49:13.690
that they are empowered
to bring issues up
00:49:13.690 --> 00:49:16.993
with their supervisors,
and so that's something
00:49:16.993 --> 00:49:18.603
that we need to take on.
00:49:19.930 --> 00:49:23.450
And we did formally agree to implement
00:49:23.450 --> 00:49:26.190
all of the findings and
recommendations for improvement
00:49:26.190 --> 00:49:30.050
in our 2021 safety culture assessment.
00:49:30.050 --> 00:49:31.333
We could go to the next.
00:49:35.200 --> 00:49:37.800
I think we skipped
one, just go back one.
00:49:37.800 --> 00:49:38.633
Yeah.
00:49:38.633 --> 00:49:41.722
So there's two areas
which we can capitalize on
00:49:41.722 --> 00:49:42.722
that were good news.
00:49:43.660 --> 00:49:45.230
Bear Valley's safety culture
00:49:45.230 --> 00:49:48.340
emphasizes identifying wildfire hazards
00:49:48.340 --> 00:49:49.930
and protecting the community.
00:49:49.930 --> 00:49:52.080
Employees feel a strong
personal responsibility
00:49:52.080 --> 00:49:53.860
for their own and other's safety.
00:49:53.860 --> 00:49:55.640
However, we have a high turnover rate,
00:49:55.640 --> 00:49:59.373
so I have to keep that going.
00:50:00.790 --> 00:50:02.220
That's a great snapshot for then,
00:50:02.220 --> 00:50:05.364
but we get new employees
00:50:05.364 --> 00:50:08.673
and we need to get them
up to the team's standards.
00:50:09.600 --> 00:50:13.937
The were gaps, and while in the safety
00:50:13.937 --> 00:50:18.630
and wildfire categories, the
average scores were good,
00:50:18.630 --> 00:50:21.260
in the culture categories
they were a little lower,
00:50:21.260 --> 00:50:23.250
and that was mainly
in the customer service
00:50:23.250 --> 00:50:24.920
and accounting areas.
00:50:24.920 --> 00:50:27.540
So we need to take a look at what issues
00:50:27.540 --> 00:50:29.083
are going on there.
00:50:32.120 --> 00:50:33.810
I already talked to you about
00:50:33.810 --> 00:50:37.743
the vegetation management
contractor has some issues
00:50:37.743 --> 00:50:40.890
with field employees that
we need to work with them
00:50:40.890 --> 00:50:41.723
to resolve.
00:50:42.910 --> 00:50:45.983
And I think that I
accurately pointed out
00:50:45.983 --> 00:50:48.220
that we have these objectives,
00:50:48.220 --> 00:50:49.650
there needs to be a little more detail
00:50:49.650 --> 00:50:52.890
on how the progress can
be monitored and sustained,
00:50:52.890 --> 00:50:54.140
so we take that on board.
00:50:57.100 --> 00:50:58.493
We could go to the next.
00:51:01.580 --> 00:51:04.560
The safety and operations committee
00:51:04.560 --> 00:51:06.303
reports to the board of directors.
00:51:07.608 --> 00:51:11.677
It is responsible for overseeing
00:51:13.750 --> 00:51:15.550
the wildfire mitigation plan
00:51:16.870 --> 00:51:19.023
and assessment of
compliance with the plan.
00:51:21.758 --> 00:51:24.420
It is responsible for other activities
00:51:24.420 --> 00:51:26.200
including identify wildfire risks
00:51:26.200 --> 00:51:30.803
and other safety risks, steps
taken to reduce such risks,
00:51:32.080 --> 00:51:35.140
and then other matters
directed by the board.
00:51:35.140 --> 00:51:39.040
The committee shall and
does have unrestricted access
00:51:39.040 --> 00:51:42.772
to members of management
and all information relevant
00:51:42.772 --> 00:51:44.643
to its responsibilities.
00:51:50.640 --> 00:51:54.210
I would say that when
we meet as a board,
00:51:54.210 --> 00:51:56.190
the safety committee meets first,
00:51:56.190 --> 00:51:59.680
and the safety committee
meetings are generally longer
00:51:59.680 --> 00:52:00.880
than the board meetings.
00:52:04.728 --> 00:52:06.970
There's a lot of detail
that's placed there.
00:52:07.900 --> 00:52:09.400
We could go to the next slide.
00:52:14.700 --> 00:52:17.650
Bear Valley Electric's
executive officers performance
00:52:17.650 --> 00:52:22.293
is accountable to and
subject to control of the board,
00:52:23.690 --> 00:52:27.940
and the executive officer is
given not only responsibility
00:52:27.940 --> 00:52:31.360
but the authority to
execute those responsibilities
00:52:32.290 --> 00:52:37.123
and therefore, should be
held accountable in totality.
00:52:39.830 --> 00:52:43.820
The executive
compensation plan is designed
00:52:43.820 --> 00:52:46.503
to promote public safety
and financial stability.
00:52:47.580 --> 00:52:51.110
Safety is a priority,
ensuring public safety,
00:52:51.110 --> 00:52:54.170
it ensures financial
stability of the utility,
00:52:54.170 --> 00:52:58.040
it utilizes performance
metrics that are measurable
00:52:58.040 --> 00:52:59.940
and enforceable.
00:52:59.940 --> 00:53:03.600
There's no discretionary component
00:53:05.150 --> 00:53:09.940
so that, let's say,
safety metrics aren't met,
00:53:09.940 --> 00:53:11.663
the board can't say well,
00:53:14.264 --> 00:53:15.310
you didn't meet your safety metrics,
00:53:15.310 --> 00:53:20.310
but we're still gonna give
you a discretionary bonus.
00:53:21.100 --> 00:53:22.463
Not in our plan.
00:53:24.266 --> 00:53:26.300
And the plan allocates
the primary portion
00:53:26.300 --> 00:53:28.490
of the compensation based on achievement
00:53:28.490 --> 00:53:31.440
of performance metrics that
are measurable and enforceable.
00:53:36.210 --> 00:53:38.623
That concludes my brief, next slide.
00:53:44.130 --> 00:53:46.630
Thank you, Mr. Marconi.
00:53:46.630 --> 00:53:49.843
I will open it now to
questions from the virtual dais.
00:53:51.760 --> 00:53:53.427
Go ahead, President Batjer.
00:53:54.550 --> 00:53:56.090
Thank you very much, Carolina,
00:53:56.090 --> 00:54:01.020
and thank you Mr. Marconi
for your presentation,
00:54:01.020 --> 00:54:02.673
it was extremely helpful.
00:54:03.540 --> 00:54:05.970
How long have you been chair
00:54:05.970 --> 00:54:08.573
of the safety and operations committee?
00:54:12.113 --> 00:54:14.260
I was chair in this Summer
00:54:16.350 --> 00:54:18.170
when we did our annual reappointing
00:54:18.170 --> 00:54:23.170
of the safety and operations committee.
00:54:24.440 --> 00:54:28.080
So for history, Bear
Valley Inc. was formed
00:54:28.080 --> 00:54:30.823
in July 1st of 2020,
00:54:32.590 --> 00:54:34.770
and so our board of
directors formed then
00:54:34.770 --> 00:54:38.160
and also our safety and
operations committee formed then.
00:54:38.160 --> 00:54:39.840
And then each year,
00:54:39.840 --> 00:54:43.163
we reappoint members of the
safety committee and the chair.
00:54:44.500 --> 00:54:48.260
And how many members
of the board of directors
00:54:48.260 --> 00:54:49.660
are on the safety committee?
00:54:50.700 --> 00:54:51.800
There's three total.
00:54:54.373 --> 00:54:57.067
And you said that you
meet on the same time
00:54:58.640 --> 00:55:02.220
in conjunction with the board meeting.
00:55:02.220 --> 00:55:05.480
Does the safety and operations committee
00:55:05.480 --> 00:55:07.993
ever meet additionally from that?
00:55:10.000 --> 00:55:12.110
We haven't had
occasion to do that.
00:55:12.110 --> 00:55:15.480
We have had occasions
to meet in special session
00:55:15.480 --> 00:55:17.360
for a safety committee.
00:55:17.360 --> 00:55:20.700
For example, to pass a resolution
00:55:20.700 --> 00:55:22.690
that then needed board approval.
00:55:22.690 --> 00:55:25.310
So the driver for the board meeting
00:55:25.310 --> 00:55:29.350
was also a safety committee
meeting, a safety issue,
00:55:29.350 --> 00:55:33.510
and so the safety committee
met, discussed the issue,
00:55:33.510 --> 00:55:37.250
approved the resolution,
and then turned around
00:55:37.250 --> 00:55:41.260
and then the board met
and the board had to approve
00:55:41.260 --> 00:55:43.200
the recommendation
of the safety committee,
00:55:43.200 --> 00:55:45.290
or had to discuss it
00:55:45.290 --> 00:55:47.413
and decide whether or not to approve it.
00:55:48.470 --> 00:55:50.320
So we've done that a couple of times.
00:55:52.060 --> 00:55:53.010
Okay.
00:55:53.010 --> 00:55:56.080
Has the safety committee been involved
00:55:56.080 --> 00:55:57.963
in some of the recommendations?
00:55:58.900 --> 00:56:01.580
For example, sorry if you're hearing
00:56:01.580 --> 00:56:05.453
a bunch of blowing going on
(laughs) bad timing on my part.
00:56:07.740 --> 00:56:10.350
A little concerned
about how it would sound
00:56:10.350 --> 00:56:15.350
that you all needed to further
empower your line people
00:56:16.810 --> 00:56:20.930
to feel empowered to raise safety issues
00:56:20.930 --> 00:56:23.100
up the chain of command,
00:56:23.100 --> 00:56:26.180
and just wondering, you
talked about how important it is
00:56:26.180 --> 00:56:28.410
to get out in the field.
00:56:28.410 --> 00:56:30.860
First of all, I think you use the words
00:56:30.860 --> 00:56:33.403
we're going to take that up.
00:56:33.403 --> 00:56:34.820
I'd like to know how active you are
00:56:34.820 --> 00:56:36.350
in correcting that right now,
00:56:36.350 --> 00:56:39.230
and how active is the
safety and operations
00:56:39.230 --> 00:56:44.030
committee members in making
sure that those line people
00:56:45.680 --> 00:56:47.073
are indeed empowered?
00:56:48.983 --> 00:56:52.800
Okay, just to make
sure for accuracy,
00:56:52.800 --> 00:56:55.216
the line people that we're talking about
00:56:55.216 --> 00:56:57.980
is the vegetation management contractor,
00:56:57.980 --> 00:57:00.990
not the Bear Valley line crews.
00:57:00.990 --> 00:57:02.470
In fact, the Bear Valley line crews
00:57:02.470 --> 00:57:05.670
do feel very empowered to stop work
00:57:05.670 --> 00:57:08.830
according to the safety
culture assessment,
00:57:08.830 --> 00:57:12.020
and we are engaging with our contractor-
00:57:12.020 --> 00:57:12.930
That was my error.
00:57:12.930 --> 00:57:14.717
So thank you for correcting that.
00:57:14.717 --> 00:57:17.191
But we are engaging
with our contractor
00:57:17.191 --> 00:57:22.191
to address this issue and
make sure that we resolve it.
00:57:24.230 --> 00:57:25.980
As far as getting out in the field,
00:57:27.340 --> 00:57:29.740
I'm obviously out
in the field quite a bit
00:57:29.740 --> 00:57:31.410
at least weekly.
00:57:31.410 --> 00:57:33.730
I've had one of the other
board members now,
00:57:33.730 --> 00:57:37.350
he's been up here
in the last four months
00:57:37.350 --> 00:57:41.360
or five months twice, out in the field,
00:57:41.360 --> 00:57:42.900
and the third board member,
00:57:42.900 --> 00:57:45.500
we're just trying to
schedule him to come out.
00:57:45.500 --> 00:57:48.820
He used to be a former employee director
00:57:48.820 --> 00:57:51.420
when Bear Valley was a division
00:57:51.420 --> 00:57:52.970
of Bear Valley Electric,
00:57:52.970 --> 00:57:54.963
and is very familiar with our system,
00:57:56.710 --> 00:57:58.960
but we want to get him out in the field
00:57:58.960 --> 00:58:00.490
so he can see some of the differences
00:58:00.490 --> 00:58:03.393
that have occurred since he's been gone.
00:58:04.900 --> 00:58:05.880
Sounds like a good idea.
00:58:05.880 --> 00:58:07.770
So you said that your employees
00:58:07.770 --> 00:58:10.070
are required to live
in the service area,
00:58:10.070 --> 00:58:11.770
what about the board of directors?
00:58:12.900 --> 00:58:14.853
No, they are not.
00:58:16.702 --> 00:58:17.535
They're not required
00:58:17.535 --> 00:58:19.203
and they don't live in the service area?
00:58:20.840 --> 00:58:21.813
Only myself.
00:58:23.120 --> 00:58:24.320
The other two don't, no.
00:58:27.507 --> 00:58:32.507
The board of directors are
more at the strategic level.
00:58:33.870 --> 00:58:36.380
The reason why the
staff needs to live there
00:58:36.380 --> 00:58:40.840
is it's 50 minutes,
in storm a lot longer,
00:58:40.840 --> 00:58:42.080
to get up the mountain.
00:58:42.080 --> 00:58:47.080
When we have a problem,
we want people to be up here
00:58:47.210 --> 00:58:49.163
ready to do what we need to do.
00:58:50.170 --> 00:58:55.170
It also gives us a personal
stake in the game here.
00:58:58.200 --> 00:59:01.913
We don't want wildfires
either, believe me.
00:59:03.760 --> 00:59:06.623
It can be pretty scary up
here whenever we have fires.
00:59:09.890 --> 00:59:12.180
Indeed it can be, for everyone.
00:59:12.180 --> 00:59:14.880
So thank you, I have more questions,
00:59:14.880 --> 00:59:18.290
but I'm gonna save time
for my fellow Commissioners
00:59:18.290 --> 00:59:19.890
and for the director.
00:59:19.890 --> 00:59:20.993
So thank you, sir.
00:59:24.590 --> 00:59:26.663
Go ahead, Director
Thomas Jacobs.
00:59:27.570 --> 00:59:28.730
Thanks.
00:59:28.730 --> 00:59:31.280
One quick follow on and
then I have a couple others,
00:59:31.280 --> 00:59:32.650
but that was really interesting
00:59:32.650 --> 00:59:33.950
in terms of the board members,
00:59:33.950 --> 00:59:35.370
I get that they aren't required
00:59:35.370 --> 00:59:38.500
and don't live up there,
do you guys have a current
00:59:38.500 --> 00:59:42.130
cadence in which
they're, not to say required,
00:59:42.130 --> 00:59:45.410
but that they're coming
up to be in the field?
00:59:45.410 --> 00:59:47.590
Even at the strategic level,
just to have an awareness
00:59:47.590 --> 00:59:48.823
of what your needs are.
00:59:50.220 --> 00:59:55.220
So we will be having our
board meetings up here.
00:59:56.110 --> 00:59:58.347
Right now, we have them via web-based
01:00:01.470 --> 01:00:03.023
due to COVID protocols.
01:00:04.230 --> 01:00:07.990
We are still not in a ...
01:00:07.990 --> 01:00:11.980
But we will be going to
in person meetings here,
01:00:11.980 --> 01:00:13.383
we hope, in January,
01:00:14.720 --> 01:00:17.730
and we will hold all
our meetings up here.
01:00:17.730 --> 01:00:21.600
And part of the meeting
cadence associated
01:00:21.600 --> 01:00:25.750
with coming up here will
be getting out in the field.
01:00:25.750 --> 01:00:27.773
We do meetings at least quarterly.
01:00:29.780 --> 01:00:30.640
Great.
01:00:30.640 --> 01:00:34.400
So my question, a lot
of what you talked about
01:00:34.400 --> 01:00:37.870
was challenges with supply chain,
01:00:37.870 --> 01:00:41.340
challenges with contractors,
challenges with turnover.
01:00:41.340 --> 01:00:45.600
As you articulated in our
safety culture assessment,
01:00:45.600 --> 01:00:47.390
one of the general issues we identified
01:00:47.390 --> 01:00:49.590
was quality in the
wildfire mitigation plans
01:00:49.590 --> 01:00:51.140
and compliance work that we do.
01:00:53.630 --> 01:00:55.914
It's great that work is getting done,
01:00:55.914 --> 01:00:57.610
but it's really important
01:00:57.610 --> 01:01:00.400
that even if the inspection's complete,
01:01:00.400 --> 01:01:02.980
that you're confident in
the quality of the inspection.
01:01:02.980 --> 01:01:04.990
So can you speak a little bit more
01:01:04.990 --> 01:01:09.260
about what quality
assurance programs or efforts
01:01:09.260 --> 01:01:10.270
you guys have underway?
01:01:10.270 --> 01:01:12.290
I think you mentioned in your briefing
01:01:12.290 --> 01:01:14.230
that the management team goes out
01:01:14.230 --> 01:01:18.260
and does some of the QAQC,
but what is the level of rigor
01:01:18.260 --> 01:01:22.120
and standardization around that QAQC
01:01:22.120 --> 01:01:23.540
to ensure the work that is happening
01:01:23.540 --> 01:01:26.560
is being done at the quality
you guys would expect?
01:01:26.560 --> 01:01:28.724
So the engineering
and planning group
01:01:28.724 --> 01:01:32.450
reviews all the designs
and work packages
01:01:32.450 --> 01:01:34.463
before they go out,
01:01:35.970 --> 01:01:38.662
and they must approve them
01:01:38.662 --> 01:01:43.253
before they give a
contractor notice to proceed.
01:01:45.181 --> 01:01:47.640
Then they go to the field inspector
01:01:47.640 --> 01:01:50.270
and he's the actual line
person that delivers it
01:01:50.270 --> 01:01:51.950
to the contractor,
01:01:51.950 --> 01:01:56.920
and they set up a work
in progress QC protocol
01:01:58.567 --> 01:01:59.990
of every day I want
to meet with your team
01:01:59.990 --> 01:02:02.085
or I want to see what you've done,
01:02:02.085 --> 01:02:04.465
when you hang that transformer,
01:02:04.465 --> 01:02:08.090
I want us to be called and
be there when you do it,
01:02:08.090 --> 01:02:11.280
and we do a lot of work in progress QC.
01:02:11.280 --> 01:02:14.820
Upon work complete,
the contractor will return
01:02:14.820 --> 01:02:17.160
the work package to us with as built.
01:02:17.160 --> 01:02:18.870
In other words, they're
making modifications
01:02:18.870 --> 01:02:22.690
to the work package,
and then the field inspector
01:02:22.690 --> 01:02:27.690
verifies all the work that
was reported to be done
01:02:28.540 --> 01:02:31.130
was done, and the
materials that the contractor
01:02:31.130 --> 01:02:32.653
said they used were used.
01:02:34.006 --> 01:02:39.006
And then we tell the
contractor that they're authorized
01:02:39.630 --> 01:02:40.923
to send us an invoice.
01:02:42.340 --> 01:02:43.740
When they send us an invoice,
01:02:43.740 --> 01:02:47.190
it goes to the project coordinator,
01:02:47.190 --> 01:02:50.433
who audits the work
package against the invoice,
01:02:51.760 --> 01:02:56.680
and then it finally then
goes through for approval.
01:02:56.680 --> 01:02:59.553
So there are several levels of QA,
01:03:00.770 --> 01:03:03.690
looking at the work
packages and all that,
01:03:03.690 --> 01:03:05.880
and then there's QC out in the field
01:03:05.880 --> 01:03:07.923
looking at what was actually done.
01:03:11.450 --> 01:03:12.283
Thank you.
01:03:12.283 --> 01:03:16.190
And a question on the
EVM implementation.
01:03:16.190 --> 01:03:19.650
So on that slide, I think
if I remember correctly,
01:03:19.650 --> 01:03:22.560
on the briefing you said the enhanced
01:03:22.560 --> 01:03:25.190
vegetation management
was implemented in 2018,
01:03:25.190 --> 01:03:26.250
when you started the work,
01:03:26.250 --> 01:03:29.333
and ultimately you got it
across your entire grid by 2020.
01:03:30.550 --> 01:03:33.350
Looking at the drops in veg management,
01:03:33.350 --> 01:03:36.640
the biggest drop was from 2016 to 2017,
01:03:36.640 --> 01:03:40.530
and then there was a
continued slow ramp down.
01:03:40.530 --> 01:03:44.300
What was the driver
between 2016 and 2017
01:03:44.300 --> 01:03:45.630
for that biggest drop?
01:03:45.630 --> 01:03:47.859
It sounds like you hadn't implemented
01:03:47.859 --> 01:03:49.263
the enhanced vegetation management yet.
01:03:50.341 --> 01:03:51.550
We hit the highest
risk areas first
01:03:51.550 --> 01:03:54.130
where we thought we had issues,
01:03:54.130 --> 01:03:56.773
and it looks like we found them.
01:03:58.380 --> 01:03:59.213
You drive around,
01:03:59.213 --> 01:04:01.430
you can see where you
have thick vegetation,
01:04:01.430 --> 01:04:05.053
and so I wanted the
contractors there first.
01:04:06.224 --> 01:04:09.550
We said we're starting
the plan over today,
01:04:09.550 --> 01:04:12.210
we're not just
continuing on our routine,
01:04:12.210 --> 01:04:15.263
and I want to get these
risk areas done now.
01:04:16.560 --> 01:04:20.050
I'm not sleeping well,
so I want them done now.
01:04:22.292 --> 01:04:24.120
That was in 2018
though, correct?
01:04:24.120 --> 01:04:24.953
Yes.
01:04:25.891 --> 01:04:28.980
So the biggest drop there
was between 2016 and 2017,
01:04:28.980 --> 01:04:30.180
so that (indistinct).
01:04:30.180 --> 01:04:33.050
Yep, 2016 we had
some major storms
01:04:33.050 --> 01:04:34.763
in January and February.
01:04:35.610 --> 01:04:40.610
So that large number was
just due to Winter storms.
01:04:41.630 --> 01:04:43.640
They probably weren't wildfire threats,
01:04:43.640 --> 01:04:48.640
but in 2017, we didn't
have as many storms.
01:04:51.700 --> 01:04:55.497
I think January 6th
through the 9th of 2016,
01:04:55.497 --> 01:04:57.683
we had a very major storm up here.
01:04:59.090 --> 01:04:59.990
I remember that one pretty well
01:04:59.990 --> 01:05:01.340
'cause we had many outages.
01:05:03.430 --> 01:05:05.780
And then last question,
01:05:05.780 --> 01:05:08.350
you reported that the
third party ground control
01:05:08.350 --> 01:05:11.573
was an important addition to
your wildfire mitigation plans.
01:05:12.410 --> 01:05:17.410
For the third quarter
quarterly notifications,
01:05:17.460 --> 01:05:19.900
that particular initiative is off track.
01:05:19.900 --> 01:05:23.680
Can you speak to what
the current status is of that,
01:05:23.680 --> 01:05:26.518
and what you guys are
doing to get it back on track?
01:05:26.518 --> 01:05:27.535
Yeah.
01:05:27.535 --> 01:05:30.370
So even though the
patrol had been completed,
01:05:30.370 --> 01:05:33.490
we had not received the results,
01:05:33.490 --> 01:05:36.595
and when I'd heard we
had not received the results
01:05:36.595 --> 01:05:41.595
by September 30th which is
the cutoff for the QDR/QIUs,
01:05:43.230 --> 01:05:45.130
I said well, we can't call it complete
01:05:46.370 --> 01:05:50.910
because what good is an
inspection without results?
01:05:50.910 --> 01:05:53.080
So yes, we reported it off track
01:05:53.080 --> 01:05:55.670
and we have results
and we're fixing them.
01:05:56.710 --> 01:05:57.760
Great.
01:05:57.760 --> 01:05:58.860
So basically the work was actually done,
01:05:58.860 --> 01:06:00.220
you're just saying you
didn't have the results
01:06:00.220 --> 01:06:02.034
so you didn't want to
claim the credit for that.
01:06:02.034 --> 01:06:03.320
Right.
01:06:03.320 --> 01:06:06.560
(indistinct).
01:06:06.560 --> 01:06:07.553
Great, thank you.
01:06:09.609 --> 01:06:12.070
That's it for me for now, thanks.
01:06:12.070 --> 01:06:14.223
Please go ahead,
Commissioner Houck.
01:06:16.000 --> 01:06:17.450
Yes, I'm just wondering about,
01:06:17.450 --> 01:06:21.640
I believe you said that you
had significant turnover rate,
01:06:21.640 --> 01:06:25.980
I think up to 25%,
and part of that being
01:06:25.980 --> 01:06:29.910
the remote location,
but I guess the concern
01:06:29.910 --> 01:06:32.500
with recruiting and
retaining skilled staff
01:06:32.500 --> 01:06:34.050
is obviously really important
01:06:34.050 --> 01:06:35.700
to making sure the safety measures
01:06:35.700 --> 01:06:37.670
are being implemented on the ground.
01:06:37.670 --> 01:06:39.200
So can you talk a little bit more
01:06:39.200 --> 01:06:41.940
about how the board is
addressing those challenges
01:06:41.940 --> 01:06:44.040
to ensure that you've
got sufficient staff
01:06:44.040 --> 01:06:46.540
to make sure these measures
are being implemented?
01:06:47.670 --> 01:06:50.670
So that's a great question.
01:06:50.670 --> 01:06:52.680
I did make a presentation to the board
01:06:52.680 --> 01:06:55.593
about this issue last year,
01:06:57.810 --> 01:07:00.947
when we renegotiated
our contract with the IBW,
01:07:02.370 --> 01:07:07.370
we did authorize some
improvements in their pay
01:07:07.740 --> 01:07:11.653
beyond what we've done
historically to address that issue,
01:07:13.100 --> 01:07:18.100
and the other thing
is we are working with
01:07:18.610 --> 01:07:22.323
our human capital management group,
01:07:25.070 --> 01:07:28.250
we have an exit interview process now
01:07:28.250 --> 01:07:32.730
so that we can begin to
understand why people are leaving.
01:07:35.690 --> 01:07:37.943
These are done by a third party,
01:07:39.340 --> 01:07:44.340
and take those on and
try to address those issues.
01:07:49.772 --> 01:07:50.980
It's challenging,
01:07:50.980 --> 01:07:53.570
people think they like
to live up in Big Bear,
01:07:53.570 --> 01:07:57.280
and then after a year
or two of not being next
01:07:57.280 --> 01:08:01.520
to whatever their favorite
store is, it can be challenging.
01:08:05.310 --> 01:08:07.240
Honestly, like I said,
01:08:07.240 --> 01:08:11.650
it's 50 minutes to an hour to
get on and off the mountain.
01:08:11.650 --> 01:08:15.540
During the peak season, if
you want to go to the store,
01:08:15.540 --> 01:08:17.800
it could take you, even
though we're small,
01:08:17.800 --> 01:08:20.750
it could take you two
hours with the traffic.
01:08:20.750 --> 01:08:22.743
We have 200,000 visitors up here,
01:08:23.660 --> 01:08:26.403
it can get very challenging
for the local residents.
01:08:29.055 --> 01:08:32.183
It can be challenging for
them in their way of life.
01:08:37.870 --> 01:08:39.382
Thank you,
01:08:39.382 --> 01:08:43.020
and I look forward to
seeing how that progresses
01:08:43.020 --> 01:08:45.460
and the information you
learn from those surveys,
01:08:45.460 --> 01:08:48.717
and how you're hopefully increasing
01:08:48.717 --> 01:08:51.270
to make sure you've got
the correct staff in place.
01:08:51.270 --> 01:08:52.863
So thank you for the response.
01:08:56.280 --> 01:08:57.430
Commissioner Shiroma.
01:08:59.100 --> 01:08:59.950
Yes, thank you.
01:09:01.350 --> 01:09:04.373
Thank you for the thorough presentation.
01:09:05.360 --> 01:09:10.360
For your safety committee, Mr. Marconi,
01:09:10.590 --> 01:09:12.313
is there a charter?
01:09:13.350 --> 01:09:16.600
I was looking at your
website and I didn't see
01:09:18.090 --> 01:09:22.020
any reference to your
safety committee or-
01:09:22.020 --> 01:09:23.973
There's a charter.
01:09:26.170 --> 01:09:28.563
I'm not sure if it's on our website.
01:09:31.261 --> 01:09:33.767
I think the safety cert went to OEIS,
01:09:33.767 --> 01:09:38.170
and so when we do that,
we provide it in that package,
01:09:38.170 --> 01:09:39.753
but I can send it to you.
01:09:42.639 --> 01:09:45.361
Okay, sure.
01:09:45.361 --> 01:09:50.361
And then on your slide 13, let's see ...
01:09:52.576 --> 01:09:57.110
Actually, it's slide
14, the last bullet,
01:09:58.890 --> 01:10:02.670
Bear Valley's safety culture objectives
01:10:02.670 --> 01:10:06.810
do not provide details on
how progress will be monitored
01:10:06.810 --> 01:10:08.133
and sustained.
01:10:09.130 --> 01:10:13.760
And then back on your slide 12,
01:10:13.760 --> 01:10:17.170
you've got your
initiatives, the summaries,
01:10:17.170 --> 01:10:18.343
and some dates.
01:10:21.055 --> 01:10:23.910
So the transparency
and open communication,
01:10:23.910 --> 01:10:27.560
it says December 31st 2023,
01:10:27.560 --> 01:10:30.510
and the initiative was targeted,
01:10:30.510 --> 01:10:32.750
management frequently
conduct safety briefs
01:10:32.750 --> 01:10:36.180
and encourages employees
to periodically lead them.
01:10:36.180 --> 01:10:37.950
Safety committee meeting minutes
01:10:37.950 --> 01:10:41.410
and safety performance measures
are shared with employees.
01:10:41.410 --> 01:10:45.402
Employees are motivated
to report hazards,
01:10:45.402 --> 01:10:47.420
encouraged to make recommendations,
01:10:47.420 --> 01:10:51.230
employees have buy in
in all aspects of safety.
01:10:51.230 --> 01:10:54.860
So I want to reconcile
that with this date
01:10:54.860 --> 01:10:59.743
of December 31st 2023,
which is two years from now.
01:11:00.800 --> 01:11:02.290
Yeah.
01:11:02.290 --> 01:11:04.760
As I mentioned, while we have dates
01:11:04.760 --> 01:11:08.580
on where we want to
achieve the full maturity level
01:11:08.580 --> 01:11:12.590
on that initiative, we are
working on that initiative today.
01:11:12.590 --> 01:11:15.220
We're working on
all of these initiatives,
01:11:15.220 --> 01:11:19.310
we're not oh, we're
gonna start doing that.
