Sonoma County PG&E Compliance Report: DA Announces Results

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — An independent monitor responsible for the oversight of Pacific Gas & Electric Company in Sonoma County released its second annual compliance report in a meeting this week, Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez announced.

The independent monitor, Filsinger Energy Partners, was appointed in April 2022 to monitor PG&E’s compliance with various safety measures imposed upon the company by a stipulated judgment between the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office and PG&E and ordered by Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Patrick Broderick on April 8, 2022, related to the 2019 Kincade Fire.

The Kincade Fire was ignited by a failure on a PG&E transmission tower on Oct. 23, 2019, located in the Geysers, a geothermal field in northern Sonoma County. The fire burned for 15 days, destroying more than 77,000 acres and hundreds of homes and structures. It also prompted the largest evacuation in Sonoma County history, involving almost 200,000 residents.

Since April 11, 2022, the independent monitor has been conducting oversight of PG&E. The overnight period is five years, during which the independent monitor has complete access to all PG&E materials and inspection reports in Sonoma County and will continue reporting regularly to the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office regarding its observations.

During the annual meeting, the monitor reported to both the District Attorney’s Office and PG&E regarding its findings during the second year of supervision. These findings were detailed in the monitor’s second annual compliance report. During the past year, the monitor has reviewed PG&E inspection reports and conducted independent field inspections to review Transmission and Distribution assets and identify potential vegetation management issues.

The findings for Year 2 included:

• The monitor conducted quality assurance reviews of PG&E inspections of 51 transmission line assets and found one deficiency which is in the process of being remediated.
• The monitor conducted quality assurance reviews of PG&E inspections of 1,087 distribution assets across the county and identified two deficiencies, which PG&E remediated.
• The monitor conducted quality assurance reviews of 214 miles of PG&E inspections of its circuits to verify PG&E’s compliance with vegetation management regulations. Across these 214 miles, the Monitor team observed 131 deficiencies, including hazardous trees and issues related to radial clearance. PG&E has cured or remediated 128 of these deficiencies and is in the process of remediating the final three.

The stipulated judgment against PG&E also imposed financial and performance obligations, including:

• PG&E has provided funding to the following local nonprofit organizations that have served members of the community impacted by wildfires: Conservation Corps North Bay, Nuestra Communidad, Council on Aging, Interfaith Shelter Network, Boys and Girls Club of Sonoma-Marin, Jameson Humane, Petaluma Health Center, West County Health Centers, Jewish Community Free Clinic, Alexander Valley Health Care, Sonoma Valley Community Health Center, and Fire Safe Sonoma.
• PG&E entered a memorandum of understanding with Santa Rosa Junior College to develop its fire safety and vegetation management curriculum and programs. This has enabled SRJC to offer the Utility Line Clearance Arboriculture Training Program for the first time.
• PG&E committed to creating and posting 100 new positions headquartered in or serving Sonoma County. To date, PG&E has filled 44 of those positions and is on track to exceed this required commitment.

"I am proud of my Office’s work to hold PG&E accountable for the Kincade Fire and to protect our community," District Attorney Rodriguez said. "That work is continued by the efforts of the Independent Monitor, who is carefully reviewing PG&E’s safety compliance in Sonoma County. I appreciate PG&E's efforts thus far to remedy any deficiencies discovered by the Monitor and am looking forward to continued progress and cooperation going forward."

The DA's Office provided the stipulated judgment for public review, as well as the second annual report.