California 2019-2020 Regular Session Status: In Committee

AB 2705 — Electricity: deenergization events.

Last action — Re-referred to Com. on U. & E.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Assembly
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 2019-2020 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

Existing law requires each electrical corporation to annually prepare a wildfire mitigation plan and to submit the plan to the Public Utilities Commission for review and approval, as specified. Following approval, the commission is required to oversee compliance with the plans. Existing law requires a wildfire mitigation plan of an electrical corporation to include, among other things, protocols for deenergizing portions of the electrical distribution system that consider the associated impacts on public safety, as well as protocols related to mitigating the public safety impacts of those protocols, including impacts on critical first responders and on health and communications infrastructure. Existing law requires a wildfire mitigation plan of an electrical corporation to also include appropriate and feasible procedures for notifying a customer who may be impacted by the deenergizing of electrical lines and requires these procedures to consider the need to notify, as a priority, critical first responders, health care facilities, and operators of telecommunications infrastructure with premises within the footprint of a potential deenergization event. This bill would require an electrical corporation to include, as a part of the notification of its customers of a deenergization event, an estimate of the duration of the deenergization event and an estimate of the total area affected, and would require the electrical corporation to update those estimates in subsequent notifications of the deenergization event. The bill would require the electrical corporation to provide initial notifications of a deenergization event to all potentially affected customers at least 72 hours, and again approximately 48 and 24 hours, before the deenergization event using personalized contact, as specified. The bill would require the electrical corporation to additionally provide an initial notification to the public by specified publicly accessible media at least 72 hours before the deenergization event. If the electrical corporation fails to comply with these notification requirements, the bill would require the electrical corporation to submit to the commission written justification for noncompliance. The bill would assess a specified penalty if the commission determines that the noncompliance is not justified. The bill would require the commission to require each electrical corporation to establish a program to provide backup energy storage systems for critical facilities and critical infrastructure, as specified, to enable them to continue operation during a deenergization event and a program to provide those systems to customers receiving medical baseline allowances to enable those customers to continue operating their life-support equipment during a deenergization event. The bill would prohibit an electrical corporation from recovering from its customers the costs incurred for a deenergization event under specified circumstances. Under existing law, a violation of any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because this bill requires action by the commission to implement its requirements, and because a violation of that action would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Re-referred to Com. on U. & E.

  2. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on U. & E. Read second time and amended.

  3. Referred to Com. on U. & E.

  4. From printer. May be heard in committee March 22.

  5. Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

  • Low · Primary

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 121 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

  • Low

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (121)

121 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 121 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety energy
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does AB 2705 do?
Existing law requires each electrical corporation to annually prepare a wildfire mitigation plan and to submit the plan to the Public Utilities Commission for review and approval, as specified. Following approval, the commission is required to oversee compliance with the plans. Existing law requires a wildfire mitigation plan of an electrical corporation to include, among other things, protocols for deenergizing portions of the electrical distribution system that consider the associated impacts on public safety, as well as protocols related to mitigating the public safety impacts of those protocols, including impacts on critical first responders and on health and communications infrastructure. Existing law requires a wildfire mitigation plan of an electrical corporation to also include appropriate and feasible procedures for notifying a customer who may be impacted by the deenergizing of electrical lines and requires these procedures to consider the need to notify, as a priority, critical first responders, health care facilities, and operators of telecommunications infrastructure with premises within the footprint of a potential deenergization event. This bill would require an electrical corporation to include, as a part of the notification of its customers of a deenergization event, an estimate of the duration of the deenergization event and an estimate of the total area affected, and would require the electrical corporation to update those estimates in subsequent notifications of the deenergization event. The bill would require the electrical corporation to provide initial notifications of a deenergization event to all potentially affected customers at least 72 hours, and again approximately 48 and 24 hours, before the deenergization event using personalized contact, as specified. The bill would require the electrical corporation to additionally provide an initial notification to the public by specified publicly accessible media at least 72 hours before the deenergization event. If the electrical corporation fails to comply with these notification requirements, the bill would require the electrical corporation to submit to the commission written justification for noncompliance. The bill would assess a specified penalty if the commission determines that the noncompliance is not justified. The bill would require the commission to require each electrical corporation to establish a program to provide backup energy storage systems for critical facilities and critical infrastructure, as specified, to enable them to continue operation during a deenergization event and a program to provide those systems to customers receiving medical baseline allowances to enable those customers to continue operating their life-support equipment during a deenergization event. The bill would prohibit an electrical corporation from recovering from its customers the costs incurred for a deenergization event under specified circumstances. Under existing law, a violation of any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because this bill requires action by the commission to implement its requirements, and because a violation of that action would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Who sponsors AB 2705?
AB 2705 is sponsored by Low.
What is the current status of AB 2705?
This bill died with 2019-2020 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track AB 2705?
Track AB 2705 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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