Existing law authorizes the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to regulate public utilities, including electrical corporations, and requires electrical corporations to construct, maintain, and operate their electrical lines and equipment in a manner that minimizes the risk of catastrophic wildfire. Electrical corporations must also annually prepare and submit wildfire mitigation plans to the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety for review and approval.
SB 742 requires the CPUC, by January 1, 2028, to update its applicable general order to require electrical corporations to remove permanently abandoned transmission facilities. The bill also requires electrical corporations to include in their wildfire mitigation plans an accounting of their transmission facilities, including permanently abandoned facilities, and a plan describing when and how abandoned facilities will be removed and what wildfire mitigation measures will be used to prevent hazards until removal.
SB 742 also establishes new emergency coordination requirements for specified electrical corporations and local publicly owned electric utilities. In cooperation with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and other emergency service agencies, these utilities must establish procedures to coordinate emergency response efforts and assign liaison representatives to work with local emergency operations centers as specified. Local publicly owned electric utilities therefore have new responsibilities for establishing emergency coordination procedures and designating appropriate liaison personnel.
SB 742 amends section 8386 of, adds section 762.8 to, and adds Chapter 8, commencing with section 8395, to Division 4.1 of the Public Utilities Code.
