County Supervisor Diane Jacob is commending state regulators for denying San Diego Gas and Electric’s emergency power shut-off plan.
Jacob represents a large portion of San Diego’s backcountry and was outspoken in her opposition to the utility’s plan which would have cut off power in rural areas on high fire risk days. She says SDG&E’s plan was unproven and unsafe and she’s happy with the decision of the California Public Utilities Commission to deny the plan.
“The risks clearly outweighed the benefits of the shut-off plan. I applaud the commissioners for doing the right thing. The evidence supported the decision they made today,” she says.
Jacob says SDG&E’s fire prevention efforts, like undergrounding wires and switching out wood poles for steel, are good. But she says the utility needs to do more. Jacob says the next big fight will be whether SDG&E can raise its rates to cover costs associated with the 2007 wildfires.
