Vote Today On Allowing SCE Power To Be Cut In Advance Of Santa Anas
Written by 991KBU on July 12, 2018
This morning here in San Francisco … the California Public Utilities Commission will vote on a plan to allow Southern California Edison to black out Malibu … and other areas … rather than risk power lines falling and causin g a fire during Santa Ana windstorms.
This plan was sprung by the CPUC on the entire state with very little notice.
Neither the City of Malibu … nor the Santa Monica Malibu School District … were notified that the CPUC was planning to givr Edison complete control on when and how to cut power to Malibu during windstorms.
Malibu city manager Reva Feldman met with Edison official this week … and was not reassured.
She drafted a letter … to be read aloud by a Malibu resident at today’s meeting.
Here’s part of that letter … read by a KBUU volunteer.
NEWSCART 77640 FELDMAN LETTER :24 QQQ: NOTIFICATION COULD BE SENT.
“The city has many serious concerns that need to be mitigated before this program is
implemented.
“If Edison shuts off the power preemptively … it could create an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation in our community.
“Even if we request to have lines reenergized to implement our alert and warning systems, it could take hours before the first notification could be sent.”
Feldman’s letter also mentioned water pumps.
Septic tanks.
PCH traffic lights.
Internet.
Cell phones.
Landlines.
All of them would be blacked out right at the height of danger…. during the worst windstorms,
At Monday night’s city council session … Mayor Rick Mullen voiced his worries.
NEWSCART 77641 MULLEN POWER 111 :23
QQQ: THIS SORT OF NONSENSE.
“Edison?
“Just think about this.
“Santa Anas are blowing.
“It’s dark.
“It’s hot as all get out, and you power goes out.
“What could possibly go wrong??
“And your power goes out by Edison.
“I don’t think thats going to work .
“And we will definitely convey – and Reva’s been doing it – our opposition to that sort of nonsense.”
KBUU News asked the P U C president … Michael Picker ….to respond to those concerns … and he sent back an e-mail immediatelly.
The CPUC president defended the plan.
Picker told KBUU News that sometimes prudence demands that the power companies cut power.
He called the San Diego gas and Electric blackout plan a workable solution …
and he says it needs to be done … because windstorms are now year round and more ferocious.
Here’s CPUC president Michael Picker … voiced by another KBUU volunteer.
NEWSCART 77642 PICKER QQQ THAN FROM DEENERGIZATION
“People keep moving into fire-prone areas, we’ve had 10 years of drought, and the fuel potential is only growing.
“This is proposed as one of many solutions to these drivers that increase the likelihood of ignition from utility infrastructure.
“The challenges to the communities that you identify are much greater from these elements than from de-energization.
That is the assessment of CPUC president Michael Picker … as voiced by a KB you you volunteer.
Back in Malibu … Mayor Rick Mullen doesn’t buy that.
He says it’s Edison trying to save money.
NEWSCART 77645 MULLEN 222 :14
QQQQ compromising the safety of the residents of Malibu.
“I think what is happening is that a lot of these fires have been caused by electrical issues and they are looking to cut their liability losses and they are not going to do it compromising the safety of the residents of Malibu.”
The decision will be made sometime after 8:30 this morning here in San Francisco … Will have a complete report on the KBUU news tomorrow.
