People living in the backcountry won’t have to worry about San Diego Gas and Electric turning off power on high fire risk days. State regulators said SDG&E cannot pull the plug on the power.
The California Public Utilities Commission was presented with two options: a recommendation by Commissioner Timothy Simon to let SDG&E go forward with a pilot program, or a staff recommendation to completely deny the shut-off plan. The commission ruled four to one to reject shutting off power in the backcountry. PUC President Michael Peevy says he just wasn’t convinced by SDG&E.
“They didn’t make the case adequately for what they proposed as far as I was concerned and most of us apparently here were concerned,” he says.
Peevy says they couldn’t find a middle ground on the controversial plan. The commission says SDG&E should move ahead with other prevention efforts including replacing wood poles with more fire safe steel.
