California Limits Utility Shutoffs as Dangerous Heat Wave Grips the State
Source: The Hemet and San Jacinto Chronicle |By HSJC Newsroom
California utility regulators have moved to strengthen protections for customers facing power shutoffs during dangerous heat waves, ruling this week that major electric companies failed to deliver on requirements to better shield vulnerable residents from disconnection when temperatures soar. The decision comes as another punishing heat wave grips much of the state, underscoring the real-world stakes of the debate. In rural areas, losing electricity can also mean losing access to water, since many wells rely on electric pumps. In cities, going without air conditioning or fans during a prolonged hot spell can pose serious health risks, and in extreme cases, prove fatal.
In a unanimous 4-0 vote Thursday, commissioners rejected the utilities’ plan, saying it failed to provide “sufficient health protections for customers.” The panel had originally set May 1 as the deadline for new rules to take effect. When utilities missed that deadline, consumer advocates filed emergency motions demanding action. By May, with utilities still lagging, The Utility Reform Network joined forces with the San Diego-based Utility Consumers’ Action Network, the National Consumer Law Center and the Center for Accessible Technology to formally ask the commission to step in.
