Page 16 - Sonoma County Gazette July 2020

State Senator McGuire’s bill to expedite utility improvements & safety measures
to curb massive power shutoffs PASSES in the Senate - Now on to the Assembly
Fire-Smart and Water-Wise: Tips for a Resilient Landscape
Last year, residents across Northern California endured multiple, sustained power shutoffs that put residents health and safety at risk, disrupted
local economies and lacked oversight and planning. At one point, some Californians lost power for a total of 14 days in a one-month period.
here in Sonoma County, you know just how thirsty plants can get in the
dry season. Luckily, many of the guiding principles for having a water-wise garden in our climate have the co-benefit of being fire-smart. Many folks are familiar with the concept of defensible space, but keeping that buffer around homes and buildings to reduce the threat of fires doesn’t mean we can’t have beautiful plants in the landscape. Defensible space can simply mean a properly maintained garden or yard!
Senator Mike McGuire’s legislation, SB 1312, will hold utilities accountable for grid hardening, modernization and vegetation management by expediting these improvements which will ensure power shutoffs have smaller footprints and shorter durations. The bill passed the full Senate with bipartisan support.
Perhaps the most important factor is maintenance.
“SB 1312 provides the framework
to ensure that power shutoff events become the tool of last resort, and not
the default strategy as we saw across Northern California last fall,” Senator Mike McGuire said. “PG&E, in particular, is years behind in grid modernization and hardening and this bill will
The most fire-smart landscape design in the world is not very helpful for reducing risk if it isn’t properly maintained. First, you want to keep the plants on your landscape hydrated throughout the dry season. Summer irrigation, especially with water-wise methods like drip irrigation and greywater, is one of the best tools in your toolbox. Using highly efficient drip irrigation, along with a properly programmed timer, minimizes evaporation and makes sure that the water you’re sending out
into the landscape is reaching its
intended target: your plants! As
you may have guessed, the higher
a plant’s moisture content, the
more resistant to fire it will be.
By Connor DeVane, Programs Coordinator, Daily Acts
Summer is upon us! If you’ve kept a garden or maintained a landscape
the lives of Californians. Last fall cannot become the new normal.”
advance an expedited schedule to make desperately needed modernizations and improvements to their system. The bill, along with previous state actions, will ensure these devastating shutoff events do not continue to disrupt and endanger
It is likewise important to
remove dead plant material from
your landscape, from mature
trees and shrubs, to branches,
firewood, and debris like leaves,
needles and cones. Whether on
the ground or still attached to
living plants, this dead material
is prime fuel for fires, and if left unmanaged can undo your hard work in creating defensible space. For this reason, it’s a good idea to choose plants that don’t need excessive maintenance – after all, we want to enjoy our landscapes, not just work in them!
SB 1312 requires Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs) to prioritize public health and safety as well as reliable electrical service that Californians deserve in this day and age. Currently, the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) requires IOUs to fill out reports after Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events. These reports, however, often lack key information and proper review. Out of the dozens of reports filed last fall, the CPUC conducted only one official review. “Our state lacks a formal process for future reviews of shutoff events, and clearly the level of review without a process has been insufficient at best,” McGuire said. “This is simply not acceptable.”
That brings us to plant selection. There’s no such thing as a fireproof plant, but some plants are far more combustible than others. These typically have waxy, oily or resinous leaves or stems. Juniper, for example, is highly combustible and is sometimes referred to by firefighters as the “gasoline plant.” Ornamental grasses and berries are similarly high risk, and if you choose to include them in your landscape, consider doing so sparingly and away from the home. Deciduous plants will typically have more moisture content in their leaves in summer months than evergreens, and less fuel during their dormant season. Non-woody deciduous and low-growing plants are good options.
SB 1312 provides the necessary framework to shorten and decrease the frequency of PSPS events and to ultimately eliminate their use by requiring Investor Owned Utilities (IOUs) to take both short and long term steps to harden their infrastructure.
To strengthen the existing PSPS process, SB 1312 does the following:
Require that IOUs identify power lines that are more likely to cause power shutoff events or wildfires.
Require IOUs to include details about the lines that cause the power shutoffs in their after-event reports, including how many miles of lines were impacted and how many circuits were impacted. This will allow state agencies to truly pinpoint and develop a fix-it plan.
It is important to remember that fire is part of our region’s ecology. Native plant species adapted to cycles of wildfire burns over millennia, and many have developed fire resistant strategies. Natives will also require less water and maintenance in summer months compared to ornamentals and plants from other bioregions. Here are some examples of fire-smart natives.
Require IOUs to harden their infrastructure that caused the power shutoff event and report back to the CPUC on their progress one year after the shutoff event. Currently, utilities are behind in their hardening and vegetation management.
Require the CPUC to hold hearings to determine whether a power shutoff event is in accordance with standards and authorize the Commission to levy fines if needed.
• Trees: Pacific dogwood, big leaf maple, oak species, coast redwood • Shrubs: Bush anemone, toyon, coffeeberry
• Perennials: Yarrow, sticky monkey flower, California fuschia
Prohibit IOUs from charging Californians for electricity not provided during a power shutoff event when power is cut.
Authorize the California Office of Emergency Services (OES), CAL FIRE, and the CPUC to create consistent procedures for power shutoff events in the best interest of Californians by collaborating on what each agency needs, including the notification process, guidelines on how lines will be re-powered, and what the footprint of the outage will be.
• Groundcovers: Creeping thyme, creeping mahonia, purple stonecrop
Require that IOUs identify and harden power lines that are more likely to cause PSPS events or wildfires within a four year timeline instead of the 12-14 years proposed by PG&E.
Fire Ordinance. LEARN MORE: CAL Fire and Fire Safe Sonoma. As temperatures continue to climb, be sure to stay fire-smart, be water-wise, and enjoy the beauty of our watershed!
Be sure to account for your topography, the vegetation or fuel load surrounding your site, and proper spacing as outlined by Sonoma County’s
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