01:11:19.310 --> 01:11:21.200
That's an important one,
01:11:21.200 --> 01:11:25.420
and that one takes a
long time to fully achieve,
01:11:25.420 --> 01:11:27.453
but we have to start today.
01:11:28.660 --> 01:11:32.630
We've already started
on it to get there,
01:11:32.630 --> 01:11:34.303
and that's an ongoing process,
01:11:35.700 --> 01:11:39.640
and so like I said, we're
not just holding back
01:11:39.640 --> 01:11:40.473
and waiting.
01:11:41.640 --> 01:11:42.539
Good, good.
01:11:42.539 --> 01:11:44.339
Are you sharing your meeting minutes
01:11:46.050 --> 01:11:49.803
and safety performance
metrics now with employees?
01:11:52.250 --> 01:11:53.083
No.
01:11:54.665 --> 01:11:57.830
We just hired a safety consultant
01:11:57.830 --> 01:12:01.683
who will be at our
next meeting next week.
01:12:03.240 --> 01:12:05.720
I've talked to them, so my goals
01:12:05.720 --> 01:12:07.623
and what I want to achieve,
01:12:08.510 --> 01:12:12.320
and I think within
the next month or two,
01:12:12.320 --> 01:12:13.493
we will be doing that.
01:12:16.065 --> 01:12:20.450
I'm a firm believer that
things need to be written down,
01:12:20.450 --> 01:12:23.270
ratified, and easily accessible,
01:12:23.270 --> 01:12:28.270
and so in terms of these
safety performance metrics,
01:12:28.540 --> 01:12:33.540
the expectations of use,
the other board of directors,
01:12:35.088 --> 01:12:40.088
are these things written
down and accessible
01:12:41.140 --> 01:12:42.477
to your employees?
01:12:45.040 --> 01:12:47.787
So as far as the metrics go,
01:12:47.787 --> 01:12:50.820
the only metric that we display
01:12:50.820 --> 01:12:53.813
besides the required
OSHA (indistinct) forms,
01:12:55.060 --> 01:12:58.540
we do display on a
marquee the number of days
01:12:58.540 --> 01:13:00.940
accident free to all our employees
01:13:00.940 --> 01:13:02.923
in very visible locations.
01:13:03.850 --> 01:13:06.020
We have a weekly management meeting
01:13:06.020 --> 01:13:08.300
where we go through our safety metrics
01:13:09.560 --> 01:13:12.460
with supervisors and
managers and other key people,
01:13:12.460 --> 01:13:15.620
but we don't put that
out to all employees yet.
01:13:15.620 --> 01:13:17.030
We're working with our consultant
01:13:17.030 --> 01:13:20.470
to come up with some
weekly communications,
01:13:20.470 --> 01:13:25.470
and part of that will be the
safety record and metrics
01:13:26.070 --> 01:13:30.140
so that employees can feel ...
01:13:30.140 --> 01:13:33.100
And I think right now,
employees feel very strongly
01:13:33.100 --> 01:13:37.800
about the number of days
we've been accident free.
01:13:37.800 --> 01:13:39.170
In fact, sometimes I fear
01:13:39.170 --> 01:13:43.290
that someone might not report an injury,
01:13:43.290 --> 01:13:48.000
but they don't want to be
the one who broke our record.
01:13:48.000 --> 01:13:52.544
So I emphasize to supervisors
tell your guys and gals
01:13:52.544 --> 01:13:57.544
that don't take anything
for granted, be open with us.
01:13:59.910 --> 01:14:02.900
I told a lineman personally,
01:14:02.900 --> 01:14:07.003
you go out to a job site
and you forget something,
01:14:09.465 --> 01:14:11.490
it's okay, we'll drive back to the yard
01:14:11.490 --> 01:14:13.650
and get what we need, or
we'll drive up the mountain
01:14:13.650 --> 01:14:14.550
and get what we need.
01:14:14.550 --> 01:14:16.730
There's nothing that they are doing
01:14:16.730 --> 01:14:19.350
that is worth risking anybody's life
01:14:19.350 --> 01:14:21.773
or going home injured.
01:14:22.790 --> 01:14:24.003
Absolutely nothing.
01:14:26.320 --> 01:14:27.554
Yeah.
01:14:27.554 --> 01:14:32.554
I can see through you
that you are really looking
01:14:35.180 --> 01:14:40.030
to embody the soul of the utility,
01:14:43.110 --> 01:14:48.110
of the priorities, and
that you live up there.
01:14:49.720 --> 01:14:50.980
It's very important
01:14:50.980 --> 01:14:55.980
that you're out in the
trenches frequently.
01:14:57.820 --> 01:15:01.480
Really, my query is
that are you confident
01:15:05.490 --> 01:15:10.440
that everything that you
are living, eating, breathing,
01:15:10.440 --> 01:15:14.663
in terms of the safety
culture as a top executive,
01:15:16.360 --> 01:15:20.270
how are you going to
assure that those values
01:15:20.270 --> 01:15:24.140
are chronicled, adopted, communicated,
01:15:26.892 --> 01:15:29.853
and in terms of meeting
these deadlines ...
01:15:36.340 --> 01:15:39.140
One person can make
a difference absolutely,
01:15:39.140 --> 01:15:44.050
but how do you infuse your verve
01:15:46.130 --> 01:15:49.463
into the organization so
that it is there for longevity?
01:15:52.000 --> 01:15:54.850
Are you confident that you're
going to be able to do that
01:15:55.830 --> 01:15:58.630
with these various steps
and plans that you've outlined?
01:16:00.300 --> 01:16:02.950
So that is challenging.
01:16:02.950 --> 01:16:06.383
I will say that my field operations,
01:16:07.860 --> 01:16:11.613
he's up here for the long run.
01:16:13.333 --> 01:16:15.776
He shares these values,
01:16:15.776 --> 01:16:20.493
he believes in what I
call intrusive leadership.
01:16:22.130 --> 01:16:23.903
It's very involved in everything,
01:16:24.850 --> 01:16:28.450
and I won't say he's a micromanager,
01:16:28.450 --> 01:16:30.510
I will just say he's just engaged
01:16:30.510 --> 01:16:32.073
where he has to be engaged.
01:16:35.534 --> 01:16:38.410
He's a key element of my team.
01:16:38.410 --> 01:16:42.100
I have some newer
supervisors that I have to work
01:16:42.100 --> 01:16:45.330
and mentor and train to make sure
01:16:45.330 --> 01:16:48.640
that they also understand,
01:16:48.640 --> 01:16:52.370
and like you say, it's a challenge.
01:16:52.370 --> 01:16:55.656
I have to make sure even
my accounting supervisor
01:16:55.656 --> 01:16:59.600
understands that when we need a part,
01:16:59.600 --> 01:17:01.833
we need that part, not something else,
01:17:01.833 --> 01:17:03.953
because they're in
charge of procurement.
01:17:07.017 --> 01:17:08.510
It's a team effort,
01:17:08.510 --> 01:17:13.510
and when we receipt
materials or we assign contracts,
01:17:15.680 --> 01:17:18.080
we need to make sure
all that stuff is right too
01:17:18.990 --> 01:17:20.490
because it adds to everything.
01:17:23.000 --> 01:17:24.560
And we also need to make sure
01:17:24.560 --> 01:17:27.760
that when that customer
service rep takes the phone call
01:17:27.760 --> 01:17:31.330
and says someone's
reporting arcing and sparking,
01:17:31.330 --> 01:17:34.770
that that phone call doesn't
get parked somewhere
01:17:36.230 --> 01:17:37.220
and not get addressed.
01:17:37.220 --> 01:17:40.310
It has to get right to the duty team
01:17:40.310 --> 01:17:43.613
so that they can quickly be
energized and get out there.
01:17:46.790 --> 01:17:50.673
I think your initiatives
outlined on your slide 12,
01:17:52.800 --> 01:17:55.540
the targets, which is gonna be important
01:17:55.540 --> 01:18:00.540
to have those communicated
well and frequently,
01:18:05.800 --> 01:18:10.440
and that the work is underway,
01:18:10.440 --> 01:18:14.523
and that if you can actually
beat those deadlines,
01:18:14.523 --> 01:18:16.483
that that would be important.
01:18:19.180 --> 01:18:20.110
All right, thank you.
01:18:20.110 --> 01:18:20.943
Thank you.
01:18:23.770 --> 01:18:25.750
Thank you,
Commissioner Shiroma.
01:18:25.750 --> 01:18:27.750
Please go ahead, Director Thomas Jacobs.
01:18:28.700 --> 01:18:29.720
Thank you.
01:18:29.720 --> 01:18:32.140
So just wanted to
reiterate on a couple things
01:18:32.140 --> 01:18:35.470
that you said, Paul, I think
they're really important.
01:18:35.470 --> 01:18:38.100
One, really appreciate
that you called out
01:18:38.100 --> 01:18:40.690
that your concern now is
that people would be hesitant
01:18:40.690 --> 01:18:44.610
to report something
because of the length of time
01:18:44.610 --> 01:18:49.243
in terms of going without
an injury or an ignition too,
01:18:51.194 --> 01:18:53.240
so want to just reinforce that.
01:18:53.240 --> 01:18:56.723
I think that's a healthy
concern to have.
01:18:58.400 --> 01:19:02.220
I think it's fundamental
to building a safety culture
01:19:02.220 --> 01:19:05.010
to develop a open communication.
01:19:05.010 --> 01:19:07.850
If you don't know
about it, you can't fix it.
01:19:07.850 --> 01:19:12.160
So I think it will be important
across the organization,
01:19:12.160 --> 01:19:13.500
especially with the turnover
01:19:13.500 --> 01:19:14.960
that it sounds like
you guys struggle with
01:19:14.960 --> 01:19:17.690
just because of the
dynamics that you have
01:19:17.690 --> 01:19:20.960
in your particular
organization and location,
01:19:20.960 --> 01:19:24.150
to constantly be reinforcing that.
01:19:24.150 --> 01:19:26.140
As well as with the contractors,
01:19:26.140 --> 01:19:28.250
reiterating again what
you've already called out,
01:19:28.250 --> 01:19:30.630
that there is a difference
between the workers
01:19:30.630 --> 01:19:35.060
that live in your area and
are rooted in your organization,
01:19:35.060 --> 01:19:36.860
and the contractors that
are coming in and out
01:19:36.860 --> 01:19:39.790
of that organization, and
yet they play a vital role.
01:19:39.790 --> 01:19:41.500
We find that across
all of the utilities,
01:19:41.500 --> 01:19:43.310
they are playing a vital role
01:19:43.310 --> 01:19:47.400
in executing these wildfire
mitigations, but more broadly,
01:19:47.400 --> 01:19:50.336
safety activities that the utilities
01:19:50.336 --> 01:19:52.823
are currently implementing
across their systems.
01:19:53.700 --> 01:19:55.010
So just want to call out again,
01:19:55.010 --> 01:19:57.950
the importance of developing
a culture around that,
01:19:57.950 --> 01:20:02.550
of open communication
where identification of issues
01:20:02.550 --> 01:20:06.030
is encouraged and
supported and responded to
01:20:06.030 --> 01:20:09.860
in such a way that it breeds
further communication,
01:20:09.860 --> 01:20:11.970
as opposed to shutting anybody down.
01:20:11.970 --> 01:20:13.900
So if you can speak
to me a little bit more
01:20:13.900 --> 01:20:16.730
about specific actions
you guys are taking
01:20:16.730 --> 01:20:19.855
to breed that within your organization,
01:20:19.855 --> 01:20:22.623
I would appreciate hearing that.
01:20:24.770 --> 01:20:26.100
Yeah.
01:20:26.100 --> 01:20:30.323
I think we need to have
more direct communications
01:20:33.110 --> 01:20:34.233
with our employees.
01:20:39.035 --> 01:20:41.135
COVID has caused
me to speak less directly
01:20:42.270 --> 01:20:44.383
to our employees than I had in the past.
01:20:46.150 --> 01:20:51.150
I used to have monthly everybody
get in the conference room
01:20:51.730 --> 01:20:53.733
early in the morning and we'd talk,
01:20:54.640 --> 01:20:56.303
and that part is missing,
01:20:57.621 --> 01:20:59.690
and it's been challenging
to get around that,
01:20:59.690 --> 01:21:03.860
but I've talked to my supervisors
01:21:03.860 --> 01:21:06.140
and then asked them
to have that conversation
01:21:06.140 --> 01:21:08.413
with their employees
and that's been working,
01:21:09.310 --> 01:21:14.310
but maybe I personally
also will need to get out,
01:21:18.531 --> 01:21:20.710
make a rotation and go to their briefs
01:21:20.710 --> 01:21:23.260
and emphasize that from me,
01:21:23.260 --> 01:21:28.100
that they know no one's
gonna be thrown under the bus
01:21:28.100 --> 01:21:29.550
if they say hey,
01:21:29.550 --> 01:21:32.433
we forgot one of the many
grounding cables we need,
01:21:33.450 --> 01:21:36.860
and they don't make a
decision to just not install
01:21:36.860 --> 01:21:41.663
that grounding cable,
go back and get one.
01:21:43.380 --> 01:21:46.023
That they understand that,
no one's gonna be mad.
01:21:51.550 --> 01:21:54.440
I'm a believer that there's
only one way to do something
01:21:54.440 --> 01:21:56.753
and that's the proper and safe way.
01:21:58.360 --> 01:22:02.358
I don't believe in safety
first or things like that
01:22:02.358 --> 01:22:04.693
'cause that implies there's
another way of doing it.
01:22:06.058 --> 01:22:08.950
So the only way you should do it
01:22:08.950 --> 01:22:12.470
is by the procedure,
the proper way we do it,
01:22:12.470 --> 01:22:14.077
to our standards.
01:22:14.077 --> 01:22:15.653
And so that's important,
01:22:16.540 --> 01:22:19.959
and that's a message
that has to be discussed
01:22:19.959 --> 01:22:22.083
over and over and over again.
01:22:23.300 --> 01:22:28.300
I do engage with the union rep,
01:22:30.170 --> 01:22:34.000
we meet quarterly and
we talk about safety,
01:22:34.000 --> 01:22:38.890
and he gathers with the
union employees afterwards,
01:22:42.580 --> 01:22:45.390
and we communicate our concerns
01:22:45.390 --> 01:22:47.110
and he communicates his concerns
01:22:47.110 --> 01:22:48.163
and we address those,
01:22:49.540 --> 01:22:54.430
and I've found the IBW local 47
01:22:54.430 --> 01:22:57.470
to be extremely safety oriented
01:22:57.470 --> 01:23:01.883
and committed to holding their
members to a high standard,
01:23:02.775 --> 01:23:07.775
and I appreciate that.
01:23:08.220 --> 01:23:13.090
They feel very empowered,
01:23:13.090 --> 01:23:17.750
feel very much that
the workers they provide
01:23:17.750 --> 01:23:19.423
have to meet high standards,
01:23:20.600 --> 01:23:23.710
and they're committed to
holding them to high standards.
01:23:23.710 --> 01:23:27.080
So when I bring issues up with
them, they take care of them,
01:23:28.810 --> 01:23:31.743
and so I think that's been
a very good relationship.
01:23:38.221 --> 01:23:39.221
Thank you.
01:23:42.042 --> 01:23:43.040
Thank you.
01:23:43.040 --> 01:23:45.120
If there are no further questions,
01:23:45.120 --> 01:23:50.120
I think we are ready for our break.
01:23:50.220 --> 01:23:52.600
We are somewhat ahead of schedule,
01:23:52.600 --> 01:23:57.600
so we will be reconvening at 1:00 PM.
01:23:58.020 --> 01:24:01.240
Again, that will be 1:00 PM to reconvene
01:24:01.240 --> 01:24:03.770
for PG&E's afternoon session.
01:24:03.770 --> 01:24:05.710
So thank you, Commissioners,
01:24:05.710 --> 01:24:08.290
Energy Safety Director, and presenters,
01:24:08.290 --> 01:24:09.943
we will reconvene at 1:00 PM.
01:24:11.670 --> 01:24:12.503
Thank you.
01:24:16.760 --> 01:24:17.593
Thank you.
01:24:37.870 --> 01:24:39.290
At this time,
there will be a lunch break
01:24:39.290 --> 01:24:41.440
and the call will resume
at 1:00 PM Pacific time.
01:24:41.440 --> 01:24:44.440
You will hear music in the
conference until it resumes.
01:24:44.440 --> 01:24:47.440
(upbeat rock music)
01:25:34.337 --> 01:25:35.170
This streaming event
01:25:35.170 --> 01:25:38.940
brought to you by adminmonitor.com
will begin momentarily.
01:25:38.940 --> 01:25:40.340
Thank you for your patience.
01:25:51.030 --> 01:25:52.873
The feed for this streaming event-
01:25:59.540 --> 01:26:01.230
Good afternoon, and
thank you all for standing by.
01:26:01.230 --> 01:26:03.110
Today's conference has resumed.
01:26:03.110 --> 01:26:04.180
I would now like to turn the call
01:26:04.180 --> 01:26:06.040
back to Carolina Contreras.
01:26:06.040 --> 01:26:07.290
Thank you, you may begin.
01:26:09.000 --> 01:26:10.140
Good afternoon, everyone,
01:26:10.140 --> 01:26:12.590
and welcome back to
Bear Valley Electric Service
01:26:12.590 --> 01:26:15.100
and Pacific Gas and
Electric safety update briefing
01:26:15.100 --> 01:26:17.280
to the California Public
Utilities Commission
01:26:17.280 --> 01:26:21.030
and the Office of Energy
Infrastructure Safety.
01:26:21.030 --> 01:26:22.200
In this afternoon session,
01:26:22.200 --> 01:26:24.720
members of the board
of directors of PG&E
01:26:24.720 --> 01:26:27.540
will present and answer
questions from the CPUC
01:26:27.540 --> 01:26:29.470
and Energy Safety regarding updates
01:26:29.470 --> 01:26:31.913
on their electric
safety related efforts.
01:26:32.773 --> 01:26:36.340
Serving us on the virtual
dais are CPUC President Batjer
01:26:36.340 --> 01:26:39.740
and her fellow Commissioners
Shiroma, Gusmanasevas,
01:26:39.740 --> 01:26:40.780
and Houck,
01:26:40.780 --> 01:26:43.740
Director of the Office of
Energy Infrastructure Safety,
01:26:43.740 --> 01:26:45.680
Caroline Thomas Jacobs,
01:26:45.680 --> 01:26:48.730
and executive director, oh excuse me,
01:26:48.730 --> 01:26:50.960
she will not be joining us right now.
01:26:50.960 --> 01:26:52.310
In terms of format,
01:26:52.310 --> 01:26:56.236
this afternoon's portion of
the briefing will focus on PG&E.
01:26:56.236 --> 01:26:58.383
We will first hold public comments
01:26:58.383 --> 01:27:03.383
followed by a 45 minute
presentation by PG&E representatives
01:27:06.370 --> 01:27:08.320
on their safety update.
01:27:08.320 --> 01:27:10.350
We will then move onto a discussion
01:27:10.350 --> 01:27:14.420
and Q&A from Commissioners
and Energy Safety director.
01:27:14.420 --> 01:27:17.333
We are scheduled to
conclude today at 3:00 PM.
01:27:19.227 --> 01:27:21.350
Before we move on to public comments,
01:27:21.350 --> 01:27:24.310
I'd like to ask if there
are any brief statements
01:27:24.310 --> 01:27:25.493
from the virtual dais.
01:27:30.715 --> 01:27:32.850
If no statements, we will now-
01:27:32.850 --> 01:27:36.160
Oh, please go ahead, President Batjer.
01:27:36.160 --> 01:27:38.780
Oh no, no, thank you, Carolina.
01:27:38.780 --> 01:27:41.260
I said I have none for
this afternoon, thank you.
01:27:41.260 --> 01:27:42.510
I made mine this morning.
01:27:44.060 --> 01:27:45.470
No problem.
01:27:45.470 --> 01:27:46.510
Thank you.
01:27:46.510 --> 01:27:47.570
If no statements,
01:27:47.570 --> 01:27:50.000
we will now turn to the
public comments portion
01:27:50.000 --> 01:27:51.303
of today's agenda.
01:27:53.000 --> 01:27:56.020
As a reminder, if you wish
to make a public comment,
01:27:56.020 --> 01:28:01.020
dial into 800-857-1917
and enter passcode 5180519
01:28:07.630 --> 01:28:09.050
for the English line,
01:28:09.050 --> 01:28:14.050
and passcode 3799627
for the Spanish line.
01:28:16.833 --> 01:28:19.530
Unmute your phone and press *1,
01:28:19.530 --> 01:28:21.540
you will be placed into a queue
01:28:21.540 --> 01:28:24.990
and the operator will take
your name and information.
01:28:24.990 --> 01:28:27.020
You will be called upon to speak
01:28:27.020 --> 01:28:30.760
in the order your call was received.
01:28:30.760 --> 01:28:33.380
You will have two minutes to speak.
01:28:33.380 --> 01:28:36.233
You will hear a bell
sound when your time is up.
01:28:37.290 --> 01:28:39.820
Please be mindful of
other speakers in the queue
01:28:39.820 --> 01:28:42.540
and keep to your allotted time.
01:28:42.540 --> 01:28:44.320
I will now turn to the operator
01:28:44.320 --> 01:28:46.420
to open the public
comment telephone line.
01:28:50.566 --> 01:28:52.630
The public
comment line is now open.
01:28:52.630 --> 01:28:54.770
If you wish to speak during this,
01:28:54.770 --> 01:28:56.840
press *1, unmute your phone,
01:28:56.840 --> 01:28:58.160
and clearly record your name
01:28:58.160 --> 01:29:00.050
and organization when prompted.
01:29:00.050 --> 01:29:01.980
Again, press *1.
01:29:01.980 --> 01:29:04.623
One moment, as we wait
for any public comments.
01:29:26.530 --> 01:29:28.623
There are currently no public comments.
01:29:32.900 --> 01:29:34.870
Thank you, operator.
01:29:34.870 --> 01:29:37.170
With no comments on the line,
01:29:37.170 --> 01:29:39.663
the public comment period is closed.
01:29:43.400 --> 01:29:44.233
Moving on.
01:29:47.190 --> 01:29:50.560
We will now hear from
PG&E representatives,
01:29:50.560 --> 01:29:52.820
Ms. Cheryl Campbell, Floor Director
01:29:52.820 --> 01:29:55.970
and Chair of the Safety and
Nuclear Oversight Committee,
01:29:55.970 --> 01:29:58.510
Mr. Sameet Singh, Senior Vice President
01:29:58.510 --> 01:30:01.070
and Chief Risk Officer,
01:30:01.070 --> 01:30:05.760
and Mr. Adam Wright, Executive
Vice President Operations,
01:30:05.760 --> 01:30:09.220
Chief Operating Officer,
and board director.
01:30:09.220 --> 01:30:10.880
Ms. Campbell, welcome,
01:30:10.880 --> 01:30:13.160
you are scheduled for 45 minutes
01:30:13.160 --> 01:30:14.783
and I will now turn it to you.
01:30:16.750 --> 01:30:18.250
Thank you.
01:30:18.250 --> 01:30:19.640
Good afternoon, President Batjer,
01:30:19.640 --> 01:30:22.450
respected Commissioners,
Director Thomas Jacobs,
01:30:22.450 --> 01:30:26.000
and CPUC and Energy Safety staff.
01:30:26.000 --> 01:30:28.120
We appreciate the opportunity
to speak with you today
01:30:28.120 --> 01:30:30.620
about our focus on safety at PG&E,
01:30:31.620 --> 01:30:35.153
but first on behalf of the
board of directors of PG&E,
01:30:35.153 --> 01:30:37.780
I'd also like to
acknowledge the anniversary
01:30:37.780 --> 01:30:40.700
of the campfire, the resulting deaths,
01:30:40.700 --> 01:30:43.313
and the horrible impact
it had on the community.
01:30:44.250 --> 01:30:46.990
The board recognizes
the oversight role it plays
01:30:46.990 --> 01:30:49.970
in setting the tone and
priorities for the company
01:30:49.970 --> 01:30:52.630
as it works to improve public safety.
01:30:52.630 --> 01:30:54.590
We take the role very seriously,
01:30:54.590 --> 01:30:57.010
and we work diligently
with the leadership team
01:30:57.010 --> 01:30:58.563
on this important effort.
01:31:01.740 --> 01:31:06.060
I think we can move
to the next slide, please.
01:31:06.060 --> 01:31:07.477
Thank you.
01:31:07.477 --> 01:31:08.970
We have prepared the
following presentation
01:31:08.970 --> 01:31:11.227
to address the topics
that you have outlined
01:31:11.227 --> 01:31:14.800
for the meeting, and we'll
cover these topics shown,
01:31:14.800 --> 01:31:17.040
and we're happy to answer
any questions you have
01:31:17.040 --> 01:31:19.193
at any time during the presentation.
01:31:20.720 --> 01:31:22.743
Let's go to the next slide.
01:31:24.220 --> 01:31:25.500
Let's start with governance
01:31:25.500 --> 01:31:27.910
and our safety and
nuclear oversight committee,
01:31:27.910 --> 01:31:30.873
or SNO committee as we
call it within the company.
01:31:32.410 --> 01:31:35.190
The committee was formed
to advise and assist the board
01:31:35.190 --> 01:31:38.300
with respect to the oversight
and review of policies,
01:31:38.300 --> 01:31:42.620
practices, goals, issues,
risks, and compliance
01:31:42.620 --> 01:31:45.043
related to public and workforce safety.
01:31:46.130 --> 01:31:48.530
The committee operates under a charter
01:31:48.530 --> 01:31:50.440
which is posted and available
01:31:50.440 --> 01:31:53.490
on our investor relations website,
01:31:53.490 --> 01:31:56.460
and was updated and
refreshed by the board
01:31:56.460 --> 01:31:58.883
as recently as May of this year.
01:31:59.730 --> 01:32:04.730
There are currently six
members, all independent directors,
01:32:05.190 --> 01:32:09.260
and all have, in one or more areas,
01:32:09.260 --> 01:32:11.080
deep and demonstrated expertise
01:32:11.080 --> 01:32:13.840
in one or more areas shown below.
01:32:13.840 --> 01:32:16.920
The six directors are
myself as the chair,
01:32:16.920 --> 01:32:20.840
Jessica Denecore, Admiral Mark Ferguson,
01:32:20.840 --> 01:32:24.693
Craig Fugate, Mike
Nigley, and Belle Smith.
01:32:25.750 --> 01:32:29.380
The committee meets
formally at least six times a year,
01:32:29.380 --> 01:32:32.310
including periodically joint meetings
01:32:32.310 --> 01:32:34.710
with the (indistinct) committee.
01:32:34.710 --> 01:32:37.430
At those meetings, we
meet with management,
01:32:37.430 --> 01:32:39.350
including the chief risk officer
01:32:39.350 --> 01:32:43.680
and the chief safety officer,
and others as needed.
01:32:43.680 --> 01:32:48.040
We receive reports, we
discuss policies and performance,
01:32:48.040 --> 01:32:50.953
and we provide feedback
to the management team.
01:32:52.170 --> 01:32:53.930
The formal meetings are supplemented
01:32:53.930 --> 01:32:58.240
by informal meetings,
and go to see field visits.
01:32:58.240 --> 01:33:00.320
Committee members
interact with employees
01:33:00.320 --> 01:33:03.810
at all level of the company
at these field visits,
01:33:03.810 --> 01:33:06.000
and I'll just give you
a couple of examples
01:33:06.000 --> 01:33:08.560
of where we've been recently.
01:33:08.560 --> 01:33:12.380
We've been on vegetation
management jobs,
01:33:12.380 --> 01:33:14.887
we've been on locate and mark jobs,
01:33:14.887 --> 01:33:19.108
last week, Admiral Ferguson
and I were at Diablo Canyon,
01:33:19.108 --> 01:33:23.557
and we have also been at
the wildfire command center
01:33:23.557 --> 01:33:26.290
and the lean operations command center
01:33:26.290 --> 01:33:27.863
in August of this year.
01:33:29.850 --> 01:33:32.190
The committee also periodically observes
01:33:32.190 --> 01:33:34.440
the company's wildfire command center
01:33:34.440 --> 01:33:36.970
during it's weekly operating review,
01:33:36.970 --> 01:33:40.150
and meets with operational
staff and senior management
01:33:40.150 --> 01:33:41.933
after that meeting concludes.
01:33:43.150 --> 01:33:45.440
I also want to point out
that the feedback loop
01:33:45.440 --> 01:33:47.790
is not just internal,
01:33:47.790 --> 01:33:50.750
SNO members meet periodically separately
01:33:50.750 --> 01:33:53.260
with external observers and parties
01:33:53.260 --> 01:33:57.630
to get insight and feedback
on the company's performance.
01:33:57.630 --> 01:34:00.410
These parties include
the federal monitor,
01:34:00.410 --> 01:34:03.773
the operational
observer, and North Star.
01:34:05.430 --> 01:34:07.280
And underlying all of this,
01:34:07.280 --> 01:34:10.560
is the board's commitment
to promote a speak up culture
01:34:10.560 --> 01:34:11.940
both within the company
01:34:11.940 --> 01:34:14.303
and amongst the board
members themselves.
01:34:16.370 --> 01:34:18.920
I also want to point out
that the committee's charter
01:34:18.920 --> 01:34:21.180
includes significant
operational performance
01:34:21.180 --> 01:34:25.370
and compliance issues related
to all of PG&E's operations
01:34:25.370 --> 01:34:29.813
and facilities, which
include nuclear, generation,
01:34:29.813 --> 01:34:32.180
gas and electric transmission,
01:34:32.180 --> 01:34:34.712
and gas and electric distribution,
01:34:34.712 --> 01:34:38.310
as well as the risk management
policies and practices
01:34:38.310 --> 01:34:41.140
related to those
operations and facilities,
01:34:41.140 --> 01:34:42.913
including cybersecurity.
01:34:44.076 --> 01:34:47.120
I'd like to provide you with
a couple of quick examples
01:34:47.120 --> 01:34:49.270
of the tie between our oversight rule
01:34:49.270 --> 01:34:51.053
and how it impacts the company.
01:34:52.420 --> 01:34:54.580
As you can see from the materials,
01:34:54.580 --> 01:34:56.780
one of our roles is to oversee
01:34:56.780 --> 01:35:01.333
the utilities wildfire mitigation
plan and the PSPS program.
01:35:02.240 --> 01:35:04.680
So we review the
performance against the plan
01:35:04.680 --> 01:35:08.240
with the chief risk
officer on a regular basis,
01:35:08.240 --> 01:35:10.403
and we have been providing feedback.
01:35:12.020 --> 01:35:14.556
We did express some
concerns about the risk modeling
01:35:14.556 --> 01:35:17.480
as well as the active identification.
