Public Safety Power Shutoffs

2020-2021 Updates

Regulation

California Public Utilities Code (PU Code) Sections 451 and 399.2(a) grants electric utilities the authority to shut off electric the authority to shut off electric power to protect public safety.

• April 19, 2012, the CPUC issued Decision (D.) 12-04-024, establishing factors for SDG&E’s shutoffs that included requirements for notifications, review, etc.
• July 12, 2018, the CPUC adopted  Resolution ESRB-8, extending the de-energization reporting requirements and notifications to all electric investor-owned utilities
• Dec. 13, 2018, the CPUC opened a new Rulemaking (R.18.12-005) to examine the IOUs’ processes and practices related to PSPS.
• Aug. 14, 2019, the CPUC opened Phase 2 in R. 18-12-005 to address additional aspects of the utilities PSP processes and practices and to expand upon the guidelines adopted in Phase 1.
• Nov. 13, 2019, the CPUC opened an investigation (I.19-11-013) to examine recent utility PSPS events and consider enforcement actions
• Jan. 1, 2020, the CPUC proposes additional guidelines for utilities (R.18.12-005).

More regulatory details can be found on the CPUC’s website.

Funding Opportunities

• Self Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) – Provides incentives for existing, new and emerging distributed energy resources that are installed on the customer’s side of the meter. $166 million will be available annually from 2020-2024 to prioritize customers most impacted by PSPS events. Any retail electric or gas distribution class customers are eligible to apply (industrial, agricultural, commercial or residential) through PG&E, SCE, SDG&E and SoCalGas. More information can be found online.
• Proposition 84 Wildfire Resiliency and Recovery Planning Grants (expired) – There is a total of $720,000 available for up to 3-5 grants between $150,000 to $250,000 each. These grants are to help California communities affected by wildfire recovery and planning. For more information view the application guidelines and apply online before 5 p.m on March 18. Eligible applicants include local and regional governments (cities and counties) that were affected by wildfires between 2017-2019.
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Grants – California Office of Emergency Services administers these funds for emergency management. water and wastewater agencies are encouraged to set up an account and pre-load information to expedite the funding process in the event of a catastrophic incident.
• Clean Water Revolving Fund – The State Water Resources Control Board administers this low-cost financing for water quality and infrastructure projects including energy efficiency, stormwater, water reuse, security measures and more. The funding amount varies from less than $1 million to over $10 million. The loan term cannot exceed 30 years or the useful life of the project. More information can be found online.
• Drinking Water Revolving Fund – Assists water systems’ financing of drinking water infrastructure projects that achieve compliance with the Safe Drinking Water act. The funding agency is the State Water Board and eligible projects include the planning, design and construction of treatment systems, interconnections and more. Funding limit is set by the water systems’ ability to borrow. Eligible applicants include Public- and privately-owned community water systems, non-profit or non-community water systems and community water systems created by the project. More information can be found online.
• PSPS Resiliency Allocation to Cities and Tribes (expired) – These funds were made available by CalOES in November 2019 to procure long-term emergency electric generation, continuity plans, risk assessments for critical infrastructure, event reports, public education materials and supplies. More information can be found online.

Resources

Below are a number of resources available to help ACWA member agencies stay informed.