HomeMy WebLinkAbout8 Consideration to Adopt the 2022 Wildfire Mitigation Plan'400 TRUCKEE DONNER
Public Utility District
MEETING DATE: June 1, 2022
TO: Board of Directors
AGENDA ITEM #8
FROM: Joe Horvath P.E., Electric Utility Director/Assistant GM
SUBJECT: Consideration to Adopt the 2022 Wildfire Mitigation Plan
APPROVED BY
Brian C. Wright, General Manager
RECOMMENDATION:
Adopt the updated 2022 Wildfire Mitigation Plan, in substantially the same form as
presented, and direct staff to submit the plan to the California Wildfire Safety Advisory
Board by July 1, 2022.
BACKGROUND:
Devastating wildfires throughout the state of California have prompted electric utilities to
identify areas within their jurisdiction that are susceptible to power -line ignited wildfires
and to take steps to prevent their occurrence. In 2012, the California Public Utilities
Commission (CPUC) ordered the development of a statewide map (Fire -Threat Map)
designed to identify areas where there is an increased risk for utility associated wildfires.
Publicly Owned Utilities (POUs), including the District, participated in development of the
Fire -Threat Map and performed the assessment of the geographical areas under our
responsibility.
In September 2018, former Governor Jerry Brown signed state Senate Bill (SB) 901. A
section of the bill, amending Public Utilities Code Section 8387, directed California's
electric utilities to develop wildfire mitigation plans related to power lines and equipment.
POUs, such as the District, are required to annually prepare a Wildfire Mitigation Plan
(WMP); receive an initial third party auditor independent review to assess compliance and
ensure it complies with all applicable rules, regulations, and standards; and present it to
their governing body annually at a noticed public meeting for comment and approval.
Staff presented two workshops to the Board in March and June, 2019, followed by Board
adoption of the District's initial 2019 WMP in July of the same year. In October 2019, the
Board awarded a contract for third party auditor services to review and comment on the
WMP and their findings were presented to the Board during a public meeting for
consideration in December of 2019. The third party auditor confirmed the District's plan
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complies with the intent of SB 901 and their recommendations were considered in the
updated 2020 WMP which was approved by the Board in May of 2020 and sent to the
California Wildfire Safety Advisory Board (WSAB) by July 1, 2020.
ANALYSIS AND BODY:
The updated 2022 WMP (Attachment 1) outlines the processes and activities undertaken
by the District to mitigate the threat of wildfires associated with overhead electric lines
and associated equipment owned and operated by the District. Developing the WMP is
part of larger District wildfire prevention efforts which include the identification of emerging
technologies, engineering control methods, improved materials, and increased vegetation
management activities.
In July of 2020, the WSAB began reviewing WMPs for POUs and Investor Owned Utilities
(IOUs). This review process has continued to evolve requiring utilities to respond to a
series of additional information requests and formatting changes by the WSAB. This was
done in 2021. Key changes include adding a context setting table at the beginning of the
WMP and expanding the introduction to summarize key changes to the WMP.
Additionally, on February 10, 2022, the WASB released a Guidance Advisory Opinion for
the Wildfire Mitigation Plans of the Electric POUs and Rural Electric Cooperatives. This
WASB document was in response to the POU's 2021 WMP's submitted before July 1,
2021 and contained a series of general guidance for all POU WMP's and then specific
feedback for each electric utility. The specific feedback for the District's 2021 WMP was
very favorable and the District was highlighted by the WASB. However, the general
guidance for all POU's had some very problematic recommendations that District staff,
through the California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA) and Northern California
Power Agency (NCPA) are working closely with WASB Board and staff to address.
It should be noted that the WASB guidance was too late to substantially include in the
District's 2022 WMP. However, WMP's are required by statue to have a comprehensive
update every three years. This comprehensive update is planned for the District's 2023
WMP, where WASB's guidance will also be addressed. In addition, future versions of the
WMP are expected to evolve as the WSAB attempts to standardize the required data,
supporting documentation, metric's, lessons learned and formatting of the WMPs across
all utilities.
Two metrics tracked since the induction of the WMP are Primary Wire Down and Fires
caused by District electric equipment. In 2021 the District experienced the following:
• Primary Wire Down; Seven (7) events; and
• Fire caused by District electric equipment; zero (0) events.
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The District had zero fires caused by District electric equipment. Six of seven of the
primary wire -down events were during the historic winter storms during the second half
of December, 2021 where there was no fire danger. The seventh wire down incident was
caused by the tragic plane crash which resulted in a localized fire and wires down event.
In no case was anyone injured, nor was any public property damaged by the District's
equipment or actions. It should also be noted that, due to quick response by District
electric crew and Truckee Fire, the plane crash fire was quickly contained.
The District monitors the effectiveness of inspections by utilizing General Order 95 and
165 as a guide to inspect our electrical system. By using these guides District staff are
able to clearly identify deficiencies within the system prior to them becoming a reliability
or safety issue. These deficiencies can range from relatively minor fixes (missing plastic
guy guards on down guys, missing pole numbers tags or high voltage signs on crossarms,
etc.) to priority repairs (hazard tree removal, broken insulators, broken crossarm braces,
etc.) found during these inspections.
OBJECTIVES AND GOALS:
This item is in support of the following goals and objectives:
District Code1.05.020 Objectives:
1. Responsibly serve the public.
4. Provide reliable and high -quality electric supply and distribution system to meet current
and future needs.
5. Manage the District in an environmentally sound manner
6. Manage the District in an effective, efficient, and fiscally responsible manner.
Strategic Goals:
1. Manage for Financial Stability and Resiliency
2. Environmental Stewardship: Create a sustainable resilient environment for all of our
communities.
3. Engage with our customers and communities in a welcoming and transparent way to
identify opportunities.
4. Take the best of private sector thinking to modernize the utility and add value to our
communities.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The District's efforts to respond to regulatory mandates and operational changes due to
wildfire has already had a significant fiscal impact. The direct costs of SB 901, in addition
to future unfunded mandates, is unknown. There is no direct hard cost associated with
approving the 2022 WMP, however, staff resource requirements to develop and maintain
the WMP and comply with the changing landscape and requirements of SB 901 have
been significant.
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Most notably, vegetation management operations (tree trimming) is a major component
of the WMP. There has been a dramatic increase over the last few years in the amount
of funds the District has spent on tree trimming. The Board approved FY21 Budget
included $1.5M for tree trimming expenses, which the District completely spent in 2021.
The Board approved FY22-23 Budget includes $1.530M in FY22, and $1.576M in FY23,
for tree trimming expenses. This compares to a budget of about $350k for tree trimming
expenses in FY18.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. 2022 Wildfire Mitigation Plan
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