01:35:17.480 --> 01:35:20.570
As a result, management
updated the risk models
01:35:20.570 --> 01:35:21.950
to address those concerns
01:35:22.794 --> 01:35:24.240
about how the work was prioritized,
01:35:24.240 --> 01:35:27.380
and they've also implemented
asset registry improvements,
01:35:27.380 --> 01:35:28.470
which will have an impact
01:35:28.470 --> 01:35:30.883
on the asset management
programs overall.
01:35:32.510 --> 01:35:34.330
We also generate reports of the board
01:35:34.330 --> 01:35:38.610
on a quarterly basis that
updates the company's progress
01:35:38.610 --> 01:35:40.363
on these important programs.
01:35:42.050 --> 01:35:44.280
Another way that we
have impacted the company
01:35:44.280 --> 01:35:45.880
is we review the appointment
01:35:45.880 --> 01:35:47.940
of the chief safety
officer of the company,
01:35:47.940 --> 01:35:49.680
as well as other key officers
01:35:49.680 --> 01:35:51.350
who have significant safety focus
01:35:51.350 --> 01:35:53.050
as part of their responsibilities.
01:35:54.820 --> 01:35:57.040
And the third example
I'd like to provide
01:35:57.040 --> 01:35:59.260
is we collaborate
closely with the people
01:35:59.260 --> 01:36:01.460
in compensation
committee to develop safety
01:36:01.460 --> 01:36:02.990
and operational metrics
01:36:02.990 --> 01:36:05.710
to which executive compensation is tied,
01:36:05.710 --> 01:36:08.100
and we then meet with the same committee
01:36:08.100 --> 01:36:09.663
and review those results.
01:36:14.325 --> 01:36:18.000
I think we can go to
the next slide if we could.
01:36:18.000 --> 01:36:21.400
So let's take a look at the board
beyond the SNO committee.
01:36:21.400 --> 01:36:23.450
One of the areas that
the company focused on
01:36:23.450 --> 01:36:25.600
in the wake of the
recent safety incidents
01:36:25.600 --> 01:36:27.670
and as it emerged from bankruptcy,
01:36:27.670 --> 01:36:30.093
was to restructure
the board of directors
01:36:30.093 --> 01:36:32.680
with a focus on
bringing in new directors
01:36:32.680 --> 01:36:35.723
with extensive experience in
safety and risk management.
01:36:37.240 --> 01:36:39.970
The board's currently
comprised of 13 individuals
01:36:39.970 --> 01:36:43.100
with a wide range of
experience and skills.
01:36:43.100 --> 01:36:45.270
Their knowledge and
experience are used to improve
01:36:45.270 --> 01:36:48.770
and inform workforce
safety throughout PG&E
01:36:48.770 --> 01:36:50.890
as well as public safety.
01:36:50.890 --> 01:36:53.620
And what you see on this
slide are the areas of expertise
01:36:53.620 --> 01:36:56.660
that are found within
our board of directors.
01:36:56.660 --> 01:36:57.820
You'll find more information
01:36:57.820 --> 01:36:59.630
about how we select our board members
01:36:59.630 --> 01:37:02.563
in our proxy information
on the PG&E website.
01:37:06.360 --> 01:37:09.060
With that, that concludes my comments
01:37:09.060 --> 01:37:12.530
about the governance and
I'd like to turn our attention
01:37:12.530 --> 01:37:14.960
to the wildfire mitigation efforts
01:37:14.960 --> 01:37:16.998
which are driven by real time learnings
01:37:16.998 --> 01:37:20.310
from our fire incident
investigation of observation
01:37:20.310 --> 01:37:22.870
of prior behavior in
California this year.
01:37:22.870 --> 01:37:25.080
So I'd like to hand that
over to Sameet Singh
01:37:25.080 --> 01:37:26.293
to take it from here.
01:37:29.430 --> 01:37:30.680
Thank you, Cheryl.
01:37:30.680 --> 01:37:32.120
Good afternoon,
01:37:32.120 --> 01:37:34.130
and thank you for the
opportunity to engage
01:37:34.130 --> 01:37:35.273
in this forum today.
01:37:36.879 --> 01:37:39.683
I have the privilege of being
PG&E's chief risk officer,
01:37:39.683 --> 01:37:44.683
and as Cheryl highlighted, the
SNO committee is responsible
01:37:44.810 --> 01:37:48.880
for oversight of all the
company's top risks,
01:37:48.880 --> 01:37:52.370
but we will focus today
on what's on top of mind
01:37:52.370 --> 01:37:54.513
for everyone which is wildfire safety.
01:37:55.890 --> 01:37:58.370
Our focus on wildfire safety
01:37:58.370 --> 01:38:00.660
is not just to make our system resilient
01:38:01.597 --> 01:38:04.510
with the climate risk
that we are facing now,
01:38:04.510 --> 01:38:07.260
but the climate risk that
we are going to be facing
01:38:07.260 --> 01:38:08.163
in the future.
01:38:09.770 --> 01:38:12.000
Years of drought and
increasing temperatures
01:38:12.000 --> 01:38:13.730
have dramatically
changed the environment
01:38:13.730 --> 01:38:14.950
in which we operate,
01:38:14.950 --> 01:38:17.730
as also highlighted by
Director Thomas Jacobs
01:38:17.730 --> 01:38:19.073
in her opening remarks.
01:38:20.090 --> 01:38:24.110
More than half of PG&E
service area as of 2018,
01:38:24.110 --> 01:38:26.640
is considered high fire risk.
01:38:26.640 --> 01:38:30.800
This represents more than 3x increase
01:38:30.800 --> 01:38:33.900
over a six year time period since 2012,
01:38:33.900 --> 01:38:37.393
where 15% of our service
area was considered in high risk.
01:38:38.510 --> 01:38:41.520
And even a larger portion
of our service area today
01:38:41.520 --> 01:38:43.550
is considered to be in a drought.
01:38:43.550 --> 01:38:46.553
2021 has been the eighth driest year
01:38:46.553 --> 01:38:49.830
over the last 125 years in California.
01:38:49.830 --> 01:38:52.770
33% of California is in extreme drought.
01:38:52.770 --> 01:38:55.010
The recent rains have helped
01:38:55.010 --> 01:38:58.850
and are a welcomed relief,
but have not been enough
01:38:58.850 --> 01:39:01.233
to ease the severe drought conditions.
01:39:02.259 --> 01:39:04.573
So if we can go to
the next slide, please.
01:39:07.100 --> 01:39:07.933
Thank you.
01:39:08.810 --> 01:39:12.200
The dramatic shift in the
environment conditions
01:39:12.200 --> 01:39:16.520
that changed and have
changed widely accepted
01:39:16.520 --> 01:39:18.410
electrical equipment standards,
01:39:18.410 --> 01:39:20.300
meaning that we have to rethink
01:39:20.300 --> 01:39:23.880
the way we deliver energy
safely to our customers
01:39:23.880 --> 01:39:26.910
and our communities that
we are privileged to serve.
01:39:26.910 --> 01:39:30.910
In California, our
service area covers 65%
01:39:30.910 --> 01:39:33.730
of the state's high fire threat areas,
01:39:33.730 --> 01:39:37.363
creating a unique risk
profile given the scale.
01:39:38.850 --> 01:39:41.300
Additionally since 2018,
01:39:41.300 --> 01:39:45.918
we have identified
approximately 500 additional miles,
01:39:45.918 --> 01:39:48.930
both transmission and
distribution combined,
01:39:48.930 --> 01:39:52.190
where wildfire safety work
needs to be undertaken
01:39:52.190 --> 01:39:54.840
based on an analysis of our service area
01:39:54.840 --> 01:39:59.653
using advanced technology,
600+ years of fire expertise
01:39:59.653 --> 01:40:02.860
with former fire services professionals
01:40:02.860 --> 01:40:04.120
that are part of our team,
01:40:04.120 --> 01:40:07.380
to identify the high fire
risk areas in addition
01:40:07.380 --> 01:40:11.460
to the CPUC's 2018 high
fire threat district map.
01:40:11.460 --> 01:40:15.653
So what that results in
is about 31,000 line miles
01:40:15.653 --> 01:40:18.150
in high fire risk areas,
01:40:18.150 --> 01:40:20.679
which makes up approximately 32%
01:40:20.679 --> 01:40:24.000
of all of our overhead line miles.
01:40:24.000 --> 01:40:26.960
A large majority of that
31,000 is distribution,
01:40:26.960 --> 01:40:31.960
with 25,500, and the balance
of 5,550 miles is transmission.
01:40:35.670 --> 01:40:37.620
If we can go to the next slide, please.
01:40:38.790 --> 01:40:39.673
Great, thank you.
01:40:40.530 --> 01:40:43.810
We have expanded our
wildfire safety capabilities
01:40:43.810 --> 01:40:46.320
significantly to address this challenge
01:40:46.320 --> 01:40:49.250
as we have an unwavering focus to ensure
01:40:49.250 --> 01:40:51.560
catastrophic wildfires shall stop.
01:40:51.560 --> 01:40:54.640
In 2018, we launched a
comprehensive program
01:40:54.640 --> 01:40:57.323
to address the growing
wildfire threat in our state.
01:40:58.210 --> 01:41:01.830
Since it's launch, we
have continued to add,
01:41:01.830 --> 01:41:03.345
as you can see in the slide,
01:41:03.345 --> 01:41:07.020
new layers of safety to our system.
01:41:07.020 --> 01:41:10.970
The technology we use and
the tools we have available to us,
01:41:10.970 --> 01:41:14.370
and our co-workers
and our contract partners.
01:41:14.370 --> 01:41:17.530
The foundation for our
capabilities has been informed
01:41:17.530 --> 01:41:18.920
by extensive benchmarking
01:41:18.920 --> 01:41:21.360
with our peer utilities in California,
01:41:21.360 --> 01:41:24.583
as well as practices
implemented in Australia,
01:41:25.500 --> 01:41:29.300
and the capabilities have
really focused on several areas.
01:41:29.300 --> 01:41:33.380
First, is advancing our
risk management approach
01:41:33.380 --> 01:41:35.370
based on artificial intelligence,
01:41:35.370 --> 01:41:39.260
machine learning practices,
to identify and target
01:41:39.260 --> 01:41:41.373
the highest risk areas of our system.
01:41:42.350 --> 01:41:44.710
Implementation of situational awareness
01:41:44.710 --> 01:41:47.630
and intelligence with a focus on sharing
01:41:47.630 --> 01:41:51.400
the collected information
publicly with first responders,
01:41:51.400 --> 01:41:53.133
agencies, and our customers.
01:41:54.100 --> 01:41:57.050
Enhanced maintenance practices
such as system inspections
01:41:57.050 --> 01:41:59.300
and enhanced vegetation management,
01:41:59.300 --> 01:42:02.190
and fundamental
redesign and construction
01:42:02.190 --> 01:42:05.420
of our electric grid to
make our system resilient
01:42:05.420 --> 01:42:06.603
to the climate risk.
01:42:07.490 --> 01:42:10.510
And lastly, adjusting grid operations
01:42:10.510 --> 01:42:15.020
to operate safely during
adverse fire weather conditions
01:42:15.020 --> 01:42:16.550
such as EPSS,
01:42:16.550 --> 01:42:18.790
which is the Enhanced
Powerline Safety Setting
01:42:18.790 --> 01:42:22.320
or fast trip, as well as
a measure of last resort
01:42:22.320 --> 01:42:25.143
which is PSPS, and I will discuss EPSS
01:42:25.143 --> 01:42:28.183
in a lot more detail shortly.
01:42:29.410 --> 01:42:30.900
Before they're improved,
01:42:30.900 --> 01:42:33.810
our planning and execution
of wildfire safety work,
01:42:33.810 --> 01:42:38.810
going into 2021 we
implemented two significant
01:42:39.020 --> 01:42:40.930
systematic changes.
01:42:40.930 --> 01:42:43.320
The first is we stood
up the wildfire risk
01:42:43.320 --> 01:42:45.800
governance (indistinct)
committee, which I chair,
01:42:45.800 --> 01:42:48.930
not only to approve the
methodology and work plans
01:42:48.930 --> 01:42:50.240
for each of our programs,
01:42:50.240 --> 01:42:54.180
but to review the progress and
discuss and approve changes
01:42:54.180 --> 01:42:57.840
to those plans so we're
continuing to reduce the risk
01:42:57.840 --> 01:42:59.887
of catastrophic wildfires
for our customers
01:42:59.887 --> 01:43:01.073
and our communities.
01:43:02.254 --> 01:43:03.790
And the second is that
we have implemented
01:43:03.790 --> 01:43:06.920
a lean operating system,
which we discussed in detail
01:43:06.920 --> 01:43:09.864
during our Monday
session with this dais,
01:43:09.864 --> 01:43:12.597
regarding the enhanced
vegetation management
01:43:12.597 --> 01:43:13.990
collective action plan.
01:43:13.990 --> 01:43:16.330
This system provides
radical transparency
01:43:16.330 --> 01:43:18.540
to all aspects of our execution
01:43:18.540 --> 01:43:20.730
against the risk informed plans,
01:43:20.730 --> 01:43:22.960
and it improves the ability of our teams
01:43:22.960 --> 01:43:26.600
to safely execute
work and to raise issues
01:43:26.600 --> 01:43:28.400
through the daily operating reviews.
01:43:32.937 --> 01:43:34.310
With these significant changes,
01:43:34.310 --> 01:43:36.250
we are still not satisfied
because we know
01:43:36.250 --> 01:43:38.272
we have more work to do,
01:43:38.272 --> 01:43:40.652
and we also know that
when it comes to safety,
01:43:40.652 --> 01:43:42.093
our work is never done.
01:43:45.130 --> 01:43:47.080
If we can go to the next slide, please.
01:43:48.680 --> 01:43:50.510
Over the past four years,
01:43:50.510 --> 01:43:53.563
we have made progress in
making our systems safer.
01:43:55.550 --> 01:43:58.100
This year, we completed our goal
01:43:58.100 --> 01:44:01.380
of installing a cumulative 1,300 new
01:44:01.380 --> 01:44:03.800
advanced weather stations that equates
01:44:03.800 --> 01:44:06.044
to approximately one weather station
01:44:06.044 --> 01:44:10.350
for every 20 miles of
overhead line that we have
01:44:10.350 --> 01:44:12.590
in the high fire threat district.
01:44:12.590 --> 01:44:15.090
By next year, we will
complete the installation
01:44:15.090 --> 01:44:17.490
of 600 high definition cameras
01:44:17.490 --> 01:44:19.060
where we'll be able to
cover more than 90%
01:44:19.060 --> 01:44:22.200
of our high fire threat
districts in our service area
01:44:22.200 --> 01:44:25.260
through the situational
awareness capability.
01:44:25.260 --> 01:44:27.610
At the same time, we
know that public safety
01:44:27.610 --> 01:44:30.350
cannot come at the
trade off of reliability
01:44:30.350 --> 01:44:33.160
for our customers as it did
01:44:33.160 --> 01:44:35.553
through our initial
implementation of EPSS.
01:44:36.575 --> 01:44:40.090
That is why reducing the impact,
01:44:40.090 --> 01:44:43.190
not only for EPSS but also PSPS events
01:44:43.190 --> 01:44:46.190
for our customers, using
six correlation devices,
01:44:46.190 --> 01:44:48.623
enhanced weather
forecasting is so important.
01:44:49.480 --> 01:44:53.880
I'm gonna first touch on
the improvements from PSPS
01:44:53.880 --> 01:44:56.950
and then later I will touch
on the work we've done
01:44:56.950 --> 01:44:58.303
related to EPSS.
01:45:00.358 --> 01:45:02.390
We have more than quadrupled the number
01:45:02.390 --> 01:45:06.350
of sectionalization devices
which help us separate
01:45:06.350 --> 01:45:10.400
and segment the electric
grid into smaller parts,
01:45:10.400 --> 01:45:13.878
in turn, allowing us to
be much more targeted
01:45:13.878 --> 01:45:18.450
for deactivation during severe
weather and fire conditions.
01:45:18.450 --> 01:45:20.040
Between 2019 and 2020,
01:45:20.040 --> 01:45:22.710
based on all of the
infrastructure improvements
01:45:22.710 --> 01:45:25.490
as well as the advancements we've made
01:45:25.490 --> 01:45:29.513
on the meteorological and
numerical modeling side,
01:45:29.513 --> 01:45:32.440
we have been able to reduce
the scope of PSPS events
01:45:32.440 --> 01:45:35.300
by more than 50% for
similar weather conditions
01:45:35.300 --> 01:45:37.633
without taking on
additional wildfire risk.
01:45:38.900 --> 01:45:41.220
We are also hardening
our electric system
01:45:41.220 --> 01:45:43.240
with stronger poles,
covered power lines,
01:45:43.240 --> 01:45:46.620
and under grounding
in high fire threat areas.
01:45:46.620 --> 01:45:50.293
Since 2018, we have hardened
more than 650 line miles,
01:45:51.230 --> 01:45:54.260
and since nearly 1/3
of our electric lines
01:45:55.470 --> 01:45:57.060
traverse the high fire threat districts,
01:45:57.060 --> 01:45:59.880
we are focusing our enhance
vegetation management efforts
01:45:59.880 --> 01:46:02.170
in the communities
with the highest risk.
01:46:02.170 --> 01:46:05.210
Again, we have discussed
in quite a bit of detail,
01:46:05.210 --> 01:46:07.250
and since we launched our EVM program,
01:46:07.250 --> 01:46:10.523
we have addressed more than
5,500 line miles of vegetation.
01:46:11.570 --> 01:46:13.820
It's the combination
of the safety programs
01:46:13.820 --> 01:46:16.730
that is helping our
customers stay safer,
01:46:16.730 --> 01:46:19.120
and reducing the risk
of catastrophic wildfires,
01:46:19.120 --> 01:46:22.640
but we know we must continue to improve
01:46:22.640 --> 01:46:25.773
as we keep up with the
ever changing climate risk.
01:46:26.710 --> 01:46:30.700
With regards to the specific
2021 wildfire mitigation
01:46:30.700 --> 01:46:32.866
plan commitment progress as requested
01:46:32.866 --> 01:46:36.333
by Director Thomas Jacobs
at the beginning of the call,
01:46:37.500 --> 01:46:41.200
of the 53 commitments, 30 are complete,
01:46:41.200 --> 01:46:45.590
15 are on track with
our original schedule,
01:46:45.590 --> 01:46:48.320
5 are off track from
our original schedule
01:46:48.320 --> 01:46:49.980
but we have clear
line of sight to complete
01:46:49.980 --> 01:46:51.980
by mid December or sooner,
01:46:51.980 --> 01:46:55.104
which is prior to the end
of the year commitment.
01:46:55.104 --> 01:46:57.430
We are tracking our progress
for all of these commitments
01:46:57.430 --> 01:47:00.890
on a daily basis using
our lean operating system.
01:47:00.890 --> 01:47:04.090
The last three are also
on track to be completed
01:47:04.090 --> 01:47:05.690
prior to end of the year,
01:47:05.690 --> 01:47:08.360
but will be completed
late from the target date
01:47:08.360 --> 01:47:12.023
that we had included in the
2021 wildfire mitigation plan.
01:47:12.960 --> 01:47:14.980
Hopefully, Director
Thomas Jacobs, that's helpful
01:47:14.980 --> 01:47:17.500
to provide an update in
regards to how we're tracking
01:47:17.500 --> 01:47:18.663
on those commitments.
01:47:19.870 --> 01:47:22.603
If we can go to the next slide, please.
01:47:24.200 --> 01:47:26.780
Let me touch a little bit on
one of the major decisions
01:47:26.780 --> 01:47:28.960
and announcements that
we made earlier this year,
01:47:28.960 --> 01:47:32.880
which is to commit to
place a significant portion
01:47:32.880 --> 01:47:35.700
of our overhead distribution
system underground
01:47:35.700 --> 01:47:38.184
in the high fire threat districts.
01:47:38.184 --> 01:47:42.398
Since 2019, we have
underground over 85 line miles,
01:47:42.398 --> 01:47:46.090
and will complete another
45 by the end of the year.
01:47:46.090 --> 01:47:48.610
And in 2022 and in the coming years,
01:47:48.610 --> 01:47:50.740
we will see a significant ramp up
01:47:50.740 --> 01:47:54.050
in our execution of
the underground miles.
01:47:54.050 --> 01:47:57.400
The work that we've
done and are doing today
01:47:57.400 --> 01:47:59.990
related to under grounding in Paradise,
01:47:59.990 --> 01:48:02.540
has provided us with
innovative construction methods
01:48:02.540 --> 01:48:05.897
and techniques to reduce
the cost to perform this work,
01:48:05.897 --> 01:48:09.480
and enable a significant
risk reduction per dollar spend
01:48:09.480 --> 01:48:12.510
when we consider the
full active lifecycle cost
01:48:12.510 --> 01:48:13.670
for certain parts of our system
01:48:13.670 --> 01:48:16.140
in the high fire threat districts.
01:48:16.140 --> 01:48:18.840
Under grounding not only
improves the safety outcomes,
01:48:18.840 --> 01:48:22.870
but also eliminates
PSPS impact and outages
01:48:22.870 --> 01:48:25.920
that may be experienced
during Winter storm conditions,
01:48:25.920 --> 01:48:29.053
thereby also improving reliability.
01:48:30.290 --> 01:48:33.250
This program is the
largest program of its kind
01:48:33.250 --> 01:48:36.230
ever to be undertaken at the
wildfire risk reduction effort,
01:48:36.230 --> 01:48:40.110
and we understand the
challenge that is ahead of us,
01:48:40.110 --> 01:48:41.930
and we are continuing to collaborate
01:48:41.930 --> 01:48:45.060
with many external partners
through our established
01:48:45.060 --> 01:48:49.050
underground advisory
council to shape our approach,
01:48:49.050 --> 01:48:52.378
plans, and execution, and
the council is co-chaired
01:48:52.378 --> 01:48:56.330
by one of our executive
leaders, Carla Peterman,
01:48:56.330 --> 01:48:58.920
as well as by the President
01:48:58.920 --> 01:49:01.190
of the California Professional
Firefighters Union,
01:49:01.190 --> 01:49:02.053
Brian Rice.
01:49:03.360 --> 01:49:06.460
This major effort is
getting underway now,
01:49:06.460 --> 01:49:08.280
and we are engaging
with local communities
01:49:08.280 --> 01:49:10.340
to understand their local priorities
01:49:10.340 --> 01:49:13.840
and potential concerns and
developing an implementation plan
01:49:13.840 --> 01:49:17.043
that we will outline in the
2022 wildfire mitigation plan
01:49:17.043 --> 01:49:20.303
that will be submitted
in February of next year.
01:49:22.552 --> 01:49:24.352
We can go to the next slide, please.
01:49:25.940 --> 01:49:27.991
Was not planning on covering this topic-
01:49:27.991 --> 01:49:30.658
(indistinct).
01:49:32.542 --> 01:49:33.592
Can we go back to ...
01:49:34.430 --> 01:49:36.880
What is the process that you're using
01:49:36.880 --> 01:49:40.250
to engage local communities?
01:49:40.250 --> 01:49:43.660
Is there a role that your
regional vice presidents
01:49:43.660 --> 01:49:46.480
are playing in determining the locations
01:49:46.480 --> 01:49:50.423
that you're gonna be
including in your 2022 plan?
01:49:51.720 --> 01:49:53.010
Thank you, Commissioner.
01:49:53.010 --> 01:49:53.950
Absolutely.
01:49:53.950 --> 01:49:56.546
So our five regional vice presidents
01:49:56.546 --> 01:50:00.120
are engaged as part of this effort.
01:50:00.120 --> 01:50:04.800
We are also including
the output of our data
01:50:04.800 --> 01:50:07.050
from the wildfire
distribution risk model,
01:50:07.050 --> 01:50:11.020
which has informed many
of our mitigation plans
01:50:11.020 --> 01:50:12.850
and programs for this year.
01:50:12.850 --> 01:50:17.750
We have also engaged our
former fire services professionals
01:50:17.750 --> 01:50:19.300
which are public safety specialists,
01:50:19.300 --> 01:50:21.605
to give us the boots on
the ground assessment
01:50:21.605 --> 01:50:25.740
of communities that have
an ingress/egress challenge.
01:50:25.740 --> 01:50:27.400
So that input's being considered.
01:50:27.400 --> 01:50:30.840
In addition to that, we
are also looking at areas
01:50:30.840 --> 01:50:32.860
and portions of the circuit
01:50:32.860 --> 01:50:35.070
that have been significantly impacted
01:50:35.070 --> 01:50:40.070
by repeat PSPS events
since 2020 and 2019.
01:50:41.140 --> 01:50:43.060
So those are all the different factors
01:50:43.060 --> 01:50:46.539
that are going into
helping inform a overall
01:50:46.539 --> 01:50:50.630
execution work plan that
the teams are pulling together
01:50:50.630 --> 01:50:53.623
with that engagement
and support from the RVPs.
01:50:55.680 --> 01:50:59.197
Okay, and those are
excellent risk state factors,
01:50:59.197 --> 01:51:01.450
but what is the engagement
with the local governments
01:51:01.450 --> 01:51:05.843
and communities on
selection of these lines?
01:51:07.740 --> 01:51:10.274
Thank you, Commissioner,
for that follow up.
01:51:10.274 --> 01:51:14.140
The specific engagement is
in regards to understanding
01:51:14.140 --> 01:51:19.100
what are those local challenges,
01:51:19.100 --> 01:51:22.730
and potential execution impediments
01:51:22.730 --> 01:51:25.650
around areas that could be difficult
01:51:25.650 --> 01:51:29.960
or could be long lead from
a permitting perspective,
01:51:29.960 --> 01:51:33.840
could be sensitive from an
endangered species standpoint,
01:51:33.840 --> 01:51:35.570
so we have that coordination occurring
01:51:35.570 --> 01:51:38.960
both with the agencies
at the state level,
01:51:38.960 --> 01:51:42.110
as well as things like
fish and wildlife services,
01:51:42.110 --> 01:51:45.130
as well as their local district offices.
01:51:45.130 --> 01:51:47.330
Engagement with entities like CalTrans
01:51:47.330 --> 01:51:48.280
to also understand
01:51:48.280 --> 01:51:50.940
what are some of their
design requirements
01:51:50.940 --> 01:51:53.899
as part of the work that
we're gonna be conducting.
01:51:53.899 --> 01:51:56.198
So that's really the level of engagement
01:51:56.198 --> 01:51:57.890
that is occurring,
01:51:57.890 --> 01:52:00.710
and we're also working
with the country leadership
01:52:00.710 --> 01:52:03.510
to understand if we
have a major thoroughfare
01:52:03.510 --> 01:52:05.450
for some of the communities,
01:52:05.450 --> 01:52:07.453
what would be the potential implications
01:52:07.453 --> 01:52:09.430
from a traffic standpoint
01:52:09.430 --> 01:52:11.540
when we do have to
shut down a certain lane
01:52:11.540 --> 01:52:12.970
to do the under grounding work,
01:52:12.970 --> 01:52:15.260
are there work hour
restrictions as well.
01:52:15.260 --> 01:52:18.510
So those are all the
different execution feasibility
01:52:18.510 --> 01:52:21.450
elements that go into the prioritization
01:52:21.450 --> 01:52:23.870
of informing when we can do work,
01:52:23.870 --> 01:52:25.407
how much work we can do,
01:52:25.407 --> 01:52:27.557
and which part of the
respective community.
01:52:31.340 --> 01:52:32.173
Thank you.
01:52:33.600 --> 01:52:34.433
My pleasure.
01:52:35.476 --> 01:52:36.893
Go, Commissioner.
01:52:39.310 --> 01:52:44.280
So you indicated
that you have an effort
01:52:44.280 --> 01:52:49.280
led by a Carla Peterman
and Brian Rice, I'm sorry,
01:52:51.362 --> 01:52:53.210
would you mind
repeating what is that effort
01:52:53.210 --> 01:52:54.493
and who else is involved?
01:52:55.440 --> 01:52:56.370
Yeah.
01:52:56.370 --> 01:52:58.197
Thank you, Commissioner, again,
01:52:58.197 --> 01:52:59.640
that effort is what we call
01:52:59.640 --> 01:53:03.690
our underground advisory council,
01:53:03.690 --> 01:53:08.222
and the council also
includes respective leaders
01:53:08.222 --> 01:53:11.550
from different state agencies,
01:53:11.550 --> 01:53:14.800
and really the intent of that effort
01:53:14.800 --> 01:53:19.800
is to create a cross-functional
advisory council
01:53:21.030 --> 01:53:23.750
that can help provide strategic guidance
01:53:23.750 --> 01:53:28.120
as we start pulling together
our under grounding plan,
01:53:28.120 --> 01:53:32.360
what are some of those
specific types of challenges,
01:53:32.360 --> 01:53:35.220
impediments, long lead permits,
01:53:35.220 --> 01:53:36.600
that we're gonna have to consider
01:53:36.600 --> 01:53:41.600
and are there ways for
us to further streamline
01:53:42.080 --> 01:53:45.150
the type of information that
we need to be submitting
01:53:45.150 --> 01:53:46.780
to respective state agencies
01:53:46.780 --> 01:53:49.840
so that we can help accelerate
the review and approval
01:53:49.840 --> 01:53:53.570
at the project level some
of the under grounding plans
01:53:53.570 --> 01:53:55.800
that we're going to be implementing.
01:53:55.800 --> 01:54:00.400
So it's really helping to
work through streamlining
01:54:00.400 --> 01:54:03.080
many of those processes
because we're well aware
01:54:03.080 --> 01:54:05.370
that this kind of
undertaking and an effort
01:54:05.370 --> 01:54:07.440
can't be done alone by ourselves,
01:54:07.440 --> 01:54:10.990
but can only be effective
with that engagement
01:54:10.990 --> 01:54:13.052
of the multitude of external partners
01:54:13.052 --> 01:54:15.963
that we're gonna need
support and engagement from.
01:54:17.250 --> 01:54:18.990
Two more quick questions.
01:54:18.990 --> 01:54:19.957
Are you (indistinct),
01:54:22.842 --> 01:54:26.093
in these efforts (indistinct)?
01:54:26.093 --> 01:54:28.380
Yes, so Commissioner,
that's part of the process.
01:54:28.380 --> 01:54:30.870
The environmental permitting, again,
01:54:30.870 --> 01:54:33.280
understanding those specific areas
01:54:34.190 --> 01:54:38.450
that could require that
type of a permitting effort.
01:54:38.450 --> 01:54:39.283
So those are some of the things
01:54:39.283 --> 01:54:41.630
that go into that
decision making process.
