.CaEnergySafety approved utility companies’ wildfire prevention plans even when they were “seriously deficient.” Included were plans by PG&E, which was held responsible for sparking the state’s deadliest wildfire, 2018's CampFire that killed 85 people
— PG&E, San Diego Gas and Electric and Southern California Edison — to upgrade their equipment, and complained that the state’s utility regulator is not a vigorous monitor of the industry.that have become part of normal life in recent years, California taxpayers would be right to ask if they’re paying for utility watchdogs or lap dogs at the CPUC,” said Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, an environmental research advocacy organization that tracks wildfire issues.
In a letter accompanying the report, Acting State Auditor Michael S. Tilden raised concerns about the increasing numbers of so-called public safety power shutoffs, when companies cut power during times of high fire risk. Tilden noted that between 2013 through 2021, the state’s largest utilities shut off power to more than 3.6 million customers during 67 power curtailments. There were some 600 unplanned power outages in 2020 alone, the report said.
In 2020, utilities reported they had replaced or upgraded equipment on 1,540 miles of lines. But as of last summer, there were 40,000 miles of bare power lines in high fire-risk areas, the report found.