6. Assignment of Proceeding
Michael R. Peevey is the Assigned Commissioner and Glen Walker is the assigned Administrative Law Judge in this proceeding.
1. The Joint Utilities are electric public utilities subject to the jurisdiction and regulation of this Commission.
2. The Joint Utilities seek to amend D.98-07-097 to eliminate reporting requirements to eliminate the category for all incidents involving or allegedly involving trees or other vegetation in the vicinity of power lines.
3. Reportable incidents would continue to include those which (1) result in fatality or personal injury requiring in-patient hospitalization; (2) are the subject of significant public attention or media coverage; and (3) damage to property of the utility or others estimated to exceed $20,000.
4. Of the 139 vegetation-related incidents reported in 2004, five of the most significant incidents would still have been reportable under the criteria of personal injury or fatality, newsworthy event or significant property damage.
5. The Commission continues to have statutory authority to investigate any incident involving power lines.
6. There has been no opposition to this application.
1. No public hearing is necessary.
2. Amending the incident reporting requirement to eliminate the category for all incidents involving trees or other vegetation in the vicinity of power lines will allow both the utilities and the Commission to focus on incidents that cause the most significant impact on utility operations.
3. It is not necessary that accident reporting criteria described in Appendix B of D.98-07-097 require reports of every possible vegetation-related fire.
4. Appendix B of D.98-07-097 should be amended as shown in Attachment 1 of this decision.
5. Approval of this application should be made effective immediately.
IT IS ORDERED that:
1. Appendix B of Decision 98-07-097 is amended as shown in Attachment 1 of this decision.
2. No hearing is necessary in this proceeding.
3. Application 06-01-008 is closed.
This order is effective today.
Dated April 27, 2006, at San Francisco, California.
MICHAEL R. PEEVEY
President
GEOFFREY F. BROWN
DIAN M. GRUENEICH
JOHN A. BOHN
RACHELLE B. CHONG
Commissioners
ATTACHMENT 1
APPENDIX B
ACCIDENT REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
1. Within 2 hours of a reportable incident, the utility shall provide notice to designated CPUC staff of the general nature of the incident, its cause and estimated damage. The notice shall identify the time and date of the incident, the time and date of notice to the Commission, the location of the incident, casualties that resulted from the incident, identification of casualties and property damage, and the name and telephone number of a utility contract person. This notice may be by (a) calling an established CPUC Incident Reporting Telephone Number designated by the Commission's Utilities Safety Branch Consumer Protection and Safety Division (CPSD) or its successor (b) sending a message to an electronic mail address designated by the Commission's USBCPSD or its successor or (c) sending a message to the Commission's facsimile equipment using a form approved by the Commission's USBCPSD or its successor and at numbers USBCPSD may designate for use during normal business hours. Telephone notices provided at times other than normal business hours shall be followed by a facsimile report by the end of the next working day.
2. Within twenty business days of a reportable incident, the utility shall provide to designated CPUC staff a written account of the incident which includes a detailed description of the nature of the incident, its cause and estimated damage. The report shall identify the time and date of the incident, the time and date of the notice to the Commission, the location of the incident, casualties which resulted from the incident, identification of casualties and property damage. The report shall include a description of the utility's response to the incident and the measures the utility took to repair facilities and/or remedy any related problems on the system which may have contributed to the incident.
3. Reportable incidents are those which: (a) result in fatality or personal injury rising to the level of in-patient hospitalization and attributable or allegedly attributable to utility owned facilities; or (b) are the subject of significant public attention or media coverage and are attributable or allegedly attributable to utility facilities; (c) involve or allegedly involve trees or other vegetation in the vicinity of power lines and result in fire and/or personal injury whether or not in-patient hospitalization is required.
4. Incidents involving damage to property of the utility or others estimated to exceed $20,000 that are attributable or allegedly attributable to utility owned facilities shall be reported within 60 days of their occurrence to designated staff of the CPUC. The report shall be structured in a form acceptable to the designated staff.
(END OF APPENDIX B)