01:54:41.630 --> 01:54:45.100
I can't speak to the specific project
01:54:45.100 --> 01:54:46.840
and the (indistinct) implications perse,
01:54:46.840 --> 01:54:48.860
but those are all the different factors
01:54:48.860 --> 01:54:49.720
that are considered,
01:54:49.720 --> 01:54:52.231
including the state
environmental agencies
01:54:52.231 --> 01:54:54.870
which are engaged as part of this.
01:54:54.870 --> 01:54:58.100
Okay, and then
my other question
01:54:58.100 --> 01:55:03.100
is are you looking at
how you true up this effort
01:55:03.210 --> 01:55:08.070
with the requirements of the
2022 wildfire mitigation plan
01:55:08.070 --> 01:55:12.800
and also the ongoing
(indistinct) applications
01:55:12.800 --> 01:55:14.650
we've got with the CPUC?
01:55:16.420 --> 01:55:17.831
Yes, Commissioner,
01:55:17.831 --> 01:55:19.313
that's part of our
current planning process,
01:55:19.313 --> 01:55:23.800
because as we filed for the 2023 GRC,
01:55:23.800 --> 01:55:27.720
the four year GRC as you all know,
01:55:27.720 --> 01:55:32.720
we have a significant
program that we have included
01:55:32.960 --> 01:55:34.730
as part of system hardening,
01:55:34.730 --> 01:55:37.450
and when we consider under grounding,
01:55:37.450 --> 01:55:41.120
that's part of our broader
system hardening portfolio,
01:55:41.120 --> 01:55:42.610
because in addition to under grounding,
01:55:42.610 --> 01:55:46.622
we also look at are there
areas where overhead hardening
01:55:46.622 --> 01:55:51.560
may be a more risk
bent efficient solution,
01:55:51.560 --> 01:55:54.960
or is there a remote grid opportunity
01:55:54.960 --> 01:55:58.830
like the one we recently
implemented in Briceburg
01:55:58.830 --> 01:56:02.270
coming out of the 2019
Briceburg fire that occurred.
01:56:02.270 --> 01:56:06.200
A small system that's renewable
with solar battery backup
01:56:06.200 --> 01:56:08.454
that's providing service
to five customers,
01:56:08.454 --> 01:56:10.710
obviously didn't make
sense to underground that line
01:56:10.710 --> 01:56:12.950
or do overhead hardening,
we moved the line
01:56:12.950 --> 01:56:16.420
and created a small
micro-grid type of a setup.
01:56:16.420 --> 01:56:19.020
So these are all the
different tools that we have
01:56:19.020 --> 01:56:21.570
within our broader
system hardening program
01:56:21.570 --> 01:56:23.920
and under grounding is
a key component of that.
01:56:26.657 --> 01:56:29.730
And keep in mind that all
these efforts that you're doing
01:56:29.730 --> 01:56:33.890
with the other state
agencies, at the end of the day,
01:56:33.890 --> 01:56:37.550
if you're gonna need approval
from the GPSE and OEIS
01:56:40.940 --> 01:56:42.900
on these, I'm sure you're looking at
01:56:42.900 --> 01:56:45.800
as to how you're
integrating and bringing them
01:56:45.800 --> 01:56:48.983
all of us up to speed
on all of these things.
01:56:50.200 --> 01:56:51.036
In the end, the customers are the ones
01:56:51.036 --> 01:56:52.336
who are gonna have to pay.
01:56:54.660 --> 01:56:56.300
Yep, absolutely, Commissioner,
01:56:56.300 --> 01:56:58.680
that's going to be front and center
01:56:58.680 --> 01:57:02.130
as part of our 2022
wildfire mitigation plan filing.
01:57:02.130 --> 01:57:02.963
Absolutely.
01:57:07.030 --> 01:57:09.273
Any other questions before I ...
01:57:09.273 --> 01:57:12.120
Good, Commissioner
Houck, (indistinct) question.
01:57:12.120 --> 01:57:15.130
On your 2022
wildfire mitigation plan,
01:57:15.130 --> 01:57:17.574
are you gonna be
including the 10,000 miles
01:57:17.574 --> 01:57:19.280
as long term planning
01:57:19.280 --> 01:57:22.740
or how are you going
to look at the long term
01:57:22.740 --> 01:57:25.463
versus what you're planning for 2022?
01:57:26.640 --> 01:57:28.100
Thank you, Commissioner.
01:57:28.100 --> 01:57:30.410
Typically the WMP process,
01:57:30.410 --> 01:57:33.180
and Director Thomas Jacobs
can correct if I'm wrong,
01:57:33.180 --> 01:57:35.900
it's a three year look ahead,
01:57:35.900 --> 01:57:38.344
which includes the in year 2022
01:57:38.344 --> 01:57:43.344
as well as two years subsequent
to that, 2023 and 2024.
01:57:43.350 --> 01:57:46.082
So that's the level of information
01:57:46.082 --> 01:57:48.351
that we're gonna be providing,
01:57:48.351 --> 01:57:50.960
and at the same time, there's
a significant amount of work
01:57:50.960 --> 01:57:55.960
that's being done to stand
up a fairly significant PMO
01:57:57.135 --> 01:58:02.135
to be able to help
establish the long term plan,
01:58:02.590 --> 01:58:05.070
as well as the oversight
of all of the work
01:58:05.070 --> 01:58:08.030
that would need to happen
from scoping to engineering
01:58:08.030 --> 01:58:12.760
to permitting to safe
execution in the field
01:58:12.760 --> 01:58:15.110
and construction, and
ensuring the work is done
01:58:15.110 --> 01:58:16.310
to the highest level of quality.
01:58:16.310 --> 01:58:19.170
So all of that infrastructure
from a process
01:58:19.170 --> 01:58:22.360
and oversight perspective,
is also currently in the process
01:58:22.360 --> 01:58:24.240
of being stood up with
the intent and the focus
01:58:24.240 --> 01:58:28.543
of the 2022 WMP would
be a three year type of focus.
01:58:32.620 --> 01:58:34.460
And just last (indistinct),
01:58:34.460 --> 01:58:37.990
do you see any potential difficulties
01:58:37.990 --> 01:58:40.820
with the fact that the
WMPs are three years
01:58:40.820 --> 01:58:42.690
and then the GRCs are four years
01:58:42.690 --> 01:58:44.160
and whether they're aligned in a way
01:58:44.160 --> 01:58:47.610
that is going to make it
easier and more efficient
01:58:47.610 --> 01:58:50.170
for all of us to understand
what's going on
01:58:50.170 --> 01:58:54.413
in the crossover between the
safety measures and the cost?
01:58:56.480 --> 01:59:00.500
Commissioner, to the
extent feasible we are aligning
01:59:02.134 --> 01:59:06.737
both the GRC submissions
as well as are including
01:59:06.737 --> 01:59:10.600
in the WMPs, and obviously,
the WMP themselves
01:59:10.600 --> 01:59:13.340
are improving year over year.
01:59:13.340 --> 01:59:16.030
This will be the fourth
year of the WMP filing,
01:59:16.030 --> 01:59:18.600
'cause if you look at
what was submitted 2019,
01:59:18.600 --> 01:59:19.910
it was really a baseline,
01:59:19.910 --> 01:59:24.910
there was a very significant
overhaul that was done in 2022,
01:59:25.160 --> 01:59:29.420
and that was further
evolved in 2021 and 2022,
01:59:29.420 --> 01:59:32.737
but with the three and the
four year time difference,
01:59:32.737 --> 01:59:36.430
many of the plans that
we have for the end year
01:59:36.430 --> 01:59:39.250
tend to be very specific
and more granular
01:59:39.250 --> 01:59:40.710
in terms of where are we gonna do
01:59:40.710 --> 01:59:43.580
that specific two,
three, four mile project,
01:59:43.580 --> 01:59:46.520
and then for years two, three, and four,
01:59:46.520 --> 01:59:48.730
they tend to be more at
the programmatic level.
01:59:48.730 --> 01:59:52.393
We're gonna be doing x
miles of system hardening,
01:59:52.393 --> 01:59:56.120
1,800 miles of enhanced vegetation
management as an example,
01:59:56.120 --> 01:59:59.450
and then as we get to
that end year planning
01:59:59.450 --> 02:00:02.420
or typically starts to
happen t-minus six months
02:00:02.420 --> 02:00:03.620
before we get to end year,
02:00:03.620 --> 02:00:06.320
to start outlining those
specific levels of detail.
02:00:06.320 --> 02:00:08.010
So from a programmatic perspective,
02:00:08.010 --> 02:00:10.530
even if you look at the
slides that I discussed about,
02:00:10.530 --> 02:00:13.000
all the additional safety
programs that we layered,
02:00:13.000 --> 02:00:15.810
we're at a point where
many of those programs
02:00:15.810 --> 02:00:17.500
are fairly steady state,
02:00:17.500 --> 02:00:21.190
and they will carry over
into year four as well.
02:00:21.190 --> 02:00:22.440
So from our perspective,
02:00:22.440 --> 02:00:24.660
that does not cause a
significant amount of disruption
02:00:24.660 --> 02:00:26.580
of year three versus year four.
02:00:26.580 --> 02:00:28.890
Now, the big change, obviously,
02:00:28.890 --> 02:00:32.860
going into the 2022 WMP is
the fairly significant addition
02:00:32.860 --> 02:00:36.010
of under grounding, which
we're also considering
02:00:36.010 --> 02:00:39.580
and working through from
both a GRC perspective
02:00:39.580 --> 02:00:41.163
as well as a WMP perspective.
02:00:44.440 --> 02:00:45.273
Thank you.
02:00:46.260 --> 02:00:47.093
My pleasure.
02:00:50.390 --> 02:00:52.960
All right, if there's no other questions
02:00:52.960 --> 02:00:55.853
I will continue on the slide.
02:00:56.760 --> 02:00:58.463
Thank you for that engaging Q&A.
02:01:00.068 --> 02:01:02.030
Wasn't planning on
spending a lot of time here,
02:01:02.030 --> 02:01:04.240
we spent about four
hours together on Monday
02:01:04.240 --> 02:01:07.750
on this topic in regards
to the enhanced vegetation
02:01:07.750 --> 02:01:11.130
management corrective action plan.
02:01:11.130 --> 02:01:12.920
Our process continues to improve.
02:01:12.920 --> 02:01:15.960
Our planning is
addressing the highest risk
02:01:15.960 --> 02:01:19.822
and the gaps that were
identified in the 2020 work,
02:01:19.822 --> 02:01:23.420
because of our co-workers
and contract partners,
02:01:23.420 --> 02:01:25.440
we've made essential progress towards
02:01:25.440 --> 02:01:29.120
our 2021 EVM program goals.
02:01:29.120 --> 02:01:32.910
We exceeded the two
milestones that we had included
02:01:32.910 --> 02:01:34.750
in the May 6th corrective action plan
02:01:34.750 --> 02:01:37.150
for both June 1st and September 1st,
02:01:37.150 --> 02:01:39.530
and we have clear line of sight towards
02:01:39.530 --> 02:01:43.110
our December 31st goal of 1,800 miles.
02:01:43.110 --> 02:01:45.250
I know we submitted on November 4th,
02:01:45.250 --> 02:01:48.610
progress report for data
as of September 30th,
02:01:48.610 --> 02:01:52.100
I will share the work
that we have completed
02:01:52.100 --> 02:01:55.510
as of yesterday for our
enhanced vegetation management,
02:01:55.510 --> 02:02:00.510
and we're at more than 1,560
miles that have been completed,
02:02:01.580 --> 02:02:04.860
and we've got the line
of sight to meet or exceed
02:02:04.860 --> 02:02:07.220
the 1,800 miles by end of the year,
02:02:07.220 --> 02:02:08.420
and most importantly,
02:02:08.420 --> 02:02:11.410
97% of that work that's been completed,
02:02:11.410 --> 02:02:14.080
which is the 1,560
miles as of yesterday,
02:02:14.080 --> 02:02:17.340
has been completed in the highest 20%
02:02:17.340 --> 02:02:19.350
of the risk ranked circuits.
02:02:19.350 --> 02:02:22.410
So that's really the big focus for us.
02:02:22.410 --> 02:02:26.830
And then lastly, on the
2022 EVM scope of work,
02:02:26.830 --> 02:02:29.440
we are much further
along than where we were
02:02:29.440 --> 02:02:31.470
at this time last year.
02:02:31.470 --> 02:02:34.730
We did not finalize this
year's plan until April,
02:02:34.730 --> 02:02:37.810
and for 2022, we have
already issued a preliminary plan
02:02:37.810 --> 02:02:42.250
for our execution teams to
review for planning purposes
02:02:42.250 --> 02:02:44.233
that we also discussed on Monday.
02:02:45.470 --> 02:02:48.440
That's a quick update on our
EVM corrective action plan.
02:02:48.440 --> 02:02:51.610
Commissioner, you
have a question, go ahead.
02:02:51.610 --> 02:02:53.068
Yes.
02:02:53.068 --> 02:02:55.760
I meant to ask you this
question on Monday.
02:02:55.760 --> 02:02:57.423
Sure.
02:02:57.423 --> 02:03:02.423
From 2019 to now, at
various workshops we heard
02:03:02.537 --> 02:03:06.850
about certain kinds of
plant species and trees
02:03:06.850 --> 02:03:09.170
that will grow back quickly.
02:03:09.170 --> 02:03:10.950
In your efforts, have you gone back
02:03:10.950 --> 02:03:14.830
to let's say the 2019
vegetation management ...
02:03:14.830 --> 02:03:19.250
Are you tracking where
you've been, where you are,
02:03:19.250 --> 02:03:22.050
and whether or not
any of the previous work
02:03:22.050 --> 02:03:23.743
needed to be revisited?
02:03:25.111 --> 02:03:26.650
You have any kind of plant species
02:03:26.650 --> 02:03:28.300
that may be growing back quickly?
02:03:30.210 --> 02:03:32.020
Commissioner, the
short answer is yes.
02:03:32.020 --> 02:03:35.360
So if you think about EVM
02:03:35.360 --> 02:03:38.700
which includes two
additional aspects of the scope
02:03:38.700 --> 02:03:41.190
that goes beyond the routine
02:03:41.190 --> 02:03:43.350
or compliance vegetation
management program,
02:03:43.350 --> 02:03:45.330
which is to clear the overhang
02:03:45.330 --> 02:03:48.883
as well as assess the health
of the strike potential trees
02:03:48.883 --> 02:03:51.940
that are tall enough and
not far enough from our lines.
02:03:51.940 --> 02:03:55.700
So to maintain that overhang clearance,
02:03:55.700 --> 02:03:58.550
to your point because that
clearance is gonna grow back,
02:03:58.550 --> 02:04:00.580
we are folding that into what we call
02:04:00.580 --> 02:04:03.490
our routine vegetation
management program going forward,
02:04:03.490 --> 02:04:05.450
so that when our teams are where
02:04:05.450 --> 02:04:07.780
we have already been for EVM,
02:04:07.780 --> 02:04:09.790
they'll not only do
the manual clearance,
02:04:09.790 --> 02:04:12.370
which they do to maintain
compliance with the GO
02:04:12.370 --> 02:04:14.360
and the public resource
code of requirements,
02:04:14.360 --> 02:04:16.360
but also ensure that we're maintaining
02:04:16.360 --> 02:04:18.980
what we did for EVM for overhang.
02:04:18.980 --> 02:04:22.620
In addition to that, we are
further introducing more rigor
02:04:22.620 --> 02:04:24.863
going into next year
in our routine program
02:04:24.863 --> 02:04:27.140
so that our tree inspectors and arborist
02:04:27.140 --> 02:04:29.200
that are on the routine program itself
02:04:29.200 --> 02:04:32.213
are doing a 360 hazard
assessment of trees
02:04:32.213 --> 02:04:34.650
that are tall enough and not far enough
02:04:34.650 --> 02:04:36.280
for exactly that reason,
02:04:36.280 --> 02:04:39.110
and also the reason
that given the exceptional
02:04:39.110 --> 02:04:40.680
and extreme drought conditions,
02:04:40.680 --> 02:04:43.210
one of the adverse
impacts it does have on trees
02:04:43.210 --> 02:04:45.487
is it accelerates tree mortality.
02:04:45.487 --> 02:04:49.070
So those are the elements
that we are folding in
02:04:49.070 --> 02:04:51.292
from our EVM program
into the routine program
02:04:51.292 --> 02:04:54.003
and operationalizing
that going into 2022.
02:04:56.340 --> 02:04:58.972
Can I ask a follow
on question on that?
02:04:58.972 --> 02:05:01.280
I just wanted to make
sure I understood you.
02:05:01.280 --> 02:05:06.280
So you're folding in
ongoing maintenance of EVM
02:05:06.530 --> 02:05:10.870
into your routine, can
you just be really clear
02:05:10.870 --> 02:05:14.070
on has that been folded
in or are you folding it in
02:05:14.070 --> 02:05:15.240
in the future?
02:05:15.240 --> 02:05:16.220
When does that start?
02:05:16.220 --> 02:05:19.510
So which EVM maybe
hasn't been getting caught
02:05:19.510 --> 02:05:21.193
in the routine yet?
02:05:22.290 --> 02:05:23.630
Yeah, so what
happened in getting caught,
02:05:23.630 --> 02:05:26.540
Director Thomas Jacobs,
thank you for that clarification,
02:05:26.540 --> 02:05:29.800
is the work that was already
completed in 2019 and 2020.
02:05:29.800 --> 02:05:34.800
So it's gonna get folded
in as of January of 2022.
02:05:34.970 --> 02:05:39.760
So that's where the
work we did in '19, '20, '21,
02:05:39.760 --> 02:05:41.580
we're gonna maintain the overhang
02:05:41.580 --> 02:05:45.842
as well as implement the
additional 360 degree walk around
02:05:45.842 --> 02:05:48.020
to assess the hazard of the tree.
02:05:48.020 --> 02:05:51.063
So that gets fully
baked going into 2022.
02:05:58.763 --> 02:06:01.510
Any other questions before I continue?
02:06:01.510 --> 02:06:03.078
Okay.
02:06:03.078 --> 02:06:05.393
We can go to the next slide, please.
02:06:09.760 --> 02:06:13.430
So given our drought
conditions that we've discussed
02:06:13.430 --> 02:06:16.370
and the subsequent
increase of the wildfire risk,
02:06:16.370 --> 02:06:21.298
we've experienced, outside of
the typical wind-driven events
02:06:21.298 --> 02:06:26.090
that really have been
our experience in the past,
02:06:26.090 --> 02:06:29.897
and on non red flag warning conditions,
02:06:29.897 --> 02:06:32.800
we did a number of enhancements
02:06:32.800 --> 02:06:35.680
to our wildfire prevention
efforts this year.
02:06:35.680 --> 02:06:38.990
One of our most impactful
changes we have made
02:06:38.990 --> 02:06:41.090
is to adjust the sensitivity
of our equipment
02:06:41.090 --> 02:06:44.080
to automatically turn off power faster
02:06:44.080 --> 02:06:46.320
if the system detects a problem,
02:06:46.320 --> 02:06:47.780
and these settings are known
02:06:47.780 --> 02:06:50.470
as the Enhanced Power
Line Safety Settings,
02:06:50.470 --> 02:06:53.630
I think Mr. Houck had
referenced them as fast trip.
02:06:53.630 --> 02:06:55.493
They're two of the same.
02:06:56.450 --> 02:07:00.784
The EPSS was implemented in late July
02:07:00.784 --> 02:07:05.597
as it became very clear
because of the extreme conditions
02:07:05.597 --> 02:07:09.000
of the drought and the
exceptional drought conditions
02:07:09.000 --> 02:07:11.410
that we were experiencing
in our service area
02:07:11.410 --> 02:07:16.410
a lot more fuels driven
and terrain driven fires
02:07:16.710 --> 02:07:18.493
as compared to wind driven.
02:07:19.435 --> 02:07:21.860
It was a significant shift
from what we have seen
02:07:21.860 --> 02:07:24.490
in the last five years.
02:07:24.490 --> 02:07:28.770
We implemented this
capability for 11,500 miles
02:07:28.770 --> 02:07:30.600
of our distribution circuits.
02:07:30.600 --> 02:07:34.380
We're about 45% of the
lines in the high fire risk areas.
02:07:34.380 --> 02:07:38.390
With a specific focus on
circuits that could lead to
02:07:38.390 --> 02:07:42.550
a fuels and terrain
driven fire under load
02:07:42.550 --> 02:07:45.470
to still wind conditions.
02:07:45.470 --> 02:07:49.320
So these changes have
prevented potential wildfires,
02:07:49.320 --> 02:07:52.970
and we made the decision
leading with our true north,
02:07:52.970 --> 02:07:55.730
that everyone and
everything's always safe.
02:07:55.730 --> 02:07:58.833
Now that said, we fully acknowledge
02:07:58.833 --> 02:08:01.040
that with our initial implementation
02:08:01.040 --> 02:08:03.720
we could have done
much better in our execution
02:08:03.720 --> 02:08:06.110
given the significant reliability impact
02:08:06.110 --> 02:08:08.400
on some of our communities
and our customers,
02:08:08.400 --> 02:08:10.988
and we needed to be far more effective
02:08:10.988 --> 02:08:14.280
in our communications
with our customers.
02:08:14.280 --> 02:08:18.620
I'm gonna touch on both
of these in detail shortly.
02:08:18.620 --> 02:08:20.320
Since the initial implementation,
02:08:20.320 --> 02:08:22.628
we have made significant improvements
02:08:22.628 --> 02:08:25.250
for the EPSS enabled circuits,
02:08:25.250 --> 02:08:28.230
to address the reliability concerns
02:08:28.230 --> 02:08:31.170
both on the frequency of outages
02:08:31.170 --> 02:08:33.220
and the duration of outages,
02:08:33.220 --> 02:08:36.830
and we have also
conducted focused webinars
02:08:36.830 --> 02:08:39.240
with our customers
across our communities
02:08:39.240 --> 02:08:41.780
that were impacted by EPSS,
02:08:41.780 --> 02:08:45.150
which again, I'll
discuss in detail shortly.
02:08:45.150 --> 02:08:48.826
We have also fine-tuned the settings
02:08:48.826 --> 02:08:53.826
in the locations where we
have experienced the storms,
02:08:53.980 --> 02:08:57.940
and we have actually
disabled the EPSS settings now
02:08:57.940 --> 02:09:00.560
given the minimal fire spread risk.
02:09:00.560 --> 02:09:01.970
So today, we have the ability
02:09:01.970 --> 02:09:06.330
to be able to enable and
disable the 11,500 miles
02:09:06.330 --> 02:09:08.810
associated with the circuits,
02:09:08.810 --> 02:09:13.380
and we are able to do
that in a remote setting
02:09:13.380 --> 02:09:15.070
from our control center,
02:09:15.070 --> 02:09:18.080
and we can actually enable
and disable this capability now
02:09:18.080 --> 02:09:20.020
based on the potential fire risk.
02:09:20.020 --> 02:09:22.810
And given the low fire spread risk
02:09:22.810 --> 02:09:24.007
for most of our service territory,
02:09:24.007 --> 02:09:27.467
the EPSS capabilities have been disabled
02:09:27.467 --> 02:09:29.660
within our service area.
02:09:29.660 --> 02:09:31.440
When these settings are enabled
02:09:31.440 --> 02:09:33.630
and settings are enabled next year,
02:09:33.630 --> 02:09:36.043
we will have additional
improvements in place
02:09:36.043 --> 02:09:38.330
that will improve customer reliability
02:09:38.330 --> 02:09:39.853
without compromising safety.
02:09:41.430 --> 02:09:45.363
Let me shift to PSPS and
I'll come back to EPSS.
02:09:46.200 --> 02:09:47.273
We have made some ...
02:09:48.600 --> 02:09:50.546
I'll pause, go ahead.
02:09:50.546 --> 02:09:51.573
I'm sorry.
02:09:51.573 --> 02:09:52.690
Sorry.
02:09:52.690 --> 02:09:56.140
You said you've stopped it for now,
02:09:56.140 --> 02:10:00.820
but you're gonna resume it
in another fashion next year.
02:10:00.820 --> 02:10:05.820
Obviously, the lack of notice
and preparation to customers
02:10:08.013 --> 02:10:13.013
is at a direct conflict with
this type of use of technology,
02:10:13.690 --> 02:10:18.460
and you need to secure
that before restarting it.
02:10:18.460 --> 02:10:21.613
And so maybe you could
speak more directly to ...
02:10:23.140 --> 02:10:26.300
From my perspective, this is a PSPS
02:10:26.300 --> 02:10:30.183
and all those protocols need to apply.
02:10:31.490 --> 02:10:35.749
Even customer knowledge to say
02:10:35.749 --> 02:10:38.663
I don't know what the cure is right now,
02:10:41.116 --> 02:10:41.990
well, the cure is they should receive
02:10:41.990 --> 02:10:45.600
the same type of
notifications as a PSPS,
02:10:45.600 --> 02:10:49.543
but what do you mean by it's
gonna come back next year?
02:10:51.150 --> 02:10:55.048
So Commissioner, we'll
probably draw a distinction
02:10:55.048 --> 02:11:00.048
as to why EPSS is
very different from PSPS.
02:11:01.360 --> 02:11:04.283
The reason why it's different is in PSPS
02:11:04.283 --> 02:11:09.283
we are able to forecast
the adverse wind conditions
02:11:11.250 --> 02:11:13.930
for five days in advance.
02:11:13.930 --> 02:11:17.840
That gives us the ability, from
a meteorological perspective
02:11:17.840 --> 02:11:19.640
and operational perspective,
02:11:19.640 --> 02:11:22.540
to stand up our emergency
operations center
02:11:22.540 --> 02:11:26.270
and get into that posture
to notify the customers
02:11:26.270 --> 02:11:30.040
on t-minus 48 hours,
t-minus 24, t-minus 12,
02:11:30.040 --> 02:11:32.238
and imminent notification
because we're seeing
02:11:32.238 --> 02:11:35.680
that weather event materialize.
02:11:35.680 --> 02:11:40.680
With EPSS, a key
distinction is that the circuit
02:11:41.487 --> 02:11:44.650
does not de-energize
until there's some level
02:11:44.650 --> 02:11:48.220
of disturbance that's detected already.
02:11:48.220 --> 02:11:51.490
So meaning that there's
a level of an outage,
02:11:51.490 --> 02:11:56.490
a tree limb or branch that
may come in contact with a line,
02:11:56.743 --> 02:12:01.160
a squirrel or a bird that
comes in contact with a line,
02:12:01.160 --> 02:12:04.870
all of these instances that could lead
02:12:04.870 --> 02:12:08.440
to a potential ignition,
result in that disturbance,
02:12:08.440 --> 02:12:12.242
and what occurs with EPSS is the devices
02:12:12.242 --> 02:12:16.880
are much more sensitive
and faster reacting.
02:12:16.880 --> 02:12:20.090
So as soon it detects
it, it de-energizes,
02:12:20.090 --> 02:12:23.000
and it reduces the amount
of energy that's produced
02:12:23.000 --> 02:12:25.180
to create a potential ignition.
02:12:25.180 --> 02:12:29.290
Now, the initial
implementation of our EPSS
02:12:29.290 --> 02:12:33.590
is what created the
significant reliability impact,
02:12:33.590 --> 02:12:35.480
and I'll honestly go to that now
02:12:35.480 --> 02:12:36.840
just to touch on it.
02:12:36.840 --> 02:12:40.670
So if you go to slide
15, this starts to,
02:12:40.670 --> 02:12:43.999
Commissioner, get to be
responsive to your question
02:12:43.999 --> 02:12:47.900
about the cure for this.
02:12:47.900 --> 02:12:50.583
I'm sorry, two more please.
02:12:53.510 --> 02:12:54.610
Great, thank you.
02:12:54.610 --> 02:12:56.760
So one of the things
that we experienced,
02:12:56.760 --> 02:12:59.840
Commissioner, was when we
did the intimal implementation,
02:12:59.840 --> 02:13:02.860
we did it at a very, very rapid pace.
02:13:02.860 --> 02:13:06.160
So what that resulted in was
when there was an outage
02:13:06.160 --> 02:13:08.923
that occurred, there
was multiple devices
02:13:08.923 --> 02:13:10.710
that actually opened.
02:13:10.710 --> 02:13:13.100
So it was very difficult
for our teams in the field
02:13:13.100 --> 02:13:15.450
to identify and pinpoint and target
02:13:15.450 --> 02:13:18.230
exactly where the trouble was,
02:13:18.230 --> 02:13:20.590
but since then, we have gone in
02:13:20.590 --> 02:13:24.180
and done an engineering evaluation
02:13:24.180 --> 02:13:26.160
for every single one of those circuits,
02:13:26.160 --> 02:13:30.600
which is 170 of them that
we had implemented EPSS on,
02:13:30.600 --> 02:13:33.810
and coordinated the
settings in the field,
02:13:33.810 --> 02:13:36.560
so made changes to all the other devices
02:13:36.560 --> 02:13:39.580
so all the devices
don't trip at one time,
02:13:39.580 --> 02:13:41.730
so that there's only
one device that trips
02:13:41.730 --> 02:13:45.980
and it really targets where
that disturbance or trouble is
02:13:45.980 --> 02:13:50.560
so we can much more
rapidly pinpoint, safely patrol,
02:13:50.560 --> 02:13:53.107
and restore service to our customers.
02:13:53.107 --> 02:13:54.270
And what we've seen is
02:13:54.270 --> 02:13:57.680
from an average outage
duration perspective,
02:13:57.680 --> 02:14:00.550
we are back to the
similar level of performance
02:14:00.550 --> 02:14:05.300
that we had pre-EPSS when
we took that second step.
02:14:05.300 --> 02:14:07.700
So that's what you
see under the progress
02:14:07.700 --> 02:14:10.812
of an increase in 12% (indistinct),
02:14:10.812 --> 02:14:13.720
that was subsequently
dropped as we implemented
02:14:13.720 --> 02:14:16.120
what we called these
coordinated settings.
02:14:16.120 --> 02:14:20.847
So that's a key improvement
that has already been made,
02:14:20.847 --> 02:14:22.840
and when we make a reference to that,
02:14:22.840 --> 02:14:25.230
we implement this going into next year,
02:14:25.230 --> 02:14:26.550
we're gonna implement it
02:14:26.550 --> 02:14:29.597
with these coordinated
engineered settings,
02:14:29.597 --> 02:14:31.980
and what our engineers do is they study
02:14:31.980 --> 02:14:34.750
the low profile for
every single circuit.
