2025-04-10T21:23:34.000Z

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In the wake of devastating fires that ravaged parts of Los Angeles County, state regulators overseeing utility companies in California have recently made a controversial decision. They declined a request that would have mandated the states largest utility providers to update maps that outline high fire threat areas. This decision has raised concerns among consumer advocates and safety experts alike, who argue that more current maps could be crucial in assessing risks to various communities and enforcing stricter requirements on utility infrastructure located within these high-threat zones.

The maps in question are designed to illustrate the likelihood of wildfires ignited by equipment owned by Californias major investor-owned utilities, which include Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric. It is important to note that these utility maps differ from those produced by Cal Fire, which predict fire potential based on the available fuel in specific regions. The maps have not undergone a comprehensive update since their initial submission eight years ago. Instead, utilities have been allowed to make piecemeal updates, marking areas as either at risk or no longer at risk based on their internal assessments.

According to Cal Advocates, an organization that represents ratepayers before the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the existing maps are in dire need of an overhaul. As the state grapples with the reality of climate change and increasingly severe wildfire seasons, many believe that having accurate and timely data is essential for effective risk management.

A recent proposal aimed at ensuring updated maps was originally filed by the California Public Advocates Office in 2023. This initiative gained traction and support from the three major power companies. However, in a surprising turn of events, the CPUC voted against the proposal in late January, with four commissioners opposing the motion and one recusing himself due to prior involvement as the head of Cal Advocates. As a spokesperson for the CPUC, Adam Cranfill stated, The CPUC is focused on monitoring utilities compliance with numerous rules and programs directing their activities in high fire threat areas of California, indicating a complex regulatory environment that perhaps prioritized existing compliance over new safety measures.

Following the destructive fires in Los Angeles County, utilities, particularly Southern California Edison, have come under increased scrutiny. The company acknowledged in a regulatory filing that its equipment might have contributed to the ignition of the 799-acre Hurst Fire in the San Fernando Valley. Investigators are also examining whether its equipment was involved in the larger 14,021-acre Eaton Fire, which devastated portions of Altadena and Pasadena.

In her response to inquiries regarding the utilitys fire maps, Southern California Edison spokesperson Gabriela Ornelas refrained from addressing specific questions about whether updated maps could have mitigated the recent fires. Instead, she emphasized that the company conducts internal reviews of fire risks in its service areas, taking various factors into account. Should their internal analysis conclude that an update to the CPUC maps is necessary, Ornelas stated that SCE would file a petition to modify them accordingly.

The regulatory framework for Californias fire risk maps was established in response to several catastrophic fires in late 2007, many of which were attributed to equipment failures in Southern California. Consequently, the states major utilities submitted their initial maps in 2017 to identify areas where their equipment could potentially pose a fire hazard. Although the utilities are required to update these maps every ten years, certain sections have seen updates since the original filing. Notably, Southern California Edison is currently seeking approval to revise a portion of its maps, while San Diego Gas & Electric has not made any updates since 2017.

Cal Advocates contended that the ongoing frequency of updates is insufficient, proposing that the maps should be revised every five years instead of the current decade-long interval. They pointed out that when Pacific Gas & Electric filed an update in 2023, the changes only amounted to roughly 4.5% of its service area. Even its most recent mapping was in dire need of updating, Cal Advocates asserted in their proposal, stressing the importance of public safety in guiding these revisions.

All three utility companies that are required to maintain mapping supported Cal Advocates call for more frequent updates. Pacific Gas & Electric spokesperson Matt Nauman indicated that the company is committed to annual updates of its internal fire maps and expects to submit updated versions to the commission by the year's end.

However, the Mussey Grade Road Alliance, a community advocacy group based in Ramona, has voiced concerns regarding the discretion the proposal would grant utilities in defining what constitutes a fire-risk area. They raised alarms that such latitude could undermine public safety, a sentiment echoed by Cal Advocates. Joseph Mitchell from the advocacy group pointed out that the current maps inadequately model how wind impacts fire behavior, a critical factor considering the significant gusts that have influenced large-scale fires in recent years. San Diego Gas & Electric, however, has made strides to incorporate wind data into their assessments.

Alex Welling, a spokesperson for San Diego Gas & Electric, confirmed that the utility regularly evaluates its maps against historical fire data and wind conditions, committing to filing for updates whenever they identify a need. Identifying the most dangerous areas for appropriate mitigation is important and continues to be important, Mitchell added, emphasizing the need for accurate fire mapping as wildfires remain an ongoing threat to communities across California.