Regulators approved ‘deeply flawed’ fire safety plans, including those by PG & E, that sparked California’s deadliest wildfire, state auditors said.
For example, the Energy Security Agency approved PG & E’s 2021 wildfire plan, despite it not proving that it was replacing power lines and undertaking other ‘system hardening’ where they are most needed.
Uniformed lines, as well as legacy transformers and other equipment, are dangerous when high winds can knock down trees or debris flying around, causing flames.
In a nine-page response to the government assessment, the Energy Infrastructure Security Agency defended its oversight, saying its work has led to a “massive shift in the way utilities plan for safety and implement those plans.”
The Energy Bureau, which, until it’s shift to the Natural Resources Agency, was part of the PUC, has a comprehensive mandate for monitoring fire risk involving utilities and issuing safety certificates with energy companies.