02:14:34.750 --> 02:14:38.210
When there's a shift of
demand on that circuit,
02:14:38.210 --> 02:14:41.040
it creates a potential
disturbance as well,
02:14:41.040 --> 02:14:43.210
but we don't want to trip the circuit
02:14:43.210 --> 02:14:45.210
or de-energize it at those levels,
02:14:45.210 --> 02:14:48.440
we only want to trip it when
there's some kind of impact,
02:14:48.440 --> 02:14:51.920
whether it's a tree that
comes in contact or animals,
02:14:51.920 --> 02:14:54.660
and that's a fine tune of the threshold
02:14:54.660 --> 02:14:57.660
that our teams have
done now for 170 circuits.
02:14:57.660 --> 02:15:02.103
That's a key improvement
from a reliability perspective.
02:15:05.540 --> 02:15:08.830
Is 170 circuits the universe
02:15:08.830 --> 02:15:10.963
of where the technology's being applied?
02:15:12.220 --> 02:15:14.630
This is where we applied
it this year, Commissioner,
02:15:14.630 --> 02:15:16.827
which is the 11,500-
02:15:18.172 --> 02:15:21.223
But it's gonna
effect all your circuits?
02:15:22.400 --> 02:15:23.832
Yeah.
02:15:23.832 --> 02:15:26.120
So going forward, what we are setting up
02:15:26.120 --> 02:15:29.155
is doing the engineer settings
02:15:29.155 --> 02:15:33.480
and basically creating
two operating configurations
02:15:33.480 --> 02:15:35.990
for our circuits in the
high fire threat districts.
02:15:35.990 --> 02:15:38.430
One's what we call a
normal configuration,
02:15:38.430 --> 02:15:40.360
which is what you see today.
02:15:40.360 --> 02:15:43.940
When there's low to
minimal fire spread risk.
02:15:43.940 --> 02:15:46.092
Second configuration is the EPSS
02:15:46.092 --> 02:15:50.130
which will be coordinated
so that our customers
02:15:50.130 --> 02:15:52.230
are not gonna experience
the extended outages
02:15:52.230 --> 02:15:55.394
that they did with the
initial implementation,
02:15:55.394 --> 02:15:59.393
and we would enable
and disable those settings
02:15:59.393 --> 02:16:04.393
when there's a high fire risk concern
02:16:04.400 --> 02:16:05.710
from a spread perspective.
02:16:05.710 --> 02:16:08.990
So that capability of EPSS
is not gonna be enabled
02:16:08.990 --> 02:16:11.210
for the duration of the fire season.
02:16:11.210 --> 02:16:14.600
We will have the ability
to toggle it on and off.
02:16:14.600 --> 02:16:17.963
That's circuit specific and
geographic location specific.
02:16:19.210 --> 02:16:21.737
Okay, just a couple
of follow ups here.
02:16:21.737 --> 02:16:24.843
So the duration's gonna
be decreased by 12%,
02:16:25.678 --> 02:16:28.130
is that what you're saying?
02:16:28.130 --> 02:16:30.190
This takeaway, Commissioner,
I would share with you
02:16:30.190 --> 02:16:35.190
is that when you look
at the pre-EPSS levels,
02:16:35.343 --> 02:16:38.420
the step one of the
implementation that we did,
02:16:38.420 --> 02:16:43.420
we saw a 12% increase in
outage duration for our customers.
02:16:43.790 --> 02:16:45.760
After we took step two,
02:16:45.760 --> 02:16:49.970
we brought the duration
impact back to pre-EPSS levels.
02:16:49.970 --> 02:16:53.180
So with EPSS or non-EPSS,
02:16:53.180 --> 02:16:54.950
our customers should not be experiencing
02:16:54.950 --> 02:16:58.040
any adverse impact on outage duration
02:16:58.040 --> 02:17:00.990
as we implement this
capability going to 2022.
02:17:00.990 --> 02:17:02.990
That's the key takeaway.
02:17:02.990 --> 02:17:05.230
See, I have a follow up
to your follow up, Martha,
02:17:05.230 --> 02:17:07.580
a follow up to this very question,
02:17:07.580 --> 02:17:09.343
if I may interrupt you.
02:17:10.458 --> 02:17:13.620
So you're talking about
percentage of duration,
02:17:13.620 --> 02:17:18.620
and you well know that the
CEO and I have had an exchange,
02:17:19.740 --> 02:17:23.620
a lengthy letter, which
you all had responded to.
02:17:23.620 --> 02:17:25.180
So I'm asking some questions
02:17:25.180 --> 02:17:26.290
that are gonna be repetitive,
02:17:26.290 --> 02:17:29.060
but not everyone has
obviously seen the letter
02:17:29.060 --> 02:17:30.830
nor the response.
02:17:30.830 --> 02:17:34.840
So the concern was you
have an average outage,
02:17:34.840 --> 02:17:39.040
on this chart, of seven hours
02:17:41.240 --> 02:17:43.590
and your average
impacted customers 1,000.
02:17:43.590 --> 02:17:47.900
So if indeed you're going
to decrease that by 12%
02:17:48.970 --> 02:17:53.970
with those greater technologies
that you've brought on,
02:17:54.560 --> 02:17:57.100
more sensitivity that you've brought on,
02:17:57.100 --> 02:18:00.290
that's, to me, only one piece of it,
02:18:00.290 --> 02:18:03.030
and I'd rather talk about actual hours
02:18:03.030 --> 02:18:05.543
because people
being without electricity,
02:18:05.543 --> 02:18:08.160
1,000 people which is an average,
02:18:08.160 --> 02:18:10.990
and the seven hours is
just an average as you know,
02:18:10.990 --> 02:18:12.570
we said this before,
02:18:12.570 --> 02:18:17.170
that we had customers
complain to us that had outages,
02:18:17.170 --> 02:18:19.647
and this is up in the
El Dorado County area
02:18:19.647 --> 02:18:23.430
and out in the Santa Cruz mountain area
02:18:23.430 --> 02:18:25.950
that lasted between 24 and 36 hours.
02:18:25.950 --> 02:18:28.045
Now, that was perhaps anecdotal,
02:18:28.045 --> 02:18:30.620
but that's an awful lot of time
02:18:30.620 --> 02:18:32.180
when you've had literally no notice,
02:18:32.180 --> 02:18:36.750
and I know the essence
of fast trip is no notice,
02:18:36.750 --> 02:18:38.430
that's the essence of it,
02:18:38.430 --> 02:18:39.980
because if a squirrel hits a line,
02:18:39.980 --> 02:18:42.903
how in the heck are you gonna know that?
02:18:45.470 --> 02:18:47.700
But to me, that's only half of it,
02:18:47.700 --> 02:18:50.030
because one of the things
I was concerned about
02:18:50.030 --> 02:18:53.170
is your safety patrol and re-energizing.
02:18:53.170 --> 02:18:58.170
You might drop the percentage by 12%,
02:18:59.470 --> 02:19:02.700
which is five hours maybe?
02:19:02.700 --> 02:19:05.370
But you're not going
to be able to re-energize
02:19:05.370 --> 02:19:07.320
until you get that patrol out there,
02:19:07.320 --> 02:19:09.360
and that's boots on the
ground, that's people,
02:19:09.360 --> 02:19:11.730
that's more people, that's contractors?
02:19:11.730 --> 02:19:13.327
I don't know how you
guys are gonna do it,
02:19:13.327 --> 02:19:17.150
but to me, that's another
thing that was a big hiccup
02:19:17.150 --> 02:19:20.170
when you all first implemented this
02:19:20.170 --> 02:19:24.520
is you, I don't think,
had enough, again,
02:19:24.520 --> 02:19:27.700
excuse me if I'm making
a presumption I shouldn't,
02:19:27.700 --> 02:19:29.940
but I don't think you had
enough boots on the ground
02:19:29.940 --> 02:19:34.580
to go out and patrol fast
enough to re-energize that line,
02:19:34.580 --> 02:19:38.920
'cause as I understand it,
you still are under the protocol
02:19:38.920 --> 02:19:41.380
that the line is not re-energized
02:19:41.380 --> 02:19:44.343
until it's been patrolled
and found safe.
02:19:45.846 --> 02:19:49.620
So President Batjer,
thank you for your remarks
02:19:49.620 --> 02:19:51.710
and your sentiments,
we completely understand
02:19:51.710 --> 02:19:53.130
the concern and the frustrations,
02:19:53.130 --> 02:19:54.480
and what I can show with you
02:19:54.480 --> 02:19:56.610
is that the initial implementation
02:19:56.610 --> 02:19:59.280
resulted in a lot of the
outcomes that you talked about.
02:19:59.280 --> 02:20:02.220
So since we have
implemented and did implement
02:20:02.220 --> 02:20:03.940
the coordination of the settings,
02:20:03.940 --> 02:20:06.670
we do not have to
patrol the entire circuit.
02:20:06.670 --> 02:20:07.840
That's the big change,
02:20:07.840 --> 02:20:10.770
because instead of
having multiple devices
02:20:10.770 --> 02:20:12.370
that trip on that circuit,
02:20:12.370 --> 02:20:16.330
one example is (indistinct) meetings
02:20:16.330 --> 02:20:18.940
in which really helped paint the picture
02:20:18.940 --> 02:20:21.350
is when you have a device in your house
02:20:21.350 --> 02:20:23.120
you also have additional fuses
02:20:23.120 --> 02:20:25.060
for each of the respective homes.
02:20:25.060 --> 02:20:26.470
What was happening before is
02:20:26.470 --> 02:20:28.330
when there was a outage that occurred,
02:20:28.330 --> 02:20:32.210
it was the outage and
the trip that impacted
02:20:32.210 --> 02:20:33.530
the entire home.
02:20:33.530 --> 02:20:35.960
Given the additional
adjustments that we made
02:20:35.960 --> 02:20:38.350
to the settings, we can
be much more targeted
02:20:38.350 --> 02:20:40.050
so the impact is only to a bathroom
02:20:40.050 --> 02:20:42.830
as compared to the entire home.
02:20:42.830 --> 02:20:45.570
So now, when that trip occurs,
02:20:45.570 --> 02:20:49.430
we don't have to patrol
every single electrical line
02:20:49.430 --> 02:20:52.130
in the home, it's
only the electrical line
02:20:52.130 --> 02:20:54.870
that's associated with that
bathroom as an example,
02:20:54.870 --> 02:20:56.240
if we use that analogy.
02:20:56.240 --> 02:20:59.430
So that's the way that the configuration
02:20:59.430 --> 02:21:01.670
of the system works, and
that's how we've been able
02:21:01.670 --> 02:21:06.090
to now reduce the impact of duration.
02:21:06.090 --> 02:21:08.150
In addition to that, we did step up
02:21:09.000 --> 02:21:10.390
the additional resources.
02:21:10.390 --> 02:21:12.110
We'll see that in the response
02:21:12.110 --> 02:21:13.780
to the letter we provided
on November 8th.
02:21:13.780 --> 02:21:16.630
We stepped up by more than 40%
02:21:16.630 --> 02:21:20.620
and now we're back
down to about 20% higher
02:21:20.620 --> 02:21:22.440
than our baseline staffing,
02:21:22.440 --> 02:21:25.400
because we have seen
that additional benefit
02:21:25.400 --> 02:21:28.630
of the targeted outage response.
02:21:28.630 --> 02:21:32.160
In addition to that, we
pre-staged helicopters
02:21:32.160 --> 02:21:34.950
to be able to get eyes on the patrolling
02:21:34.950 --> 02:21:38.050
in a much faster way, as
well as leveraging drones
02:21:38.050 --> 02:21:41.040
on some of the hard
and difficult to access
02:21:41.040 --> 02:21:42.300
and challenging locations.
02:21:42.300 --> 02:21:45.480
All of those improvements
have really brought
02:21:45.480 --> 02:21:49.440
the average outage duration
back to the pre-EPSS levels.
02:21:49.440 --> 02:21:52.150
So when we see an outage now on EPSS,
02:21:52.150 --> 02:21:54.820
it would be the same as any
other outage that may occur
02:21:54.820 --> 02:21:59.820
let's say on a potential
gray sky day or a storm day.
02:21:59.980 --> 02:22:04.070
So that's the place where
we are now with EPSS
02:22:04.070 --> 02:22:05.470
from a duration standpoint.
02:22:05.470 --> 02:22:07.030
So pause there and Adam,
02:22:07.030 --> 02:22:09.023
I don't know if you want
to add anything to that.
02:22:09.930 --> 02:22:11.490
Yeah, sure, I'd be happy to.
02:22:11.490 --> 02:22:13.300
And again, thank you for the push.
02:22:13.300 --> 02:22:14.420
Really appreciate it.
02:22:14.420 --> 02:22:17.130
And the letter even, we
always appreciate the challenge
02:22:17.130 --> 02:22:19.620
for us to think through
how we can get better.
02:22:19.620 --> 02:22:21.870
We do recognize that this was rolled out
02:22:21.870 --> 02:22:24.340
in a sledgehammer type of fashion.
02:22:24.340 --> 02:22:26.600
It wasn't targeted specifically
02:22:26.600 --> 02:22:29.190
because of the dire
conditions that we were facing,
02:22:29.190 --> 02:22:32.370
and the proactive
safety steps that we took
02:22:32.370 --> 02:22:35.180
came with the reliability
impact and quite frankly,
02:22:35.180 --> 02:22:37.157
we didn't realize it would be this many
02:22:37.157 --> 02:22:38.400
and for this long.
02:22:38.400 --> 02:22:39.320
We really didn't.
02:22:39.320 --> 02:22:40.850
We didn't think we'd
have this many trips
02:22:40.850 --> 02:22:43.460
on similar circuits
for as long as we did.
02:22:43.460 --> 02:22:45.030
And so having realized that,
02:22:45.030 --> 02:22:47.270
and again, our main operating
system really helped us
02:22:47.270 --> 02:22:49.835
highlight that daily that we were seeing
02:22:49.835 --> 02:22:51.210
this high frequency,
long duration outages
02:22:51.210 --> 02:22:53.980
on common circuits, helped us formulate
02:22:53.980 --> 02:22:55.740
a more refined approach.
02:22:55.740 --> 02:22:57.470
Helped us develop the community webinars
02:22:57.470 --> 02:22:59.310
to show folks exactly
what we were finding
02:22:59.310 --> 02:23:02.450
and why this is a necessary
safety measure at this time,
02:23:02.450 --> 02:23:03.650
but it is not lost on us
02:23:03.650 --> 02:23:06.500
that we have to get better in this area.
02:23:06.500 --> 02:23:09.423
More proactively communicating
as we get into next year
02:23:09.423 --> 02:23:11.700
that this safety setting
has been established,
02:23:11.700 --> 02:23:14.320
what to expect, how we can respond,
02:23:14.320 --> 02:23:18.100
what we plan to do to make
this as painless as possible
02:23:18.100 --> 02:23:19.630
for our customers.
02:23:19.630 --> 02:23:21.816
We have to get better,
that is not lost on us,
02:23:21.816 --> 02:23:23.390
but I just wanted to try to
reground us very quickly
02:23:23.390 --> 02:23:25.940
in the fact that we had to do something.
02:23:25.940 --> 02:23:30.650
We had a million acre
fire on a normal day,
02:23:30.650 --> 02:23:33.170
and those conditions were
not conducive for the safety
02:23:33.170 --> 02:23:35.220
of our communities and our co-workers,
02:23:35.220 --> 02:23:38.000
and so very important
that we took this measure.
02:23:38.000 --> 02:23:39.400
Clearly we need to refine it.
02:23:39.400 --> 02:23:41.120
I think we've demonstrated we are taking
02:23:41.120 --> 02:23:44.340
very proactive steps and
being diligent to do so,
02:23:44.340 --> 02:23:46.530
and we have to make
sure going into next year
02:23:46.530 --> 02:23:49.220
we have those things in
place before we re-implement
02:23:49.220 --> 02:23:50.990
this safety procedure.
02:23:50.990 --> 02:23:54.197
But it's not lost on us at
all, we have to be better.
02:23:58.120 --> 02:24:00.330
Go ahead, President Batjer.
02:24:00.330 --> 02:24:02.984
Yeah, just real
quickly, Caroline,
02:24:02.984 --> 02:24:06.623
'cause something you said,
Adam, just reminded me,
02:24:08.959 --> 02:24:11.930
Sameet had mentioned
earlier the webinars,
02:24:11.930 --> 02:24:13.750
you just mentioned them again.
02:24:13.750 --> 02:24:15.843
Are you counting how many people ...
02:24:16.940 --> 02:24:19.377
There were thousands of
people that were impacted,
02:24:19.377 --> 02:24:24.090
and my concern is folks just
don't hear about these things
02:24:24.090 --> 02:24:27.570
in terms of the awareness
that you're having them,
02:24:27.570 --> 02:24:28.490
that they can be informed about it.
02:24:28.490 --> 02:24:32.080
So just wondering how many people
02:24:32.080 --> 02:24:32.970
are attending these webinars?
02:24:32.970 --> 02:24:34.633
Or attended the webinars.
02:24:37.540 --> 02:24:39.000
I don't have that number.
02:24:39.000 --> 02:24:40.800
I can get it and follow
up pretty quickly.
02:24:40.800 --> 02:24:43.351
I'll actually send a fax
right now (indistinct).
02:24:43.351 --> 02:24:44.184
Yeah.
02:24:44.184 --> 02:24:45.920
Well, you get the point though.
02:24:45.920 --> 02:24:50.580
That oftentimes a webinar,
something that is transmitted
02:24:52.260 --> 02:24:54.530
electronically or even in social media,
02:24:54.530 --> 02:24:58.470
it does not get the broad
broadcast, if you will,
02:24:58.470 --> 02:25:02.573
of notification of thousands of people
02:25:02.573 --> 02:25:06.350
that were impacted this
Summer and into the Fall.
02:25:06.350 --> 02:25:08.520
And I'm sorry because I interrupted
02:25:08.520 --> 02:25:10.678
my fellow Commissioner, Caroline.
02:25:10.678 --> 02:25:12.450
I wanted to follow up on Martha's,
02:25:12.450 --> 02:25:16.050
but I could get one more
question before, Caroline, you go.
02:25:16.050 --> 02:25:18.463
Martha, did you have one more question?
02:25:20.950 --> 02:25:22.429
Well, thank you.
02:25:22.429 --> 02:25:25.520
By the way, I think it was
560,000 customers impacted,
02:25:25.520 --> 02:25:29.130
and I appreciate the clarification
02:25:29.130 --> 02:25:32.980
on the improvement
on the circuit refinement.
02:25:32.980 --> 02:25:36.960
What is the improvement
on giving those customers
02:25:36.960 --> 02:25:38.863
an opportunity to prepare?
02:25:42.152 --> 02:25:44.030
Yes, we do have to do better.
02:25:44.030 --> 02:25:45.783
Adam, you have to do better here.
02:25:46.940 --> 02:25:49.040
It's not okay to just say
02:25:49.040 --> 02:25:52.390
we're just gonna implement this again,
02:25:52.390 --> 02:25:54.170
although it's better,
02:25:54.170 --> 02:25:57.330
without giving customers
the ability to prepare.
02:25:57.330 --> 02:25:59.400
What are the criteria you're using
02:25:59.400 --> 02:26:01.530
to effectuate this next year?
02:26:01.530 --> 02:26:02.930
What month are you starting?
02:26:02.930 --> 02:26:04.310
What day are you starting?
02:26:04.310 --> 02:26:05.950
Which counties do you anticipate?
02:26:05.950 --> 02:26:08.510
Do you anticipate the same 6-7 counties
02:26:08.510 --> 02:26:10.022
to be greatly impacted?
02:26:10.022 --> 02:26:12.407
What are you doing to prepare
02:26:12.407 --> 02:26:15.413
helping customers be prepared?
02:26:18.928 --> 02:26:19.761
I can touch on a
couple of things,
02:26:19.761 --> 02:26:23.300
and then maybe Adam if
you want to add onto that,
02:26:23.300 --> 02:26:25.580
please feel free to do
so, and President Batjer,
02:26:25.580 --> 02:26:26.413
we're getting the numbers.
02:26:26.413 --> 02:26:30.430
We've done, to date, 14 webinars,
02:26:30.430 --> 02:26:32.880
and we have those
specific dates and locations
02:26:32.880 --> 02:26:37.780
that we included in
the November 8th letter,
02:26:37.780 --> 02:26:39.480
the response that we submitted.
02:26:39.480 --> 02:26:44.320
We had a fairly good
attendance on the Santa Cruz
02:26:44.320 --> 02:26:46.090
and the El Dorado, which were the areas
02:26:46.090 --> 02:26:47.260
that were the most impacted,
02:26:47.260 --> 02:26:50.360
and then they started to
thin out a little bit from there.
02:26:50.360 --> 02:26:54.630
But our intent, going to
your question, Commissioner,
02:26:54.630 --> 02:26:58.541
is really around using
the same protocols
02:26:58.541 --> 02:27:01.890
from a customer support perspective
02:27:01.890 --> 02:27:03.550
that we have for PSPS.
02:27:03.550 --> 02:27:04.600
So what do I mean by that?
02:27:04.600 --> 02:27:07.340
So as an example, we have about 30,000
02:27:07.340 --> 02:27:09.023
medical baseline customers
02:27:09.023 --> 02:27:11.160
in the high fire threat districts.
02:27:11.160 --> 02:27:13.830
When you look at the number
of medical baseline customers
02:27:13.830 --> 02:27:17.678
that were impacted by EPSS outage
02:27:17.678 --> 02:27:22.678
in a high fire threat district
or two or more PSPS events,
02:27:23.370 --> 02:27:24.700
it was about 38%.
02:27:24.700 --> 02:27:28.430
So round number's about 11,000
medical baseline customers.
02:27:28.430 --> 02:27:32.890
So this month, we are
sending them additional details
02:27:32.890 --> 02:27:37.770
on all of the customer
resiliency programs that we offer.
02:27:37.770 --> 02:27:39.730
Portable batteries,
02:27:39.730 --> 02:27:44.730
the rebates on the
backup generator programs,
02:27:47.580 --> 02:27:51.940
the ability to leverage
the community-based
02:27:51.940 --> 02:27:54.940
organizations like the
California Foundation
02:27:54.940 --> 02:27:56.240
of Independent Living Centers.
02:27:56.240 --> 02:27:58.930
So all of those specific details
02:27:58.930 --> 02:28:00.790
and the support efforts that we provide
02:28:00.790 --> 02:28:04.790
for typical PSPS events,
we are further educating
02:28:04.790 --> 02:28:06.450
our customer base on.
02:28:06.450 --> 02:28:09.720
At the same time, we are
engaging with the agencies
02:28:09.720 --> 02:28:12.880
of those local counties,
the first responders,
02:28:12.880 --> 02:28:17.770
as well as all the critical
infrastructure entities.
02:28:17.770 --> 02:28:22.435
Things like hospitals, things
like wastewater facilities,
02:28:22.435 --> 02:28:26.150
telecom entities, to
identify are there backup
02:28:26.150 --> 02:28:27.930
generation capabilities that are needed,
02:28:27.930 --> 02:28:32.930
and actually, for some of
the most impacted hospitals,
02:28:33.340 --> 02:28:35.590
even as we enable the EPSS this year,
02:28:35.590 --> 02:28:38.290
we provided backup
generation working with them.
02:28:38.290 --> 02:28:41.270
So those are the types
of areas of support
02:28:41.270 --> 02:28:43.330
that we are bringing to bear,
02:28:43.330 --> 02:28:45.223
and then as part of a
broader communication effort
02:28:45.223 --> 02:28:47.320
that we do every year
02:28:47.320 --> 02:28:50.623
as part of all the community
wildfire safety programs
02:28:50.623 --> 02:28:52.070
that we're gonna be implementing,
02:28:52.070 --> 02:28:56.570
EPSS is gonna be a key part
of that communication strategy.
02:28:56.570 --> 02:29:00.277
Now, to your specific
question on which month
02:29:00.277 --> 02:29:03.620
are we gonna start, we're
actually gonna be looking at
02:29:03.620 --> 02:29:04.600
the conditions.
02:29:04.600 --> 02:29:08.840
If the conditions warrant a spread risk
02:29:08.840 --> 02:29:11.200
does not increase until June or July,
02:29:11.200 --> 02:29:13.580
that's a timeline
where we would look at,
02:29:13.580 --> 02:29:15.800
and we're not going to do broad brush
02:29:15.800 --> 02:29:18.040
across the entire service area
02:29:18.040 --> 02:29:19.880
within the high fire threat district.
02:29:19.880 --> 02:29:23.320
And I was mentioning that
one of the measures we have
02:29:23.320 --> 02:29:25.080
is something called
a fire potential index,
02:29:25.080 --> 02:29:26.890
which is if an ignition occurs,
02:29:26.890 --> 02:29:28.350
what's the likelihood that ignition
02:29:28.350 --> 02:29:30.620
becomes catastrophic in nature?
02:29:30.620 --> 02:29:33.040
We measure that on an hourly basis,
02:29:33.040 --> 02:29:35.710
forecast it on an
hourly basis on a rolling
02:29:35.710 --> 02:29:40.530
three day forecast
at each circuit level.
02:29:40.530 --> 02:29:43.040
So that's the level of
granularity that we're gonna use
02:29:43.040 --> 02:29:45.225
to enable or disable this capability
02:29:45.225 --> 02:29:47.454
So it's very surgical, very targeted,
02:29:47.454 --> 02:29:49.730
and condition dependent.
02:29:49.730 --> 02:29:52.240
These aren't the
capabilities we had in place
02:29:52.240 --> 02:29:55.573
as we implemented it
this year to Adam's point.
02:29:57.930 --> 02:29:59.577
I think the only thing
I would add to that,
02:29:59.577 --> 02:30:03.610
and we did have relative
to the number of customers
02:30:03.610 --> 02:30:07.550
who experienced an outage
and does not make it better,
02:30:07.550 --> 02:30:10.180
Commissioner Guzman, but the 500,000,
02:30:10.180 --> 02:30:12.730
some of those are
repeat so the pure number
02:30:12.730 --> 02:30:15.140
who experienced an EPSS
outage is less than that,
02:30:15.140 --> 02:30:17.053
but still too many.
02:30:17.943 --> 02:30:21.780
1,169 attended the
webinars, so a low number
02:30:21.780 --> 02:30:25.490
relative to the customers
experiencing an outage.
02:30:25.490 --> 02:30:28.400
The thing I would just, again,
02:30:28.400 --> 02:30:29.870
free to continue the dialogue,
02:30:29.870 --> 02:30:32.700
but you have our commitment
that we recognize this
02:30:32.700 --> 02:30:34.580
as a critical area for improvement
02:30:34.580 --> 02:30:37.030
for our customers and
for our performance.
02:30:37.030 --> 02:30:39.050
We are committed to
doing the things we need to
02:30:39.050 --> 02:30:41.700
to make this experience
better for our customers,
02:30:41.700 --> 02:30:43.190
so that this can continue to be
02:30:43.190 --> 02:30:45.842
an effective mitigation
against wildfire.
02:30:45.842 --> 02:30:48.490
We recognize it, understand it,
02:30:48.490 --> 02:30:50.923
and we'll put the weight of
the organization behind it.
02:30:52.883 --> 02:30:53.930
And the last piece I'll add is,
02:30:53.930 --> 02:30:56.660
to the question President
Batjer asked specifically,
02:30:56.660 --> 02:31:01.660
we had 1,169 attendees
across those 14 webinars.
02:31:03.988 --> 02:31:06.023
Just wanted to make sure
we close that out with you.
02:31:08.090 --> 02:31:10.103
One more question
on this from me.
02:31:13.604 --> 02:31:17.520
Okay, 11,000 miles, 170 trip units,
02:31:20.418 --> 02:31:25.418
am I saying that right?
02:31:27.740 --> 02:31:30.670
You've been doing a
lot of contextualizing
02:31:30.670 --> 02:31:35.670
smaller, it's really
regionalized as opposed
02:31:37.250 --> 02:31:39.603
to a wide swathe of shutoffs.
02:31:41.600 --> 02:31:44.600
Are you looking to do that here?
02:31:44.600 --> 02:31:49.600
And also, are you adding more
to the 11,000 miles next year?
02:31:53.640 --> 02:31:54.850
Yes, Commissioner.
02:31:54.850 --> 02:31:59.160
So again, the capability
that we're looking to enable,
02:31:59.160 --> 02:32:03.530
because it's one of the
things that we've realized
02:32:03.530 --> 02:32:06.115
is part of, and also
what Adam highlighted
02:32:06.115 --> 02:32:09.400
and Director Thomas Jacobs highlighted
02:32:09.400 --> 02:32:11.983
in her opening remarks,
that the fundamental way
02:32:11.983 --> 02:32:16.270
that we design, construct,
maintain, and operate our grid
02:32:16.270 --> 02:32:18.457
has completely changed
given the conditions
02:32:18.457 --> 02:32:19.290
that we're talking about.
02:32:19.290 --> 02:32:20.700
So really what we're talking about here
02:32:20.700 --> 02:32:24.380
is the operational of
that grid and that system
02:32:24.380 --> 02:32:25.870
within the high fire threat district.
02:32:25.870 --> 02:32:30.700
So we have a total of
800 distribution circuits
02:32:30.700 --> 02:32:34.120
that correlate to the 25,500 miles,
02:32:34.120 --> 02:32:38.090
maybe doing the math
170 relates to 11,500.
02:32:38.090 --> 02:32:40.810
Each circuit mile is not
the same as we know,
02:32:40.810 --> 02:32:44.270
and some of these
circuits tend to vary in length
02:32:44.270 --> 02:32:46.500
fairly significantly, but the capability
02:32:46.500 --> 02:32:50.540
that we're looking to
enable is for all of the circuits
02:32:50.540 --> 02:32:52.030
within the high fire threat districts.
02:32:52.030 --> 02:32:54.600
Now, it doesn't mean,
again, just to reinforce,
02:32:54.600 --> 02:32:58.120
that all of them are gonna
be enabled 100% of the time,
02:32:58.120 --> 02:32:58.953
all the time.
02:32:59.810 --> 02:33:03.180
It's really gonna be condition warranted
02:33:03.180 --> 02:33:05.903
when the fire risk is elevated.
02:33:07.946 --> 02:33:11.710
(distinct) your
vegetation management,
02:33:11.710 --> 02:33:16.710
the covered conductors,
and then your (indistinct)
02:33:17.546 --> 02:33:20.987
of under grounding in
this whole rubric, right?
02:33:21.865 --> 02:33:23.150
Absolutely, Commissioner.
02:33:23.150 --> 02:33:25.380
So where we are, under grounding,
02:33:25.380 --> 02:33:29.500
that obviously mitigates
the need to enable EPSS
02:33:29.500 --> 02:33:31.810
because we have mitigated that risk,
02:33:31.810 --> 02:33:34.900
so that obviously
improves the reliability
02:33:34.900 --> 02:33:38.720
as well as where we have
done overhead hardening.
02:33:38.720 --> 02:33:42.044
And I was remiss to
not answer the first part
02:33:42.044 --> 02:33:43.850
of your question on your prior question,
02:33:43.850 --> 02:33:45.440
that are we also looking to install
02:33:45.440 --> 02:33:47.010
additional specialization devices.
02:33:47.010 --> 02:33:48.660
We are absolutely looking at that
02:33:48.660 --> 02:33:50.240
from a circuit perspective as well.
02:33:50.240 --> 02:33:53.095
Not just the ability
to install additional
02:33:53.095 --> 02:33:57.300
specialization devices,
but also additional remote
02:33:57.300 --> 02:34:00.660
and automation capabilities
that have the ability
02:34:00.660 --> 02:34:03.940
to be able to disable and enable EPSS
02:34:03.940 --> 02:34:05.900
in a remote manner
through our control center.
02:34:05.900 --> 02:34:08.220
So those are all the elements
02:34:08.220 --> 02:34:10.650
from a reliability
improvement perspective
02:34:10.650 --> 02:34:15.650
associated with this
program that are gonna be key
02:34:16.020 --> 02:34:18.790
as part of our 2022
effort before we start
02:34:18.790 --> 02:34:21.983
to get into this patchwork
enabling these circuits.
02:34:23.290 --> 02:34:25.673
And again, the
communication in advance,
02:34:26.585 --> 02:34:30.530
there were ring announcements,
(indistinct) announcements
02:34:31.665 --> 02:34:34.630
on PSPS over and over again.
02:34:34.630 --> 02:34:36.990
Big, the whole page, as the newspapers,
02:34:36.990 --> 02:34:41.160
to familiarize people with PSPS's.
02:34:41.160 --> 02:34:44.120
Here, again, it happens instantaneously,
02:34:44.120 --> 02:34:48.050
but (indistinct) as really
educating folks in these areas.
02:34:53.630 --> 02:34:56.560
That decision also is another part
02:34:56.560 --> 02:35:00.137
of the wildfire
mitigation to be aware of,
02:35:00.137 --> 02:35:04.113
and what will you do if
such a thing should occur?
02:35:07.348 --> 02:35:11.860
Yes, all great takeaways
for us to build upon
02:35:11.860 --> 02:35:14.433
as we move towards this for next year.
02:35:14.433 --> 02:35:15.660
But you'll see this in the letter
02:35:15.660 --> 02:35:17.577
that we responded to
as well, President Batjer
02:35:17.577 --> 02:35:19.277
and the rest of the Commissioners.
02:35:20.135 --> 02:35:21.040
(indistinct) with the idea
02:35:21.040 --> 02:35:23.430
that it was just the
webinars for outreach.
02:35:23.430 --> 02:35:24.283
Again, it wasn't.
02:35:25.232 --> 02:35:26.065
They should have been on the front end,
02:35:26.065 --> 02:35:27.120
but we gotta correct it.
02:35:28.129 --> 02:35:31.780
But we did email notices
out plus postcards were sent
02:35:31.780 --> 02:35:33.220
to all customers.
02:35:33.220 --> 02:35:35.720
We had our Sprinter mobile
command vehicle on site
02:35:35.720 --> 02:35:38.020
when outages happened
in select locations.
02:35:38.020 --> 02:35:39.940
We had social media
postings that targeted
02:35:39.940 --> 02:35:42.060
the highly impacted communities.
02:35:42.060 --> 02:35:43.700
Letters were sent to customers, again,
02:35:43.700 --> 02:35:45.420
on highly impacted circuits.
02:35:45.420 --> 02:35:47.970
We did engage the
(indistinct) the local officials,
02:35:47.970 --> 02:35:51.923
hospitals, schools, water
agencies, telecom customers
02:35:51.923 --> 02:35:53.620
and providers.
02:35:53.620 --> 02:35:57.500
Automated calls were
sent out supporting the fact
02:35:57.500 --> 02:35:59.500
that we were patrolling
these lines to give information
02:35:59.500 --> 02:36:03.600
so customers didn't come out
and slow down our patrol crews.
02:36:03.600 --> 02:36:05.890
And then several other
actions that were completed
02:36:05.890 --> 02:36:07.670
to help notify and keep
customers informed.
02:36:07.670 --> 02:36:09.230
So there was a suite of activity,
02:36:09.230 --> 02:36:12.380
the webinars, I felt,
were more comprehensive
02:36:12.380 --> 02:36:15.280
and provided the full
basis for the reasons why
02:36:15.280 --> 02:36:17.960
in a live format with dialogue and Q&A,
02:36:17.960 --> 02:36:20.060
but there were other
channels of communication
02:36:20.060 --> 02:36:22.858
to help keep our customers
aware of what was going on.
02:36:22.858 --> 02:36:25.660
Again, need to do better,
we have our commitment.
02:36:25.660 --> 02:36:27.520
the organization is focused on it,
02:36:27.520 --> 02:36:29.913
and it will be an improved
experience for 2022.
02:36:33.570 --> 02:36:35.860
So I have a question.
02:36:35.860 --> 02:36:38.680
I want to take us back
to a little bit of what,
02:36:38.680 --> 02:36:40.563
Adam and Sameet, you started with.
02:36:42.030 --> 02:36:44.777
Adam you said it was sort
of a blunt force approach
02:36:44.777 --> 02:36:49.360
to a new risk that you identified,
02:36:49.360 --> 02:36:51.777
which is, I would call
it, a heightened fire risk
02:36:51.777 --> 02:36:54.230
but it doesn't have the wind threshold
02:36:54.230 --> 02:36:57.460
or other parameters that
would potentially forecast
02:36:57.460 --> 02:36:59.343
a use of a PSPS.
02:36:59.343 --> 02:37:02.410
So you guys used an existing protocol
02:37:02.410 --> 02:37:03.905
that you could jump to
02:37:03.905 --> 02:37:07.550
that was an extreme
safety sensitivity setting
02:37:07.550 --> 02:37:10.453
that then exposed
this reliability issue.
02:37:11.320 --> 02:37:12.660
When you guys are, this is the part
02:37:12.660 --> 02:37:15.070
I want to get to understand better,
02:37:15.070 --> 02:37:19.370
when you went to refining it
with a more surgical approach,
02:37:19.370 --> 02:37:22.960
I'll call it the custom
configurations of sensitivities,
02:37:22.960 --> 02:37:25.150
how are you maintaining that same level
02:37:25.150 --> 02:37:29.520
of safety risk reduction
that you originally intended
02:37:29.520 --> 02:37:30.570
with the blunt force?
02:37:31.901 --> 02:37:32.734
Yeah.
02:37:32.734 --> 02:37:35.230
So thank you, Director
Thomas Jacobs for that.
02:37:35.230 --> 02:37:40.230
So basically, what
we did is when we went
02:37:40.330 --> 02:37:42.680
to that blunt force, we over rotated,
02:37:42.680 --> 02:37:46.370
because when you look
at the two different types
02:37:46.370 --> 02:37:50.390
of outages that we were experiencing,
02:37:50.390 --> 02:37:53.650
one was where we
actually were able to identify
02:37:53.650 --> 02:37:56.180
what the cause was of the outage.
02:37:56.180 --> 02:37:59.280
And in many of the instances,
02:37:59.280 --> 02:38:00.440
initially when we implemented this,
02:38:00.440 --> 02:38:03.690
we were seeing up to almost
80% for some of the circuits
02:38:03.690 --> 02:38:06.340
an unknown cause, because
when patrol was happening,
02:38:06.340 --> 02:38:09.630
there was no obvious
damage that was identified.
02:38:09.630 --> 02:38:10.730
It could have been a momentary,
02:38:10.730 --> 02:38:12.720
whether it was a branch
that came into contact
02:38:12.720 --> 02:38:16.320
in an intermittent way,
but a substantial portion
02:38:16.320 --> 02:38:19.040
of those were occurring
on what we call load current.
02:38:19.040 --> 02:38:24.040
So when there was
load that turned on and off
02:38:24.900 --> 02:38:28.820
on the system, it takes a few seconds
02:38:28.820 --> 02:38:31.950
to be able to stabilize,
but that few seconds
02:38:31.950 --> 02:38:33.310
of electrical disturbance was enough
02:38:33.310 --> 02:38:36.450
to be able to create the
de-energization of that device.
02:38:36.450 --> 02:38:38.370
So when we went to this custom setting,
02:38:38.370 --> 02:38:41.900
our reliability engineers
looked at the low profile
02:38:41.900 --> 02:38:44.870
to look at the amount of
current that's generated
02:38:44.870 --> 02:38:47.250
when that loading configuration changes,
02:38:47.250 --> 02:38:51.410
and set the threshold
so that we are catching
02:38:51.410 --> 02:38:53.290
all of the fault current,
02:38:53.290 --> 02:38:55.320
which would be indicative
of when you have
02:38:55.320 --> 02:38:59.210
a animal contact or
vegetation, but not impacting
02:38:59.210 --> 02:39:00.980
and tripping on load current.
02:39:00.980 --> 02:39:04.070
So that's the distinction that occurred.
02:39:04.070 --> 02:39:07.700
And then the other distinction
was that each of the devices,
02:39:07.700 --> 02:39:09.650
when we coordinated the settings,
02:39:09.650 --> 02:39:12.460
they were offset by .02 seconds,
02:39:12.460 --> 02:39:15.480
meaning that if you have
a device that's closest
02:39:15.480 --> 02:39:17.720
to the disturbance, that gets tripped,
02:39:17.720 --> 02:39:19.670
not necessarily a downstream device
02:39:19.670 --> 02:39:22.360
or the upstream device
that's even further away from it.
02:39:22.360 --> 02:39:25.930
So it checks to see if the prior device
02:39:25.930 --> 02:39:27.740
that's right next to me has tripped
02:39:27.740 --> 02:39:30.030
because of a disturbance
that I don't have to trip.
02:39:30.030 --> 02:39:32.690
So that's the additional
slight time delay
02:39:32.690 --> 02:39:36.240
that was added to
maintain the safety benefits
02:39:36.240 --> 02:39:39.890
of an impact without
adversely continuing to see
02:39:39.890 --> 02:39:42.690
the reliability impact
that we're seeing.
02:39:42.690 --> 02:39:47.023
So simply put, in a
non-engineering framework,
02:39:48.375 --> 02:39:49.208
Sorry.
02:39:49.208 --> 02:39:50.041
It's okay.
02:39:50.041 --> 02:39:53.870
Is these refined settings, you feel like
02:39:53.870 --> 02:39:57.194
and correct me if this
is not what you meant,
02:39:57.194 --> 02:40:01.626
you're still tracking the
same potential ignitions
02:40:01.626 --> 02:40:03.330
that you would have
with the blunt force,
02:40:03.330 --> 02:40:06.900
but now you've reduced
reliability impact?
02:40:06.900 --> 02:40:07.750
That's correct.
02:40:09.088 --> 02:40:13.593
And you can actually see
that if you go to slide 14,
02:40:13.593 --> 02:40:16.883
if we can pull that up, please.
02:40:17.920 --> 02:40:21.507
In regards to what
we've seen from a CPUC
02:40:23.790 --> 02:40:25.340
reportable ignitions perspective.
02:40:25.340 --> 02:40:27.240
So it's one slide before this, please.
02:40:28.270 --> 02:40:29.103
Thank you.
02:40:30.760 --> 02:40:33.810
One after this. (laughs)
02:40:33.810 --> 02:40:34.643
Thank you.
02:40:34.643 --> 02:40:37.860
So if you look at the reductions
that we are showing there,
02:40:37.860 --> 02:40:40.500
Director Thomas Jacobs,
since we implemented this
02:40:40.500 --> 02:40:45.500
on July 28th, we have
seen a 46% reduction in total
02:40:47.610 --> 02:40:50.333
to the CPUC reportable ignitions
02:40:50.333 --> 02:40:51.390
in a high fire threat district,
02:40:51.390 --> 02:40:53.690
and if we just look at the performance
02:40:53.690 --> 02:40:57.680
of those 170 circuits
over the last three years
02:40:57.680 --> 02:41:01.080
in terms of the ignitions
versus post-EPSS,
02:41:01.080 --> 02:41:03.430
it's almost an 80%
reduction that we have seen.
02:41:04.360 --> 02:41:07.050
And in those 20% where
ignition has occurred,
02:41:07.050 --> 02:41:09.580
they have been fairly small in nature,
02:41:09.580 --> 02:41:12.016
and that is intuitive actually,
02:41:12.016 --> 02:41:16.270
because the settings,
what they do is they reduce
02:41:16.270 --> 02:41:17.930
the amount of energy that's released.
02:41:17.930 --> 02:41:20.100
So even if there is an ignition,
02:41:20.100 --> 02:41:23.320
there isn't that significant
amount of sparks
02:41:23.320 --> 02:41:28.280
to create that larger
type of ignition scenario.
02:41:28.280 --> 02:41:31.843
So that's proof in the pudding
to the point you're making.
02:41:33.300 --> 02:41:34.133
Thank you.
02:41:35.210 --> 02:41:36.043
Sure.
02:41:40.950 --> 02:41:43.900
I'm sorry, can we just
keep the slide back up?
02:41:43.900 --> 02:41:47.960
Let me just touch on
the right hand side of this.
02:41:47.960 --> 02:41:49.409
Before I do that,
02:41:49.409 --> 02:41:54.000
I'll just make sure there's
no other questions on EPSS.
02:41:54.000 --> 02:41:57.210
Really appreciate the
feedback, the candor,
02:41:57.210 --> 02:42:00.509
the passion around this
because we feel the same.
02:42:00.509 --> 02:42:04.085
Frankly, the level of communication,
02:42:04.085 --> 02:42:08.370
the notifications, and
the reliability impact
02:42:08.370 --> 02:42:10.570
is unacceptable.
02:42:10.570 --> 02:42:12.550
We are gonna do better,
we're committed to do better,
02:42:12.550 --> 02:42:15.653
and you can absolutely
hold us accountable to that.
02:42:17.930 --> 02:42:20.440
Sorry, Sameet, I just
have to say one more thing.
02:42:20.440 --> 02:42:21.813
No, sure.
02:42:21.813 --> 02:42:22.646
This is so important.
02:42:22.646 --> 02:42:24.240
I think it's important.
02:42:24.240 --> 02:42:26.173
Not withstanding on
that, which is so true
02:42:26.173 --> 02:42:28.123
and you have our full commitment.
02:42:29.110 --> 02:42:33.703
I am proud of this company
for prioritizing safety.
02:42:34.730 --> 02:42:38.860
This is something that the
company has desperately needed
02:42:38.860 --> 02:42:43.860
is for leaders to step
up and put safety first,
02:42:44.080 --> 02:42:48.260
and we did that and
mistakes and do betters
02:42:48.260 --> 02:42:51.730
and all of that, but
to make the decision
02:42:51.730 --> 02:42:53.730
knowing there was
the potential for this,
02:42:53.730 --> 02:42:55.920
to anticipate it as widespread,
02:42:55.920 --> 02:42:58.737
but we erred on the
side of making it safe
02:42:58.737 --> 02:43:01.400
and making it right, and
I'm proud of this company
02:43:01.400 --> 02:43:02.650
for doing it.
02:43:02.650 --> 02:43:05.720
However this all plays out,
I'm very proud of the fact
02:43:05.720 --> 02:43:07.280
that we were able to make that decision,
02:43:07.280 --> 02:43:10.740
act upon it quickly, have
the capability to implement it,
02:43:10.740 --> 02:43:13.150
and then the wherewithal
to make it better.
02:43:13.150 --> 02:43:15.900
So I just wanted to put that out there,
02:43:15.900 --> 02:43:18.453
might not be worth
much but just had to say it.
02:43:19.460 --> 02:43:23.000
Adam, if I may just follow
up with your comment.
02:43:23.000 --> 02:43:25.848
I appreciate the fact that the company
02:43:25.848 --> 02:43:30.183
has put, and some of it has
been frankly regulated to do,
02:43:30.183 --> 02:43:31.743
put safety first.
02:43:33.480 --> 02:43:36.370
However, as I have been a broken record,
02:43:36.370 --> 02:43:38.343
as have my fellow Commissioners been,
02:43:40.150 --> 02:43:45.150
safety of not having as
many ignitions, very important,
02:43:45.530 --> 02:43:48.470
absolutely, but the side of the fence
02:43:48.470 --> 02:43:52.520
that you missed initially in PSPS
02:43:52.520 --> 02:43:56.350
and you missed as you
have attested to today
02:43:56.350 --> 02:44:00.140
and you did earlier in the
week and you have in the letter,
02:44:00.140 --> 02:44:04.950
that you really blew is the
safety of your customers
02:44:04.950 --> 02:44:09.444
that are there without energy for hours,
02:44:09.444 --> 02:44:13.450
and fast trip, by nature, is
not gonna notice anybody,
02:44:13.450 --> 02:44:15.080
that's the definition of it.
02:44:15.080 --> 02:44:19.700
So these are people
without energy for hours
02:44:19.700 --> 02:44:24.700
with no notice and that is
a huge, huge safety risk.
02:44:25.650 --> 02:44:28.280
So that can't, I know
you guys get this now
02:44:28.280 --> 02:44:30.101
because I've said it and said it,
02:44:30.101 --> 02:44:31.090
as have my fellow Commissioners,
02:44:31.090 --> 02:44:36.090
that cannot be ignored
and cannot be not factored in
02:44:36.230 --> 02:44:38.870
to your safety risk.
02:44:38.870 --> 02:44:41.620
The people's lives
over here who are trying
02:44:41.620 --> 02:44:45.028
to get through life
without any electricity
02:44:45.028 --> 02:44:49.270
is a huge public safety situation.
02:44:49.270 --> 02:44:53.503
So okay, that's in reaction
to what you said, Adam.
02:44:54.612 --> 02:44:57.029
I appreciate it, thank you.
02:44:58.184 --> 02:44:59.566
Thank you, President Batjer.
02:44:59.566 --> 02:45:00.540
Thank you, Adam.
02:45:00.540 --> 02:45:01.660
Let me wrap up on this slide
02:45:01.660 --> 02:45:03.860
and then I'll see if
there's any questions
02:45:03.860 --> 02:45:07.620
on the wildfire topics and
then move to a separate section.
02:45:07.620 --> 02:45:11.540
But if you look at the right
hand section of this slide,
02:45:11.540 --> 02:45:15.560
what it's basically showing
is a cumulative basis
02:45:15.560 --> 02:45:17.363
for 2019 and 2020.
02:45:18.260 --> 02:45:21.980
PSPS is proven to be an
effective measure of last resort
02:45:21.980 --> 02:45:24.710
in preventing wildfires and obviously,
02:45:24.710 --> 02:45:27.280
one of the things that
we do as part of PSPS
02:45:27.280 --> 02:45:31.650
is evaluate the damage and
hazards that have taken place
02:45:31.650 --> 02:45:33.250
in our system.
02:45:33.250 --> 02:45:37.000
And consistent with the
Commission study that was done
02:45:37.000 --> 02:45:39.870
by the safety enforcement
division in 2019,
02:45:39.870 --> 02:45:41.280
we followed the same protocols
02:45:41.280 --> 02:45:44.420
that having not de-energized
and the damage occurred
02:45:44.420 --> 02:45:47.860
and a subsequent ignition
occurred under those conditions,
02:45:47.860 --> 02:45:49.900
what could the impact have been
02:45:49.900 --> 02:45:54.288
in terms of acres burned and
potential structures impacted
02:45:54.288 --> 02:45:58.290
using the (indistinct)
fire simulation capability.
02:45:58.290 --> 02:46:00.870
In total, more than 4
million additional acres
02:46:00.870 --> 02:46:04.480
and nearly 500,000 structures
could have been impacted
02:46:04.480 --> 02:46:08.020
had PSPS measure of
last resort not been used.
02:46:08.020 --> 02:46:11.240
And as you can see between '19 and '20,
02:46:11.240 --> 02:46:15.626
and furthermore into 2021,
we'll continue to reduce
02:46:15.626 --> 02:46:18.290
the impact for our customers.
02:46:18.290 --> 02:46:20.220
Specifically in '19 and '20,
02:46:20.220 --> 02:46:21.680
all the infrastructure investments
02:46:21.680 --> 02:46:24.700
and the targeted
meteorological capabilities
02:46:24.700 --> 02:46:25.863
that we put into place
02:46:25.863 --> 02:46:29.190
were the significant enabler for that.
02:46:29.190 --> 02:46:32.635
One last piece I will share
is that the back testing
02:46:32.635 --> 02:46:37.260
that we've done with
our 2021 PSPS protocols
02:46:37.260 --> 02:46:40.250
show that we would have prevented 96%
02:46:40.250 --> 02:46:43.110
of the buildings that were
impacted from equipment caused
02:46:43.110 --> 02:46:47.440
and wind driven fires
between 2012 and 2020.
02:46:47.440 --> 02:46:50.750
So we have the ability
to be able to, in essence,
02:46:50.750 --> 02:46:52.920
simulate, through our protocols today,
02:46:52.920 --> 02:46:56.080
go back in time
historically and identify
02:46:56.080 --> 02:46:59.750
would those protocols
have mitigated and prevented
02:46:59.750 --> 02:47:02.180
some of the most catastrophic
fires that have occurred
02:47:02.180 --> 02:47:04.960
in the state caused by our equipment.
02:47:04.960 --> 02:47:09.147
So that's an overview
and in detail discussion
02:47:11.450 --> 02:47:12.700
on the wildfire topic.
02:47:12.700 --> 02:47:15.070
The next slide we already covered,
02:47:15.070 --> 02:47:18.590
which was on the
reliability impacts for EPSS,
02:47:18.590 --> 02:47:21.740
but I just want to pause
here again for a moment
02:47:21.740 --> 02:47:25.620
before I start to discuss the
safety management system
02:47:25.620 --> 02:47:28.700
and safety culture to see
if there's any questions,
02:47:28.700 --> 02:47:32.630
comments, on anything I've
covered on wildfire related
02:47:32.630 --> 02:47:36.093
or that Adam opined on as well.
02:47:45.630 --> 02:47:48.520
Your staff that goes
out and checks the lines
02:47:48.520 --> 02:47:52.120
before re-energization
under this fast trip.
02:47:52.120 --> 02:47:55.243
I'm sorry, did you say
that within the regions,
02:47:57.370 --> 02:48:01.410
as you enter the season,
that you have those swat teams
02:48:01.410 --> 02:48:02.663
ready to go?
02:48:04.091 --> 02:48:08.670
They can check the lines,
lower these hours folks are out.
02:48:10.210 --> 02:48:13.543
I think you mentioned it
but I didn't quite catch that.
02:48:14.890 --> 02:48:17.440
Yes, we do, Commissioner.
02:48:17.440 --> 02:48:18.273
The short answer.
02:48:18.273 --> 02:48:21.630
In addition to that, they
are supported by helicopters
02:48:21.630 --> 02:48:22.603
and drones.
02:48:23.570 --> 02:48:28.230
And again, most of our
system, of the 170 circuits,
02:48:28.230 --> 02:48:30.590
there's only two circuits
that are remaining,
02:48:30.590 --> 02:48:33.990
one in the most populous
area and one in current area,
02:48:33.990 --> 02:48:36.120
that are still EPSS enabled.
02:48:36.120 --> 02:48:38.950
168 are back to normal configuration
02:48:38.950 --> 02:48:40.223
given the low fire risk.
02:48:42.360 --> 02:48:43.510
All right, thank you.
02:48:44.500 --> 02:48:45.333
My pleasure.
02:48:49.030 --> 02:48:51.800
Okay, so let me now transition.
02:48:51.800 --> 02:48:55.660
If we can go to one
more slide ahead, please.
02:48:55.660 --> 02:48:56.683
Great, thank you.
02:48:57.690 --> 02:49:01.330
To our approach regarding
the broader implementation
02:49:01.330 --> 02:49:03.770
of our safety management system.
02:49:03.770 --> 02:49:06.790
So we're taking a
page out of our playbook
02:49:06.790 --> 02:49:11.630
from gas operations where
we implemented the API 1173.
02:49:11.630 --> 02:49:13.160
Some of you may be familiar with that,
02:49:13.160 --> 02:49:15.540
it's our pipeline safety
management system
02:49:15.540 --> 02:49:18.820
that was issued for the
industry back in 2015,
02:49:18.820 --> 02:49:21.070
and it's really a safety
management system
02:49:21.070 --> 02:49:25.970
that's modeled after the
aviation and nuclear industries.
02:49:25.970 --> 02:49:29.930
API 1173 provides a systematic framework
02:49:29.930 --> 02:49:33.660
to manage and coordinate
actions that address multiple
02:49:33.660 --> 02:49:35.810
dynamic activities and circumstances
02:49:35.810 --> 02:49:38.330
that are focused on
operating a safe system,
02:49:38.330 --> 02:49:42.770
and continually improving
the safety performance.
02:49:42.770 --> 02:49:46.180
And the foundational
framework that it's based on
02:49:46.180 --> 02:49:49.700
is a concept of plan, do, check out.
02:49:49.700 --> 02:49:53.440
So starting with plan,
the focus is to establish
02:49:54.281 --> 02:49:56.960
the objectives and
processes that are necessary
02:49:56.960 --> 02:49:59.900
to deliver the results in
accordance with the goals
02:49:59.900 --> 02:50:03.313
of ensuring that everyone
and everything's always safe.
02:50:04.510 --> 02:50:07.980
The do aspect is a focus
on execution of the plan
02:50:07.980 --> 02:50:10.570
to ensure there's no daylight
02:50:10.570 --> 02:50:14.053
with how the plan is
getting executed in the field.
02:50:15.410 --> 02:50:17.120
Third is the check aspect,
02:50:17.120 --> 02:50:19.820
which is a validation of the results,
02:50:19.820 --> 02:50:23.150
comparing that to the plan
and the established objectives
02:50:23.150 --> 02:50:27.760
to ensure that the results
match the intended outcomes.
02:50:27.760 --> 02:50:29.830
And then the act is to take actions
02:50:29.830 --> 02:50:33.040
based on the gaps that are
identified between those results,
02:50:33.040 --> 02:50:35.100
and identify the root cause of a gap
02:50:35.100 --> 02:50:37.760
and improve that process performance.
02:50:37.760 --> 02:50:42.460
So it's a never ending
loop of plan, do, check, act,
02:50:42.460 --> 02:50:44.320
and it's very consistent with the fact
02:50:44.320 --> 02:50:47.713
that when it comes to
safety, our work is never done.
02:50:48.600 --> 02:50:51.600
To further mature our planning process,
02:50:51.600 --> 02:50:54.610
one of the international
standards and framework
02:50:54.610 --> 02:50:57.303
that we look to was ISO 55001,
02:50:59.200 --> 02:51:03.053
and it's really a framework
of how we operate our assets.
02:51:04.320 --> 02:51:05.690
It's an international
standard that specifies
02:51:05.690 --> 02:51:08.770
the requirements for
establishing, implementing,
02:51:08.770 --> 02:51:13.190
maintaining, and improving
an asset management system.
02:51:13.190 --> 02:51:16.350
So both our gas and electric
operations have received
02:51:16.350 --> 02:51:19.640
this certification, and
it allows us to manage
02:51:19.640 --> 02:51:22.340
the wholistic lifecycle of our equipment
02:51:22.340 --> 02:51:25.320
more effectively including
design, construction,
02:51:25.320 --> 02:51:27.230
maintenance, and operations.
02:51:27.230 --> 02:51:30.350
The certification process is done
02:51:30.350 --> 02:51:33.810
through a third party
assessment, Lloyd's Register,
02:51:33.810 --> 02:51:36.020
of our asset management practices,
02:51:36.020 --> 02:51:41.020
and then Lloyd's Register
does a six month validation
02:51:42.470 --> 02:51:44.130
on our progress of the plans
02:51:44.130 --> 02:51:45.997
after the initial certification,
02:51:45.997 --> 02:51:50.150
and a full re-certification
process occurs very three years.
02:51:50.150 --> 02:51:52.330
And one thing I'll highlight
is that the certification
02:51:52.330 --> 02:51:56.320
does not signify that
we are the finish line,
02:51:56.320 --> 02:52:00.980
but a confirmation that we
have a structured framework,
02:52:00.980 --> 02:52:04.930
a structured process,
to assess and improve
02:52:04.930 --> 02:52:07.130
our asset management practices.
02:52:07.130 --> 02:52:09.490
And this framework
really enables a focus
02:52:09.490 --> 02:52:11.760
on the understanding of the assets,
02:52:11.760 --> 02:52:14.500
the risk associated with our assets,
02:52:14.500 --> 02:52:16.190
and the lifecycle of the assets
02:52:16.190 --> 02:52:19.740
so that we are proactively managing them
02:52:19.740 --> 02:52:23.150
as compared to a run,
do, failure approach
02:52:23.150 --> 02:52:26.593
which is all too common
in the utility space.
02:52:27.440 --> 02:52:29.860
The framework that we implemented,
02:52:29.860 --> 02:52:33.410
which is still in place
in gas operations
02:52:33.410 --> 02:52:36.740
post the tragic San Bruno
transmission pipeline incident
02:52:36.740 --> 02:52:38.730
that occurred in 2010,
02:52:38.730 --> 02:52:41.200
we've seen some significant improvements
02:52:41.200 --> 02:52:43.180
not only in asset management
02:52:43.180 --> 02:52:46.830
but our process safety
capabilities and also safety culture,
02:52:46.830 --> 02:52:49.640
and this is evident based on examples
02:52:49.640 --> 02:52:52.040
like our dig in rate reduction
02:52:52.040 --> 02:52:54.830
occurred between 2010 and 2021.
02:52:54.830 --> 02:52:58.200
We went from fourth
quartile, to first quartile,
02:52:58.200 --> 02:53:02.835
and dig ins for second
parties are one of the prominent
02:53:02.835 --> 02:53:06.780
risk drivers for the
gas distribution aspects.
02:53:06.780 --> 02:53:10.950
Our gas emergency response,
which is the average time
02:53:10.950 --> 02:53:13.220
for response when a customer calls in
02:53:13.220 --> 02:53:15.360
when they smell a potential gas leak,
02:53:15.360 --> 02:53:19.650
to be able to get to their
premises and a safe place,
02:53:19.650 --> 02:53:24.330
again, from 2010 to 2021,
we went from fourth quartile
02:53:24.330 --> 02:53:26.880
to first quartile performance.
02:53:26.880 --> 02:53:30.760
It's proven in our gas
operations part of the organization
02:53:30.760 --> 02:53:33.810
and that the same safety
management system and principles
02:53:33.810 --> 02:53:36.350
that we scaling across the enterprise,
02:53:36.350 --> 02:53:39.660
and with electric operations,
obtaining the recent
02:53:39.660 --> 02:53:44.330
ISO 550001 certification
that signifies a right step
02:53:44.330 --> 02:53:45.573
in this process.
02:53:48.570 --> 02:53:50.083
We go to the next slide.
02:53:51.713 --> 02:53:55.700
(indistinct) follow
up on the certification,
02:53:55.700 --> 02:53:59.623
particularly the ISO 550001.
02:54:00.580 --> 02:54:03.070
What were some of the top weaknesses
02:54:03.070 --> 02:54:06.313
that were identified in that review?
02:54:07.210 --> 02:54:08.580
Yes, so thank
you, Commissioner.
02:54:08.580 --> 02:54:13.580
When the review happens,
there's 28 specific clauses
02:54:14.040 --> 02:54:18.320
within the ISO standard, and
then there's a characterization
02:54:19.380 --> 02:54:21.930
known as a major non-conformance,
02:54:21.930 --> 02:54:26.380
a minor non-conformance,
and a scope for improvement.
02:54:26.380 --> 02:54:29.340
So we did not have any
major non-conformances
02:54:29.340 --> 02:54:31.630
because you cannot get the certification
02:54:31.630 --> 02:54:34.860
if you have any major non-conformances.
02:54:34.860 --> 02:54:38.060
We had several minor non-conformances.
02:54:38.060 --> 02:54:40.690
One example I'll share
with you is to have
02:54:40.690 --> 02:54:44.300
a more effective management
of change process.
02:54:44.300 --> 02:54:46.820
So what that means is, for example,
02:54:46.820 --> 02:54:51.520
when we introduce a new
tool or a change to a standard,
02:54:51.520 --> 02:54:55.930
ensuring that we think
through all of the dominoes
02:54:55.930 --> 02:54:57.050
associated with that.
02:54:57.050 --> 02:55:00.310
So it's not just a
standard that changes,
02:55:00.310 --> 02:55:04.390
and let's just use a new
tool that gets introduced
02:55:04.390 --> 02:55:08.740
into how work method
needs to get conducted,
02:55:08.740 --> 02:55:11.510
there's calibration
requirements for those tools,
02:55:11.510 --> 02:55:13.310
there's the training and qualifications
02:55:13.310 --> 02:55:16.050
of the individuals that
have to use those tools
02:55:16.050 --> 02:55:19.200
in the field, there has to
be the continued validation
02:55:19.200 --> 02:55:20.460
and feedback loop.
02:55:20.460 --> 02:55:22.610
If there's any continuous
improvement processes
02:55:22.610 --> 02:55:25.010
and recommendations
that those individuals
02:55:25.010 --> 02:55:27.340
closest to the work,
that are using that tool,
02:55:27.340 --> 02:55:30.230
can provide so that
we get into this plan,
02:55:30.230 --> 02:55:33.170
do, check, act, continuous
improvement loop.
02:55:33.170 --> 02:55:34.910
So that's one example of ensuring
02:55:34.910 --> 02:55:36.890
we have a more rigorous process
02:55:36.890 --> 02:55:38.860
by which we make an evaluation,
02:55:38.860 --> 02:55:41.530
and a more rigorous and
effective implementation
02:55:41.530 --> 02:55:42.790
of that management of change.
02:55:42.790 --> 02:55:44.590
So that's one example, Commissioner.
02:55:46.370 --> 02:55:48.680
And so you can
follow up with a full list.
02:55:48.680 --> 02:55:52.260
So you said sample, does that mean two
02:55:52.260 --> 02:55:54.870
or does that mean 10?
02:55:54.870 --> 02:55:59.380
So I don't have the exact
number off the top of my head,
02:55:59.380 --> 02:56:01.640
but I can follow up with you on that,
02:56:01.640 --> 02:56:03.960
but it's a handful, it's not 10,
02:56:03.960 --> 02:56:06.031
I can tell you that.
02:56:06.031 --> 02:56:08.920
What Lloyd's Register also looks at
02:56:08.920 --> 02:56:12.770
is when they come in and do
the validation every six months,
02:56:12.770 --> 02:56:15.100
for each of these improvement areas
02:56:15.100 --> 02:56:17.390
we have improvement plans,
02:56:17.390 --> 02:56:18.980
and that's really what
they're evaluating,
02:56:18.980 --> 02:56:21.353
that are we continuing
to make improvements
02:56:21.353 --> 02:56:24.940
based on the gaps identified,
and the progress towards that.
02:56:24.940 --> 02:56:28.773
So we're happy to
share additional details
02:56:28.773 --> 02:56:33.350
if there's a report that gets
issued by Lloyd's Register
02:56:33.350 --> 02:56:36.600
that, obviously, accompanies
the initial certification.
02:56:36.600 --> 02:56:39.030
So I'm happy to provide
some of that information
02:56:39.030 --> 02:56:40.470
if you'd like.
02:56:40.470 --> 02:56:42.872
Thank you, yes.
02:56:42.872 --> 02:56:43.877
Sure.
02:56:43.877 --> 02:56:45.316
President Batjer?
02:56:45.316 --> 02:56:46.449
Yes.
02:56:46.449 --> 02:56:50.070
Do you know if the
other IOUs in California
02:56:50.070 --> 02:56:52.393
are so certified?
02:56:53.620 --> 02:56:57.920
I am not aware of
other IOUs being certified.
02:56:57.920 --> 02:57:00.533
I don't know, President
Batjer, if they're pursuing it,
02:57:00.533 --> 02:57:03.679
but both our electric and gas operations
02:57:03.679 --> 02:57:07.720
businesses are, and
both our power generation
02:57:07.720 --> 02:57:10.580
and our IT organizations are also using
02:57:10.580 --> 02:57:12.150
some of the framework
for asset management.
02:57:12.150 --> 02:57:13.930
So this is something that we adopted
02:57:13.930 --> 02:57:16.083
as a consistent
enterprise-wide standard.
02:57:17.980 --> 02:57:18.813
Thank you.
02:57:19.810 --> 02:57:20.643
My pleasure.
02:57:26.102 --> 02:57:28.970
Okay, if there's no other questions
02:57:28.970 --> 02:57:33.970
I'll cover the next section
related to safety culture.
02:57:36.650 --> 02:57:38.010
Thank you.
02:57:38.010 --> 02:57:41.000
So as you mentioned, President Batjer,
02:57:41.000 --> 02:57:44.120
in the opening remarks,
a positive safety culture
02:57:44.120 --> 02:57:48.033
is essential to an organization's
safety performance.
02:57:49.050 --> 02:57:51.389
Maintaining a positive safety culture
02:57:51.389 --> 02:57:54.120
requires continual
diligence at every level
02:57:54.120 --> 02:57:58.310
within the organization,
and embedding a speak up,
02:57:58.310 --> 02:58:02.270
listen up, follow up
approach into the DNA
02:58:02.270 --> 02:58:06.430
and every fabric and every
part of the organization.
02:58:06.430 --> 02:58:09.810
A key enabler for us on
our speak up, listen up,
02:58:09.810 --> 02:58:13.361
and follow up, has
been the implementation
02:58:13.361 --> 02:58:15.700
of our collective action program.
02:58:15.700 --> 02:58:19.800
This was adopted by
gas operations in 2013,
02:58:19.800 --> 02:58:23.000
and it's really modeled
after Diablo Canyon,
02:58:23.000 --> 02:58:25.493
and it's part of the nuclear industry.
02:58:26.410 --> 02:58:28.970
If you look at any airline entity,
02:58:28.970 --> 02:58:31.983
the aviation industry,
any nuclear plant,
02:58:31.983 --> 02:58:34.960
each and every one of them has a form
02:58:34.960 --> 02:58:38.500
of a collective action
program which is a key enabler
02:58:38.500 --> 02:58:40.700
for their safety management system.
02:58:40.700 --> 02:58:44.380
And subsequent to the
implementation in gas operations,
02:58:44.380 --> 02:58:47.180
we deployed the
collective action program
02:58:47.180 --> 02:58:50.580
on a system wide basis,
which enables our co-workers
02:58:50.580 --> 02:58:54.936
and contractors across
the organization to identify
02:58:54.936 --> 02:58:59.360
safety and process issues,
as well as submit ideas
02:58:59.360 --> 02:59:01.410
for continuous improvement.
02:59:01.410 --> 02:59:04.510
We have made good
progress in its implementation,
02:59:04.510 --> 02:59:07.160
but we are continuing
to focus on improving
02:59:07.160 --> 02:59:09.173
its effectiveness every day.
02:59:10.180 --> 02:59:13.030
One of the methods that we have used
02:59:13.030 --> 02:59:14.860
to asses our safety culture
02:59:14.860 --> 02:59:17.100
is through a safety perception survey
02:59:17.100 --> 02:59:20.540
by the National Safety Council, or NSC,
02:59:20.540 --> 02:59:23.580
and this was performed in late 2020,
02:59:23.580 --> 02:59:24.700
and subsequent to this,
02:59:24.700 --> 02:59:28.370
actually Energy Safety's
consultant DEKRA services
02:59:28.370 --> 02:59:31.220
completed its first
safety culture assessment
02:59:31.220 --> 02:59:35.120
of personnel and wildfire
safety for electrical corporations
02:59:35.120 --> 02:59:39.653
wildfire teams as is required
by EB10544 earlier this year.
02:59:40.590 --> 02:59:42.300
The safety culture assessment for us
02:59:42.300 --> 02:59:44.300
included our co-workers, contractors,
02:59:44.300 --> 02:59:48.820
and electric operations
that support wildfire efforts,
02:59:48.820 --> 02:59:51.183
as well as our dedicated
wildfire risk teams.
02:59:52.110 --> 02:59:54.880
The survey included three categories.
02:59:54.880 --> 02:59:58.830
Wildfire, personal safety, and culture,
02:59:58.830 --> 03:00:01.960
and we ranked 90th
percentile in the categories
03:00:01.960 --> 03:00:04.127
of both wildfire and personal safety,
03:00:04.127 --> 03:00:07.140
and 75th percentile in culture.
03:00:07.140 --> 03:00:11.730
The results from both
surveys were fairly consistent.
03:00:11.730 --> 03:00:14.180
Some of the strengths
that were identified
03:00:14.180 --> 03:00:19.010
included the self assessments
that our teams are making
03:00:19.010 --> 03:00:22.540
which describe that an
organization is open and honest
03:00:22.540 --> 03:00:25.030
about the current state of
the safety culture maturity
03:00:25.030 --> 03:00:28.950
and the development that's
needed to advance safety.
03:00:28.950 --> 03:00:31.430
And also a recognition
that safety systems
03:00:31.430 --> 03:00:33.310
are continuing to advance,
03:00:33.310 --> 03:00:36.420
and evidence that we
have increased emphasis
03:00:36.420 --> 03:00:39.623
on both personal and wildfire
safety over recent years.
03:00:40.550 --> 03:00:42.880
Some of the opportunities include
03:00:42.880 --> 03:00:45.670
more effective communication
and engagement
03:00:45.670 --> 03:00:48.710
with our frontline teams and
this is consistent feedback
03:00:48.710 --> 03:00:51.000
that, frankly, I've personally
heard President Batjer
03:00:51.000 --> 03:00:54.380
from yourself and
respective Commissioners,
03:00:54.380 --> 03:00:57.957
improving the recognition
of some of the wildfire
03:00:57.957 --> 03:00:59.820
and personal safety exposures,
03:00:59.820 --> 03:01:03.260
and creating a positive
learning environment.
03:01:03.260 --> 03:01:04.850
So the insights that we have gained
03:01:04.850 --> 03:01:08.620
from both of these assessments
are continuing to inform
03:01:08.620 --> 03:01:11.450
our path forward to
shape our safety culture,
03:01:11.450 --> 03:01:14.470
and a key area of focus, as an example,
03:01:14.470 --> 03:01:17.580
of improving communications
with our frontline teams
03:01:17.580 --> 03:01:20.520
is through the implementation
of our lean operating system,
03:01:20.520 --> 03:01:23.220
which I know we discussed
in quite a bit of length
03:01:23.220 --> 03:01:27.530
in our Monday focus on our
enhanced vegetation management
03:01:27.530 --> 03:01:29.310
part of the organization,
03:01:29.310 --> 03:01:30.790
but this is how we are implementing
03:01:30.790 --> 03:01:34.430
and managing the business
across the enterprise.
03:01:34.430 --> 03:01:37.260
The lean operating system
enables both issue escalation
03:01:37.260 --> 03:01:41.060
and communication flow to
each level of the organization
03:01:41.060 --> 03:01:43.690
on a daily basis, and as of today,
03:01:43.690 --> 03:01:47.240
we have approximately
1,300 daily operating reviews
03:01:47.240 --> 03:01:49.950
that take place across the enterprise,
03:01:49.950 --> 03:01:51.370
and as part of this implementation,
03:01:51.370 --> 03:01:55.740
our leaders go out and see
where the work is taking place
03:01:55.740 --> 03:01:57.980
to engage with the
teams closest to the work
03:01:57.980 --> 03:01:59.790
to understand their challenges,
03:01:59.790 --> 03:02:01.640
support the safety connections,
03:02:01.640 --> 03:02:03.350
and reduce the human struggle.
03:02:03.350 --> 03:02:05.890
I know I'm out in the field quite often,
03:02:05.890 --> 03:02:08.060
at least three times
if not more a month.
03:02:08.060 --> 03:02:12.490
I know Adam's out there
every week, if not more,
03:02:12.490 --> 03:02:14.340
really getting that pulse from our teams
03:02:14.340 --> 03:02:16.130
closest to the work.
03:02:16.130 --> 03:02:18.000
Something I'll share with that
03:02:18.000 --> 03:02:20.970
is although we've made
progress on safety culture,
03:02:20.970 --> 03:02:23.080
we have a lot more work to do,
03:02:23.080 --> 03:02:26.680
and there is a continued
focus on engaging
03:02:26.680 --> 03:02:29.960
with the hearts and minds
of not just our co-workers,
03:02:29.960 --> 03:02:31.190
but our contract partners,
03:02:31.190 --> 03:02:34.453
so that we can enroll them
to embrace our safety values.
03:02:35.440 --> 03:02:37.960
I'll pause there before
I turn it over to Adam
03:02:37.960 --> 03:02:39.560
to cover our safety performance.
03:02:41.280 --> 03:02:43.420
I was just going to, if I may,
03:02:43.420 --> 03:02:45.030
since you talked about the importance
03:02:45.030 --> 03:02:46.780
of getting out in the field.
03:02:46.780 --> 03:02:49.640
And Cheryl, you mentioned
in your opening remarks
03:02:49.640 --> 03:02:54.640
that the safety committee
is having field visits
03:02:56.120 --> 03:03:00.760
and you listed some of
them, I guess they're field visits
03:03:00.760 --> 03:03:02.410
but I don't consider them in the field
03:03:02.410 --> 03:03:05.790
like visiting the ops
center and things like that.
03:03:05.790 --> 03:03:08.573
So I guess my question
really is as a safety committee,
03:03:08.573 --> 03:03:12.010
as a board, which we
give great importance to
03:03:12.010 --> 03:03:16.190
here at the Commission,
and how engaged and involved
03:03:16.190 --> 03:03:21.000
you are deep in the
organization in terms of not only
03:03:21.000 --> 03:03:23.727
communicating the importance of safety
03:03:23.727 --> 03:03:28.727
from the board's
perspective, but listening
03:03:28.960 --> 03:03:33.960
to the line of people,
particularly those below
03:03:34.160 --> 03:03:38.940
your middle management,
of what they are seeing,
03:03:38.940 --> 03:03:40.860
and sensing, and hearing.
03:03:40.860 --> 03:03:45.030
I'm sure your survey, Sameet,
that you just spoke about
03:03:45.030 --> 03:03:49.350
will give a lot of information
hopefully to the company
03:03:49.350 --> 03:03:51.983
and to the board, to senior leadership,
03:03:52.890 --> 03:03:57.250
but in terms of getting
out and really seeing
03:03:57.250 --> 03:04:01.310
both impact of wildfire, as
well as some of the communities
03:04:01.310 --> 03:04:04.640
that have been particularly
impacted by disaster,
03:04:04.640 --> 03:04:07.760
like the Santa Cruz mountains
as Adam was talking about
03:04:11.786 --> 03:04:14.521
where you held the
webinars, and the Dixie fire.
03:04:14.521 --> 03:04:16.920
Have you in the safety
committee, have you been out
03:04:16.920 --> 03:04:20.330
and visited some of
the nearly million acres
03:04:20.330 --> 03:04:25.080
that was burned in California
in the Dixie fire alone?
03:04:25.080 --> 03:04:28.824
Just wondering what field
visits you really are making.
03:04:28.824 --> 03:04:31.873
In the field, on the
ground, out in California.
03:04:33.080 --> 03:04:35.848
Appreciate the
question, President Batjer,
03:04:35.848 --> 03:04:40.313
and obviously, when COVID
started, that slowed us down,
03:04:41.540 --> 03:04:45.820
but I personally, and other
members of the safety committee,
03:04:45.820 --> 03:04:47.170
have been out in the field.
03:04:48.100 --> 03:04:49.810
Not only on locate and mark,
03:04:49.810 --> 03:04:51.710
but on some of the
vegetation management,
03:04:51.710 --> 03:04:53.123
I've been to Paradise.
03:04:54.190 --> 03:04:57.430
Not all of our new board
members have, again,
03:04:57.430 --> 03:05:01.300
because of some of the
protocols that have been placed
03:05:01.300 --> 03:05:03.610
since COVID began.
03:05:03.610 --> 03:05:07.720
I have not had the
opportunity to go the Dixie fire,
03:05:07.720 --> 03:05:08.963
it's on my list.
03:05:09.810 --> 03:05:13.770
I try to get out into the field I'd say
03:05:13.770 --> 03:05:16.520
just about every time
we have a board meeting
03:05:16.520 --> 03:05:18.110
I try to get out.
03:05:18.110 --> 03:05:22.633
Now to your comment about
talking to the employees,
03:05:24.180 --> 03:05:27.530
we interact with the frontline employees
03:05:27.530 --> 03:05:32.530
at every opportunity and I
will say that the leadership team
03:05:32.720 --> 03:05:36.580
is actually very good about
essentially stepping back
03:05:36.580 --> 03:05:40.080
and allowing the board
members to interact openly
03:05:40.080 --> 03:05:45.080
and freely with the employees
that are performing the work,
03:05:45.230 --> 03:05:48.010
and I think both Adam
and Sameet would tell you
03:05:48.010 --> 03:05:53.010
that we provide very (indistinct)
03:05:53.073 --> 03:05:55.050
and forthright feedback
on what we're hearing
03:05:55.050 --> 03:05:56.493
and what our concerns are.
03:05:58.430 --> 03:05:59.263
Good.
03:06:00.800 --> 03:06:02.917
I know there are restrictions still,
03:06:02.917 --> 03:06:07.917
but I would encourage
particularly the safety committee
03:06:08.740 --> 03:06:10.690
to do as much in the field as possible.
03:06:10.690 --> 03:06:12.220
I think it's really important
03:06:13.340 --> 03:06:16.853
to see some of these
communities and to feel their impact.
03:06:18.910 --> 03:06:23.290
A lot of these folks that
are in the high fire danger
03:06:23.290 --> 03:06:28.283
are low income, lots of
folks on fixed incomes,
03:06:29.630 --> 03:06:33.450
lots of folks with disabilities
not only due to aging
03:06:33.450 --> 03:06:37.510
but just disabilities in general,
03:06:37.510 --> 03:06:42.510
and I don't think you see that
without actually being there
03:06:42.610 --> 03:06:45.180
and being with them and
listening to those communities
03:06:45.180 --> 03:06:47.500
and listening to the
people, your people,
03:06:47.500 --> 03:06:51.580
who work on the lines and
live in those communities.
03:06:51.580 --> 03:06:54.310
So I appreciate that you
are, I think you're doing
03:06:55.920 --> 03:06:59.350
far more than your
predecessors ever did,
03:06:59.350 --> 03:07:02.290
but never can be enough
in terms of touching
03:07:02.290 --> 03:07:03.890
the communities.
03:07:03.890 --> 03:07:07.080
It's one of the reason
the regionalization
03:07:07.080 --> 03:07:10.560
was part of the restructuring
that was so important
03:07:16.760 --> 03:07:18.960
to this Commission and remains to be
03:07:18.960 --> 03:07:22.296
very much important
to each Commissioner.
03:07:22.296 --> 03:07:24.293
So our encouragement there, if I may.
03:07:25.858 --> 03:07:28.290
I appreciate your
perspective and your comments,
03:07:28.290 --> 03:07:31.740
and I think we will be
out in the field more
03:07:31.740 --> 03:07:34.940
going forward now that
protocols are relaxing
03:07:34.940 --> 03:07:38.560
and it's a lot easier to interact
03:07:38.560 --> 03:07:40.793
with different communities and people.
03:07:42.210 --> 03:07:43.153
Good, good.
03:07:44.310 --> 03:07:45.143
Thank you.
03:07:49.440 --> 03:07:51.638
Thank you, President
Batjer, for that.
03:07:51.638 --> 03:07:52.510
If there's no other
questions in my section,
03:07:52.510 --> 03:07:56.090
I'll turn it over to Adam to
cover the safety performance.
03:07:56.090 --> 03:07:56.923
Thank you, Adam.
03:07:58.343 --> 03:08:01.361
Thank you, Sameet,
really appreciate it.
03:08:01.361 --> 03:08:02.194
Sorry, Adam.
03:08:02.194 --> 03:08:04.800
Just a quick follow
up on your statement.
03:08:04.800 --> 03:08:07.060
I know that we've learned from SG&E
03:08:07.060 --> 03:08:09.990
that they have board
member representation
03:08:09.990 --> 03:08:13.667
on their county
emergency response efforts
03:08:15.150 --> 03:08:20.150
and they meet monthly with
two counties that they serve,
03:08:21.649 --> 03:08:25.730
(indistinct) and I
wonder if that is a model
03:08:25.730 --> 03:08:28.260
that, Cheryl, you are all considering
03:08:28.260 --> 03:08:33.070
for board members
to be directly involved,
03:08:33.070 --> 03:08:35.220
particularly with the emergency response
03:08:36.950 --> 03:08:39.973
local government leads in each county?
03:08:41.080 --> 03:08:44.540
A direct involvement at that level
03:08:44.540 --> 03:08:49.170
from one of your sister utilities,
03:08:49.170 --> 03:08:52.400
and you can take that
back but it's a model
03:08:52.400 --> 03:08:54.740
I certainly am interested in exploring
03:08:54.740 --> 03:08:57.597
in our regionalization discussion
03:08:57.597 --> 03:09:00.443
and more direct engagement of the board.
03:09:03.070 --> 03:09:06.070
I appreciate your thoughts
and your comments on that,
03:09:06.070 --> 03:09:08.670
Commissioner, and we
will absolutely take that back
03:09:08.670 --> 03:09:12.023
and see what makes sense for us.
03:09:12.900 --> 03:09:16.573
It's an interesting idea to
get that direct feedback.
03:09:21.390 --> 03:09:23.519
Okay, President Batjer.
03:09:23.519 --> 03:09:24.352
I'm just gonna do a time check,
03:09:24.352 --> 03:09:26.210
I think you mentioned
3:00 when we started.
03:09:26.210 --> 03:09:28.270
I don't think my comments
will go much more
03:09:28.270 --> 03:09:31.559
than five to eight minutes,
but just wanted to see
03:09:31.559 --> 03:09:32.392
if that was hard and fast
03:09:32.392 --> 03:09:35.895
and if I needed to
shorten anything for Q&A.
03:09:35.895 --> 03:09:38.260
I have time to stay,
03:09:38.260 --> 03:09:40.420
but I don't know if my
fellow Commissioners do.
03:09:40.420 --> 03:09:43.023
I think we should wrap
up as close to 3:00.
03:09:44.097 --> 03:09:46.570
As we've been doing a lot
of questioning along the way
03:09:46.570 --> 03:09:48.650
and commenting along
the way, so I'm not sure
03:09:48.650 --> 03:09:53.270
what the run of show
showed that we were leaving
03:09:53.270 --> 03:09:57.590
time for closing
statements, but I think,
03:09:57.590 --> 03:10:00.300
for the most part, everybody's probably
03:10:00.300 --> 03:10:01.310
made their statements.
03:10:01.310 --> 03:10:04.163
So let's try and wrap up
as close to 3:00 as possible.
03:10:05.250 --> 03:10:06.400
Okay, I appreciate that.
03:10:06.400 --> 03:10:08.570
I do want to start off
by saying thank you.
03:10:08.570 --> 03:10:10.460
I wouldn't say that if it weren't true.
03:10:10.460 --> 03:10:13.150
We truly do value your oversight of us
03:10:13.150 --> 03:10:15.790
and your engagement
with us, it makes us better,
03:10:15.790 --> 03:10:18.600
and so I truly look forward
to these opportunities
03:10:18.600 --> 03:10:21.020
to spend with you and the
rest of the Commissioners
03:10:21.020 --> 03:10:24.600
and with Director Thomas Jacobs,
03:10:24.600 --> 03:10:26.733
and just look forward to your feedback
03:10:26.733 --> 03:10:28.920
as I touch a little bit on
our safety performance
03:10:28.920 --> 03:10:32.350
from our workforce, public
safety, operational performance,
03:10:32.350 --> 03:10:35.230
and then sort of what we're
looking at going forward.
03:10:35.230 --> 03:10:37.163
So if you flip to the next slide,
03:10:37.163 --> 03:10:39.430
I just wanted to
cover a little bit about
03:10:39.430 --> 03:10:41.120
the improvements that we're making
03:10:41.120 --> 03:10:42.770
in our workforce safety.
03:10:42.770 --> 03:10:44.330
And the first thing I want to say
03:10:44.330 --> 03:10:47.120
is that this is a leadership challenge.
03:10:47.120 --> 03:10:49.683
Workforce safety is a leadership issue.
03:10:51.000 --> 03:10:53.640
Obviously, our
co-workers out in the field
03:10:53.640 --> 03:10:56.440
have to make choices
every day to put themselves
03:10:56.440 --> 03:10:59.540
in the best position to
be safe, but as leaders,
03:10:59.540 --> 03:11:02.140
we create the
environment, the standards,
03:11:02.140 --> 03:11:04.280
the expectations, the safety systems,
03:11:04.280 --> 03:11:06.430
much that Sameet has touched on,
03:11:06.430 --> 03:11:09.070
and this is something that
had me the most excited
03:11:09.070 --> 03:11:12.280
when I talked with Cheryl
before taking this opportunity,
03:11:12.280 --> 03:11:15.970
because I know that
the way, again arguably,
03:11:15.970 --> 03:11:18.870
and it is applicable in
many ways in my life,
03:11:18.870 --> 03:11:21.780
the way you do one thing
is the way you do all things,
03:11:21.780 --> 03:11:24.470
and so if we can nail
our workforce safety
03:11:24.470 --> 03:11:26.960
and make the drastic
improvements that are needed here
03:11:26.960 --> 03:11:30.060
to keep our co-workers safe,
I know we'll do everything else
03:11:30.060 --> 03:11:32.330
with the similar care,
concern, and attention to detail
03:11:32.330 --> 03:11:34.943
it takes to run a successful operation.
03:11:35.910 --> 03:11:38.130
So if you look at our DART performance,
03:11:38.130 --> 03:11:41.360
it is drastically improved
from really going
03:11:41.360 --> 03:11:44.403
as far back as the
graph shows to this year.
03:11:45.602 --> 03:11:47.900
And the thing that is interesting
about our DART performance
03:11:47.900 --> 03:11:50.570
is that nearly four out
of five of our injuries
03:11:50.570 --> 03:11:52.710
are related to ergonomics.
03:11:52.710 --> 03:11:55.430
These are strains, a
strain from lifting or twisting,
03:11:55.430 --> 03:11:57.330
a lot of them are office related.
03:11:57.330 --> 03:11:59.640
For example, we had
one come in yesterday
03:11:59.640 --> 03:12:02.230
that was related to someone's finger,
03:12:02.230 --> 03:12:04.690
was bothering them either from mousing
03:12:04.690 --> 03:12:08.300
or doing other work, and so
that is included in that number.
03:12:08.300 --> 03:12:11.440
So while there's days
away restricted time,
03:12:11.440 --> 03:12:13.770
a significant number
of those are really based
03:12:13.770 --> 03:12:16.560
on how we position our
bodies to do our work daily
03:12:16.560 --> 03:12:18.610
in the field and in the office,
03:12:18.610 --> 03:12:22.400
and our team is acutely focused
03:12:22.400 --> 03:12:25.350
on doing ergonomic
assessments to make sure
03:12:25.350 --> 03:12:28.720
that we are removing
risk from the daily tasks
03:12:28.720 --> 03:12:30.310
that our co-workers perform.
03:12:30.310 --> 03:12:33.490
Just one example of that is we go out
03:12:33.490 --> 03:12:36.360
and we actually film our
co-workers doing the work,
03:12:36.360 --> 03:12:38.550
and we take that video and we overlay it
03:12:38.550 --> 03:12:41.240
with technology that
shows body position,
03:12:41.240 --> 03:12:44.390
and where the points of
strain and pain might occur,
03:12:44.390 --> 03:12:45.650
and one of the things we were doing
03:12:45.650 --> 03:12:48.410
is we were going out on our
poles and were using a nail
03:12:48.410 --> 03:12:50.690
and a hammer and we
were putting up signage
03:12:50.690 --> 03:12:52.220
on our poles.
03:12:52.220 --> 03:12:53.490
So that body position was putting strain
03:12:53.490 --> 03:12:55.710
on people's elbows,
similar to tennis elbow
03:12:55.710 --> 03:12:58.260
and other things you get
in your forearm and wrist,
03:12:58.260 --> 03:12:59.790
and a simple change to procedure,
03:12:59.790 --> 03:13:01.583
to use a power drill and a screw,
03:13:01.583 --> 03:13:03.850
took that completely away.
03:13:03.850 --> 03:13:05.600
So paying attention
to those little things
03:13:05.600 --> 03:13:09.000
will drastically improve our
DART performance even further.
03:13:09.000 --> 03:13:12.540
If we look at a 5% improvement
in ergonomic performance,
03:13:12.540 --> 03:13:15.840
we would drop below 1.0
for our DART performance.
03:13:15.840 --> 03:13:18.990
So we're on the right tack,
we're on the right trend.
03:13:18.990 --> 03:13:21.560
I will say that our contractor safety
03:13:21.560 --> 03:13:24.240
is equally important to us.
03:13:24.240 --> 03:13:26.200
We consider our contractors co-workers,
03:13:26.200 --> 03:13:30.570
they're an extension of our
25,000 PG&E co-workers,
03:13:30.570 --> 03:13:33.080
bringing our total body
to around 40,000 folks
03:13:33.080 --> 03:13:34.960
that are serving our customers daily,
03:13:34.960 --> 03:13:37.280
and we are focused on
improving their performance
03:13:37.280 --> 03:13:39.530
by enrolling them into our safety stand
03:13:39.530 --> 03:13:42.190
that everyone,
everything is always safe.
03:13:42.190 --> 03:13:44.300
We've spent a
considerable amount of time
03:13:44.300 --> 03:13:46.640
doing safety observations of their work.
03:13:46.640 --> 03:13:48.770
We do about 400 of those a day,
03:13:48.770 --> 03:13:51.460
identifying at risk and
high risk behaviors,
03:13:51.460 --> 03:13:53.370
correcting and coaching,
and then obviously,
03:13:53.370 --> 03:13:55.770
following up with
standardization process,
03:13:55.770 --> 03:13:57.760
communication broadly, to make sure
03:13:57.760 --> 03:14:00.120
anything we see gets corrected.
03:14:00.120 --> 03:14:02.060
Unfortunately this year, we've had three
03:14:02.060 --> 03:14:03.780
contractor fatalities.
03:14:03.780 --> 03:14:06.042
All of them were preventable.
03:14:06.042 --> 03:14:10.720
Breaks my heart that
families sent their people
03:14:10.720 --> 03:14:13.417
to our job site to complete
work for our customers
03:14:13.417 --> 03:14:15.100
and we didn't send them home,
03:14:15.100 --> 03:14:19.660
and we are focused and
engaged to make sure
03:14:19.660 --> 03:14:22.440
that they live up to our
standards and expectations
03:14:22.440 --> 03:14:24.480
on how we perform our work.
03:14:24.480 --> 03:14:26.220
I do appreciate your opening comments,
03:14:26.220 --> 03:14:29.170
President Batjer, you
mentioned behind every number
03:14:29.170 --> 03:14:32.820
is a face, and I could
not agree more with you.
03:14:32.820 --> 03:14:34.840
I would just pile
on to that a little bit
03:14:34.840 --> 03:14:37.110
and say as we think about our stand
03:14:37.110 --> 03:14:40.013
that everyone and
everything is always safe,
03:14:40.013 --> 03:14:43.060
that even goes beyond the person,
03:14:43.060 --> 03:14:45.780
and gets into the
environment that we create.
03:14:45.780 --> 03:14:48.120
I share this story openly
with our co-workers
03:14:48.120 --> 03:14:50.370
and our contractors
that when I was a kid
03:14:50.370 --> 03:14:51.630
my father passed away.
03:14:51.630 --> 03:14:55.010
When I was eight, my mother dated a guy
03:14:55.010 --> 03:14:57.530
and that relationship became abusive,
03:14:57.530 --> 03:15:01.400
and there were days where
there were physical signs
03:15:01.400 --> 03:15:03.463
of that abuse and there were days
03:15:03.463 --> 03:15:05.353
when there were no physical signs,
03:15:06.300 --> 03:15:10.210
but at no point, even
the absence of signs
03:15:10.210 --> 03:15:12.323
of physical abuse, was my mother safe.
03:15:13.180 --> 03:15:16.200
She wasn't safe because
the environment wasn't safe.
03:15:16.200 --> 03:15:18.534
And so as we look at our culture,
03:15:18.534 --> 03:15:20.270
and we look at our
environment that we are creating,
03:15:20.270 --> 03:15:22.530
it goes beyond numbers,
it goes beyond the people,
03:15:22.530 --> 03:15:24.560
and it goes to the environment,
03:15:24.560 --> 03:15:26.680
and everything will be safe,
03:15:26.680 --> 03:15:27.577
and so we're committed to that
03:15:27.577 --> 03:15:29.280
and we're making dramatic improvement,
03:15:29.280 --> 03:15:30.550
but that's a leadership challenge
03:15:30.550 --> 03:15:32.740
and it's one that we embrace and accept
03:15:32.740 --> 03:15:34.640
and plan to make sure we deliver upon.
03:15:35.670 --> 03:15:37.120
You can go to the next slide.
03:15:39.000 --> 03:15:41.090
I'll quickly cover the
public safety performance
03:15:41.090 --> 03:15:42.810
that we're seeing.
03:15:42.810 --> 03:15:44.800
Our metrics are improved when we look at
03:15:44.800 --> 03:15:46.770
some of the critical ones.
03:15:46.770 --> 03:15:49.830
Our large overpressure
evasion of our gas pipeline,
03:15:49.830 --> 03:15:54.250
that continues to improve
and show benefits for safety
03:15:54.250 --> 03:15:55.500
of the public.
03:15:55.500 --> 03:15:57.143
I will highlight this one area,
03:15:58.136 --> 03:15:59.780
it's our wires down performance.
03:15:59.780 --> 03:16:02.940
We've had a significant number
of what we call gray sky days
03:16:02.940 --> 03:16:04.970
which are just normal bad weather days,
03:16:04.970 --> 03:16:07.990
but they don't qualify
for a major event day,
03:16:07.990 --> 03:16:10.490
and we've had a significant
number of storm days,
03:16:10.490 --> 03:16:12.800
about 130% increase this year.
03:16:12.800 --> 03:16:14.670
That has contributed
to a higher frequency
03:16:14.670 --> 03:16:17.970
of wires down, so I'll
be very candid with you,
03:16:17.970 --> 03:16:21.050
our work plan this
year was not sufficient
03:16:21.050 --> 03:16:23.760
to complete the work that
we thought we needed to do
03:16:23.760 --> 03:16:26.000
in a timely and robust fashion,
03:16:26.000 --> 03:16:27.980
and I think breaking out
our engineering planning
03:16:27.980 --> 03:16:30.530
and strategy organization
from operations
03:16:30.530 --> 03:16:35.050
will help us get a work plan
that is much easier for us
03:16:35.050 --> 03:16:39.090
to execute upon, and
designing safety into our work,
03:16:39.090 --> 03:16:42.070
and to make sure that the
things that we need to complete
03:16:42.070 --> 03:16:44.900
to improve asset health and
the safety of our co-workers
03:16:44.900 --> 03:16:45.750
is improved.
03:16:45.750 --> 03:16:49.810
So wires down will
continue to be a focus for us
03:16:49.810 --> 03:16:52.480
as we look to keep the public safe.
03:16:52.480 --> 03:16:54.100
You can tell that there is improvement
03:16:54.100 --> 03:16:57.460
really across the
majority of those areas,
03:16:57.460 --> 03:17:01.498
even though that are
sort of stagnant (indistinct)
03:17:01.498 --> 03:17:02.890
within the first quartile,
03:17:02.890 --> 03:17:05.560
particularly on the customer
emergency response,
03:17:05.560 --> 03:17:07.880
and then the DCPP
reliability and safety factor.
03:17:07.880 --> 03:17:10.070
That's really driven
by not a safety issue,
03:17:10.070 --> 03:17:13.600
but by reliability of unit two
which has had three outages.
03:17:13.600 --> 03:17:15.840
So that team continues
to perform very well
03:17:15.840 --> 03:17:18.340
in the areas of safety,
but reliability unit
03:17:18.340 --> 03:17:21.523
has pulled that down for this year.
03:17:22.871 --> 03:17:26.093
So I'll go to the last slide
and then, yes, please.
03:17:26.093 --> 03:17:26.970
Sorry.
03:17:26.970 --> 03:17:29.710
First of all, thank you
for sharing your story.
03:17:29.710 --> 03:17:30.680
Thank you.
03:17:30.680 --> 03:17:32.330
Yup.
03:17:32.330 --> 03:17:35.093
My question is
how are you doing
03:17:39.400 --> 03:17:42.413
compared to the other IOUs?
03:17:44.740 --> 03:17:47.140
It's not (indistinct) to
compare ourself to PG&E
03:17:48.425 --> 03:17:51.430
and others (indistinct)?
03:17:51.430 --> 03:17:55.690
And also are you tracking
your workers compensation
03:17:55.690 --> 03:17:56.523
premiums?
03:17:58.340 --> 03:18:03.340
Another indicator of how
you're doing on worker injury
03:18:03.340 --> 03:18:04.230
and support.
03:18:05.210 --> 03:18:07.150
Yes, we do track those.
03:18:07.150 --> 03:18:09.643
I don't have those
statistics in front of me.
03:18:09.643 --> 03:18:12.050
I would say that our
DART rate puts us toward
03:18:12.050 --> 03:18:14.723
the last quartile when
it comes to safety.
03:18:15.807 --> 03:18:18.880
We can't do this technically,
but if you were to pull out
03:18:18.880 --> 03:18:22.543
the ones that are considered
ergonomic, office related,
03:18:23.420 --> 03:18:26.401
not significant in the
field with the rolled ankles
03:18:26.401 --> 03:18:29.170
and the smashed
fingers and those things,
03:18:29.170 --> 03:18:32.390
we would be performing much
closer to the upper quartiles,
03:18:32.390 --> 03:18:34.593
but right now, we're in the lower band.
03:18:39.180 --> 03:18:40.424
Thank you.
03:18:40.424 --> 03:18:41.257
Okay?
03:18:41.257 --> 03:18:43.170
Thank you for the
question, I appreciate it.
03:18:43.170 --> 03:18:45.190
And if you need me to
follow up with any information,
03:18:45.190 --> 03:18:46.473
happy to take that back.
03:18:47.610 --> 03:18:48.590
Okay, last slide.
03:18:48.590 --> 03:18:51.206
Just wanted to
highlight that I mentioned
03:18:51.206 --> 03:18:52.150
this is a leadership challenge,
03:18:52.150 --> 03:18:54.970
and our leadership
team is fully engaged.
03:18:54.970 --> 03:18:57.210
We have a weekly operating review
03:18:57.210 --> 03:19:00.230
where we review our safety
performance in the prior week.
03:19:00.230 --> 03:19:02.530
Everyone on the executive officer team,
03:19:02.530 --> 03:19:04.080
our senior vice presidents,
03:19:04.080 --> 03:19:06.690
several of the other vice
presidents and directors,
03:19:06.690 --> 03:19:09.720
are in the room, and we go
over what happened last week,
03:19:09.720 --> 03:19:13.700
how have our co-workers
performed from a safety standpoint,
03:19:13.700 --> 03:19:17.690
what new and innovative
standards, procedures, tools,
03:19:17.690 --> 03:19:21.230
are we trying to implement
to reduce safety issues.
03:19:21.230 --> 03:19:22.350
I'll give you an example,
03:19:22.350 --> 03:19:26.420
during one of our WRs, we
presented on the harnesses
03:19:26.420 --> 03:19:29.550
of our tree trimmers
being accidentally cut,
03:19:29.550 --> 03:19:31.940
and that was the result of
using a lightweight chainsaw
03:19:31.940 --> 03:19:35.045
that you can use with one
arm and kind of swing it,
03:19:35.045 --> 03:19:36.950
and so we changed
that policy and standard
03:19:36.950 --> 03:19:39.430
to use a heavier chainsaw
that requires two hands
03:19:39.430 --> 03:19:42.730
that prevents cutting
your harness more often.
03:19:42.730 --> 03:19:45.360
So fully engaged, we're
looking at the numbers,
03:19:45.360 --> 03:19:48.760
we're asking very difficult
and detailed questions,
03:19:48.760 --> 03:19:51.485
and then taking action when we need to.
03:19:51.485 --> 03:19:53.190
So that concludes how we're performing
03:19:53.190 --> 03:19:55.280
from public safety, co-worker safety,
03:19:55.280 --> 03:19:57.090
and how we're engaging
the leadership team,
03:19:57.090 --> 03:19:59.421
and happy to take
questions the last minute or so
03:19:59.421 --> 03:20:01.030
that we have.
03:20:01.030 --> 03:20:02.930
Just before we
hop into questions,
03:20:02.930 --> 03:20:03.800
thank you Mr. Wright.
03:20:03.800 --> 03:20:05.945
I just want to make a notification
03:20:05.945 --> 03:20:09.237
that due to an issue
earlier with the phone line
03:20:09.237 --> 03:20:13.510
at the public comments, we
will need to redo the session,
03:20:13.510 --> 03:20:15.360
and we will be taking public comments
03:20:15.360 --> 03:20:18.260
after Commissioner questions.
03:20:18.260 --> 03:20:20.810
So with that in mind, I
just want to make sure
03:20:20.810 --> 03:20:24.240
all panelists are mindful of the time
03:20:24.240 --> 03:20:28.513
seeing that we will need
to hold a session shortly.
03:20:30.540 --> 03:20:33.120
Sorry (indistinct),
I have a question,
03:20:33.120 --> 03:20:35.350
it didn't come up in the natural flow
03:20:35.350 --> 03:20:37.750
of the presentation,
but I think it's important.
03:20:39.010 --> 03:20:43.240
So building a culture
of safety ultimately
03:20:43.240 --> 03:20:45.230
is about an open communication.
03:20:45.230 --> 03:20:46.417
If you don't know about these things,
03:20:46.417 --> 03:20:47.683
you can't fix the issue.
03:20:48.730 --> 03:20:52.133
So to that end, I know
PG&E has identified
03:20:52.133 --> 03:20:53.670
and committed a number of self reports
03:20:53.670 --> 03:20:55.280
over the past year.
03:20:55.280 --> 03:20:57.470
Many on missed inspections.
03:20:57.470 --> 03:21:00.290
All of these self reports
in some way lead back
03:21:00.290 --> 03:21:04.240
to poor record keeping
or poor data management.
03:21:04.240 --> 03:21:05.770
Knowing what equipment you have,
03:21:05.770 --> 03:21:07.890
where you have it,
and what condition it is
03:21:07.890 --> 03:21:10.349
is fundamental to
knowing where the risk is,
03:21:10.349 --> 03:21:12.870
where you hold it in the systems.
03:21:12.870 --> 03:21:15.440
Can you speak a little bit
about what PG&E is doing
03:21:15.440 --> 03:21:17.880
to quickly address the record keeping,
03:21:17.880 --> 03:21:19.733
data management deficiencies?
03:21:21.220 --> 03:21:23.447
Yes, and thank
you for that question,
03:21:23.447 --> 03:21:25.280
and Sameet can chime in as well.
03:21:25.280 --> 03:21:27.810
He's been helping lead
this effort for a while,
03:21:27.810 --> 03:21:30.510
but we've moved over Christine Calcert
03:21:30.510 --> 03:21:33.330
to put a vice president
leader over rebuilding
03:21:33.330 --> 03:21:36.250
our assets registry,
and we've pulled together
03:21:36.250 --> 03:21:38.100
some information and at various times
03:21:38.100 --> 03:21:39.890
have shared that information,
03:21:39.890 --> 03:21:42.453
but we have an asset registry, we do.
03:21:43.570 --> 03:21:45.280
In some ways it's very detailed,
03:21:45.280 --> 03:21:48.500
where we can spot things
that most utilities cannot spot.
03:21:48.500 --> 03:21:50.150
Like we can tell you the lean of a tree
03:21:50.150 --> 03:21:52.140
out of eight million of them.
03:21:52.140 --> 03:21:54.690
So in some ways it's
highly sophisticated,
03:21:54.690 --> 03:21:57.140
but in some basic
areas such as processes
03:21:57.140 --> 03:22:00.710
to bringing our adbuilt data,
matching our SAP system
03:22:00.710 --> 03:22:02.800
to our GIS system of
records to make sure
03:22:02.800 --> 03:22:04.640
that if the asset's really there,
03:22:04.640 --> 03:22:06.060
it's located in both places.
03:22:06.060 --> 03:22:07.910
One from a physical location,
03:22:07.910 --> 03:22:09.830
but also from a records standpoint.
03:22:09.830 --> 03:22:11.930
Getting those things from
a conflation standpoint
03:22:11.930 --> 03:22:14.560
to line up is a big
part of rebuilding that,
03:22:14.560 --> 03:22:16.350
and so we have a detailed roadmap
03:22:16.350 --> 03:22:17.560
that we shared with the board,
03:22:17.560 --> 03:22:19.250
that we staffed appropriately,
03:22:19.250 --> 03:22:21.900
and we plan to communicate
on a very frequent basis
03:22:21.900 --> 03:22:24.310
with your office to make
sure we stay accountable
03:22:24.310 --> 03:22:25.180
to delivering that.
03:22:25.180 --> 03:22:27.990
So there is a significant amount
of work taking place there,
03:22:27.990 --> 03:22:30.890
and we do know it's very
critical to being able to deliver
03:22:30.890 --> 03:22:32.220
on our compliance commitments,
03:22:32.220 --> 03:22:33.883
but also keeping our system safe.
03:22:36.400 --> 03:22:37.800
Sameet, anything additional?
03:22:39.479 --> 03:22:42.239
I think, Adam, you
covered that well.
03:22:42.239 --> 03:22:43.240
The last piece I would add is
03:22:43.240 --> 03:22:44.381
in addition to GIS and SAP,
03:22:44.381 --> 03:22:46.282
Director Thomas Jacobs,
03:22:46.282 --> 03:22:49.124
we are also taking the lidar
information that we captured
03:22:49.124 --> 03:22:51.200
for the high fire threat districts
03:22:51.200 --> 03:22:52.810
for the overhead distribution lines
03:22:52.810 --> 03:22:56.550
and realigning our GIS system to that,
03:22:56.550 --> 03:22:59.710
because that helps ground
to what assets we have
03:22:59.710 --> 03:23:02.250
in the field, their geospatial location,
03:23:02.250 --> 03:23:04.520
which obviously ends
up being a material input
03:23:04.520 --> 03:23:07.907
to how we think about
the potential risk of fires
03:23:07.907 --> 03:23:10.449
and the consequence
associated with those
03:23:10.449 --> 03:23:13.420
if they started from our equipment.
03:23:13.420 --> 03:23:16.870
So those are all the elements
that the team is focused on,
03:23:16.870 --> 03:23:19.510
and as Adam mentioned,
Christine is uniquely positioned
03:23:19.510 --> 03:23:21.340
to help lead this.
03:23:21.340 --> 03:23:23.730
Both her and I lived
through this post San Bruno
03:23:23.730 --> 03:23:26.530
on the gas side and
have built a very robust
03:23:26.530 --> 03:23:30.850
asset registry that has the
single version of the truth,
03:23:30.850 --> 03:23:33.570
the system of record, and
the right controls to ensure
03:23:33.570 --> 03:23:36.280
as field work gets done,
that that information
03:23:36.280 --> 03:23:38.560
gets reflected in our system of record.
03:23:38.560 --> 03:23:41.110
And that's the same
playbook that's being applied
03:23:41.110 --> 03:23:42.410
here on the electric side.
03:23:45.308 --> 03:23:46.308
Thank you.
03:23:49.490 --> 03:23:53.660
I just want to, and I
too thank you, Adam,
03:23:53.660 --> 03:23:56.500
for sharing your very
personal family story.
03:23:56.500 --> 03:23:58.593
It's heartbreaking, but thank you.
03:23:59.530 --> 03:24:02.386
And I also would like to please ask
03:24:02.386 --> 03:24:04.940
each of the representatives
from the PG&E
03:24:04.940 --> 03:24:08.283
to please, we're sorry we
have this phone line issue,
03:24:09.125 --> 03:24:11.620
and were surprised
with no public comments
03:24:11.620 --> 03:24:14.120
because we always have
public comments about PG&E.
03:24:15.820 --> 03:24:17.810
So I hope you will be able to stay.
03:24:17.810 --> 03:24:20.790
I know everybody's schedule
is going to be impacted,
03:24:20.790 --> 03:24:24.538
but it's extremely
important for you all to hear,
03:24:24.538 --> 03:24:26.970
if public calls in,
what they have to say.
03:24:26.970 --> 03:24:27.863
So thank you.
03:24:29.880 --> 03:24:33.023
Thank you, President
Batjer, for the reminder.
03:24:36.800 --> 03:24:38.700
We have any other follow up questions?
03:24:41.850 --> 03:24:43.850
I'm looking forward
to the public Q&A.
03:24:45.580 --> 03:24:48.260
Thank you, everybody,
for being mindful of the time,
03:24:48.260 --> 03:24:51.063
and the phone line issue.
03:24:52.090 --> 03:24:55.290
As a reminder, if you wish
to make a public comment,
03:24:55.290 --> 03:25:00.290
dial into 800-857-1917
and enter passcode 5180519
03:25:04.780 --> 03:25:06.020
for the English line,
03:25:06.020 --> 03:25:11.020
and passcode 3799627
for the Spanish line.
03:25:12.320 --> 03:25:16.880
Unmute your phone and press *1.
03:25:16.880 --> 03:25:19.230
You will be placed into a queue
03:25:19.230 --> 03:25:22.490
and the operator will take
your name and information.
03:25:22.490 --> 03:25:25.740
You will be called upon
to speak in the order
03:25:25.740 --> 03:25:27.560
your call was received.
03:25:27.560 --> 03:25:29.730
You will have two minutes to speak.
03:25:29.730 --> 03:25:32.640
You will hear a bell
sound when your time is up.
03:25:32.640 --> 03:25:35.580
Please be mindful of
other speakers in the queue,
03:25:35.580 --> 03:25:37.740
and keep to your allotted time.
03:25:37.740 --> 03:25:39.240
I will now turn to the operator
03:25:39.240 --> 03:25:41.703
to open the public
comment telephone line.
03:25:44.640 --> 03:25:46.042
Thank you.
03:25:46.042 --> 03:25:48.350
The public comment
telephone line is now open.
03:25:48.350 --> 03:25:50.070
Again, if you like to make a comment,
03:25:50.070 --> 03:25:52.780
please unmute your phone, press *1,
03:25:52.780 --> 03:25:55.710
and record your name
clearly when prompted.
03:25:55.710 --> 03:25:58.080
Our first comment
comes from Will Abrams,
03:25:58.080 --> 03:25:59.080
so you may go ahead.
03:26:01.440 --> 03:26:02.510
Thanks very much.
03:26:02.510 --> 03:26:05.370
Thanks very much, President
Batjer, Commissioners.
03:26:05.370 --> 03:26:07.750
Appreciated the presentation from PG&E.
03:26:08.940 --> 03:26:12.940
I also attended the
(indistinct) webinar,
03:26:12.940 --> 03:26:16.324
and just wanted to make
two points from attending that
03:26:16.324 --> 03:26:19.250
important community meeting.
03:26:19.250 --> 03:26:24.250
One was Mark Quinlan
had presented part of that,
03:26:26.950 --> 03:26:29.140
and one of the things that came across
03:26:29.140 --> 03:26:33.390
was a lack of an awareness
regarding the community wildfire
03:26:33.390 --> 03:26:35.380
protection plans.
03:26:35.380 --> 03:26:38.550
These plans stretch up
and down and throughout
03:26:38.550 --> 03:26:42.380
PG&E territory, that
really are the go-to plans
03:26:42.380 --> 03:26:45.570
for vegetation management
and wildfire mitigation,
03:26:45.570 --> 03:26:49.180
and it's critically
important that individuals
03:26:49.180 --> 03:26:52.050
within PG&E are aware of these plans,
03:26:52.050 --> 03:26:54.078
that they integrate with these plans,
03:26:54.078 --> 03:26:56.500
and I just wanted to make sure
03:26:56.500 --> 03:26:58.420
that PG&E was aware of the plans
03:26:58.420 --> 03:27:02.150
and working to make
sure that they are integrated
03:27:02.150 --> 03:27:04.740
as best as possible 'cause certainly,
03:27:04.740 --> 03:27:07.470
vegetation management is
something that doesn't exist
03:27:07.470 --> 03:27:08.870
in a vacuum.
03:27:08.870 --> 03:27:10.440
The other point that I wanted to make
03:27:10.440 --> 03:27:13.490
that also came across
within that meeting,
03:27:13.490 --> 03:27:16.380
was that the sectionalization devices
03:27:16.380 --> 03:27:19.160
and location of the
sectionalization devices
03:27:19.160 --> 03:27:22.720
are not being actively
shared with local agencies.
03:27:22.720 --> 03:27:25.320
This is also critically
important as we think about
03:27:25.320 --> 03:27:28.710
power shutoffs, as we
think about how to gate
03:27:28.710 --> 03:27:30.960
the effects of power shutoffs.
03:27:30.960 --> 03:27:34.510
That local governments
are actively engaged
03:27:34.510 --> 03:27:37.840
in those decisions about
where and how to shut off power,
03:27:37.840 --> 03:27:41.290
and obviously, the balance
between power shutoffs
03:27:41.290 --> 03:27:43.600
and wildfires, particularly
given that we've seen
03:27:43.600 --> 03:27:47.020
some recent wildfires
that occur at the same time
03:27:47.020 --> 03:27:48.640
as we have power shutoffs.
03:27:48.640 --> 03:27:50.800
So these issues are
very critically important
03:27:50.800 --> 03:27:52.780
to make sure that they're addressed,
03:27:52.780 --> 03:27:55.498
and make sure that
they are being addressed
03:27:55.498 --> 03:27:58.070
at the community level,
within the communities,
03:27:58.070 --> 03:27:59.690
through these discussions.
03:27:59.690 --> 03:28:02.160
So I just wanted to bring
those issues to your attention.
03:28:02.160 --> 03:28:04.710
Thanks very much for
having this important meeting.
03:28:08.720 --> 03:28:10.410
Thank you, Mr. Abrams.
03:28:10.410 --> 03:28:12.163
Operator, next caller, please.
03:28:14.822 --> 03:28:15.840
And we have
no additional parties
03:28:15.840 --> 03:28:18.410
in the public comments
line at this time.
03:28:18.410 --> 03:28:20.330
But again, if you would
like to make a comment,
03:28:20.330 --> 03:28:23.330
please press *1, unmute your phone,
03:28:23.330 --> 03:28:26.230
and record your name when
prompted so I may introduce you.
03:28:34.090 --> 03:28:38.003
I think we'll give just a
few moments for callers.
03:29:05.780 --> 03:29:07.450
Operator, are you able to confirm
03:29:07.450 --> 03:29:09.743
that there are no more callers?
03:29:10.910 --> 03:29:12.250
Correct,
we have no callers
03:29:12.250 --> 03:29:14.750
in the public comment
telephone line at this time.
03:29:15.750 --> 03:29:16.840
Thank you.
03:29:16.840 --> 03:29:18.760
With no more comments on the line,
03:29:18.760 --> 03:29:20.880
public comment period is closed.
03:29:20.880 --> 03:29:24.570
Thank you to Mr. Abrams
for his comments.
03:29:24.570 --> 03:29:26.400
Since we have had issues with the line,
03:29:26.400 --> 03:29:27.970
I want to make sure that anybody else
03:29:27.970 --> 03:29:31.050
who has a comment,
they are able to provide
03:29:31.050 --> 03:29:31.883
written comments.
03:29:31.883 --> 03:29:36.810
So please do send them to
carolina.contreras@cpuc.ca.gov,
03:29:39.990 --> 03:29:40.823
thank you.
03:29:45.370 --> 03:29:49.330
Thank you, Commissioners,
directors, and PG&E presenters.
03:29:49.330 --> 03:29:52.442
I will turn it over to President Batjer
03:29:52.442 --> 03:29:54.653
and the original dais
for closing remarks.
03:30:01.960 --> 03:30:04.310
President Batjer, I
think you're on mute.
03:30:04.310 --> 03:30:05.250
I am, sorry.
03:30:05.250 --> 03:30:07.150
Thank you, Carolina.
03:30:07.150 --> 03:30:08.670
Just want to thank everyone.
03:30:08.670 --> 03:30:12.040
My fellow Commissioners
and the director,
03:30:12.040 --> 03:30:16.120
this has been a long
day, but very important,
03:30:16.120 --> 03:30:20.793
in-depth information was imparted to us.
03:30:21.630 --> 03:30:26.400
It gave us the opportunity
to have a good dialogue
03:30:28.300 --> 03:30:31.250
with both Bear Valley and PG&E.
03:30:31.250 --> 03:30:34.790
I appreciate the amount of
time that you all have devoted
03:30:34.790 --> 03:30:36.670
to briefing us today.
03:30:36.670 --> 03:30:38.920
I appreciate also that you listened in
03:30:38.920 --> 03:30:42.513
on the Bear Valley
presentation this morning.
03:30:43.370 --> 03:30:45.500
Appreciate the value of your time,
03:30:45.500 --> 03:30:49.121
and I think we've underscored
some important things
03:30:49.121 --> 03:30:53.070
that the Commission holds dear,
03:30:53.070 --> 03:30:57.140
and we will continue to
speak to you about them
03:30:57.140 --> 03:31:00.280
and hold you accountable for them.
03:31:00.280 --> 03:31:02.570
So I do appreciate it again,
03:31:02.570 --> 03:31:06.350
and I want to thank you all very much
03:31:06.350 --> 03:31:11.350
for also the response to my letter.
03:31:12.600 --> 03:31:15.410
It's being shared with
all of the Commissioners,
03:31:15.410 --> 03:31:18.640
and more to come, but we look forward
03:31:18.640 --> 03:31:20.990
to a great deal of improvement,
03:31:20.990 --> 03:31:24.293
which you have pledged
to do so today with fast trip.
03:31:26.330 --> 03:31:28.659
I'm never gonna call it ESPP,
03:31:28.659 --> 03:31:31.910
too many other alphabet
soup running around.
03:31:31.910 --> 03:31:34.020
It's enough to have PSPS.
03:31:34.020 --> 03:31:37.420
So anyway with that,
I thank you on behalf
03:31:37.420 --> 03:31:38.950
of my fellow Commissioners.
03:31:38.950 --> 03:31:41.170
Have a wonderful afternoon,
03:31:41.170 --> 03:31:46.170
and Thanksgiving is coming
up upon us very quickly,
03:31:46.260 --> 03:31:49.570
I won't see or hear from
probably most of you before then,
03:31:49.570 --> 03:31:52.310
so I wish you and
your family and friends
03:31:52.310 --> 03:31:55.603
a most delightful and
giving thanksgiving.
03:31:56.850 --> 03:31:58.377
Thank you all.
03:31:58.377 --> 03:31:59.379
Thank you.
03:31:59.379 --> 03:32:00.378
Likewise.
03:32:00.378 --> 03:32:01.376
Thank you.
03:32:01.376 --> 03:32:02.380
Thank you.
03:32:02.380 --> 03:32:03.379
Thank you, President Batjer.
03:32:03.379 --> 03:32:05.373
Is there any other closing
remarks from the dais?
03:32:08.930 --> 03:32:10.660
Thank you, President
Batjer, Commissioners,
03:32:10.660 --> 03:32:12.120
Director Thomas Jacobs,
03:32:12.120 --> 03:32:14.480
and thank you to Bear
Valley Electric and PG&E
03:32:14.480 --> 03:32:16.620
for your presentations and your time.
03:32:16.620 --> 03:32:18.447
This meeting is now adjourned.