Cspan. Next Senate Energy hearing on impact of wildfires on the electric grid. Lawmakers are looking at wildfire mitigation technology. Power management and system reliability. Were here to discuss wildfire and grids. In recent years, devastating and related electricity blackouts in california have drawn national maintaining grid resiliency in the face of stream conditions. Tragically we remember last years camp fire. Deadliest and destructive fire in california history which killed 85 people. The fire was caused about power linesyearold during so called fire weather. Winds, lowstrong humidity and heat. The camp fire was a sobering call on the risk of maintaining thousands of miles linesve ground power across fire prone landscapes. Regulatorscalifornia reekier to increase use of Public Safety or power shut off as a precaution to get possible wildfire ignition during high winds. Intended as a measure of last plans called for utilities to deenergize power lines in extreme weather conditions and blackout large portions of their service territory. From june to november, at least nine psps events cut power for than three million californians. For some, these blackouts lasted few hours. Others went on for nearly days. Ment repeat scenarioses could be with us for a very long time. According to the testimony that well hear today, wildfire blackouts could be californias to 30rmal for the next 10 years perhaps even longer. W. Would expect to see such and developingns country but not in some of our most populated and prosperous places here in the united states. Certainly not in a state with some of the highest electricity in the nation. But this challenge is not just california. Trees are and haddar hazard interfering with powerlines. Neither is degraded Energy Infrastructure. Bases, u. S. Forest Service Estimates more than 277 to 2018 can be lines. O power great Smoky Mountain wildfires were the deadliest in eastern u. S. My home state of alaska some north of anchorage connect to power lining ignition and region pretty high mortality. Investigation is still there. Elling pending there. A tree falling on a distribution mckinley lineof this summer. Danger in alaska is power necessarily located near home and businesses. Climate change, drought and infestation and poor forest made landscapes susceptible to fire. Inmore people build homes communities, the chances for utility related wildfires are increase. In this era of mega fires congress stepped to ensure that government is not a roadblock to clearing dense hazard trees. Electrice passed reliability protect act as part of the 2018 consolidated appropriation act. Law directs federal land managers to expedite clearing of within 100 feet on federal land. My understanding both department the interior and Forest Service are implementing that measure. Our attentionrn to what can be done to harden our Energy Infrastructure and the resiliencecy of our grid. This is a complex problem. Require collaboration with the electric industry. Who joinedse of you us to provide this important testimony. I thank colleagues for being will now turn to my friend, senator manchin for his comments. Thank you so much. Want to take a moment personal time here. Meetingll be the last of person who have been with me in my committee. Been with me in my state office by d. C. Office. Chief counsel there, she moved over when i became Ranking Member as the director our Ranking Member staff and job. Ndous she has two little babies. This life changes times. Bere so sorry that she wont on the committee or working in the committee or leading the staff. Always be near and dear to us. Phone. With that, i want to thank you service. Our years of [applause] chairman murkowski thank you hearing today on the relationship between wildfires and electric grid. Wildfires are a threat to Critical Infrastructure including the electric grid. As we seen in instances equipment failure on the grid can also spark wildfires. This is especially true for states. Entirelies are increasing intensity size and frequency. We will need a new approach to andgate devastating impacts ensure electricity infrastructure isnt starting the fire. Hard too are getting control through Climate Change, lack of management and new ruralg developments in fire proned areas. This is affecting millions of people. Fromk forward to hearing the panel and Management Practices and what innovative needed to reduce risk and cost. Department of energy in my home are working on modernizing electric grid to make it more resilient. There is no silver bullet. Should look to learn from the utilityings made their grids the wildfires thatto have the best maintenance programs. This. And for maintenance inspection practices, installations of new and improved technologies to detect problems early, Risk Mitigation like tree trimming or power and deenergyizing power lines as a last resort. Is shutting off the power with pg e. During unusually high winds. I can imagine how diseruptive that was to millions of and businesses that depend everyday on electricity that you provide. Will spain to us today why that was a step you circumstances and how effective they were. Offs, the pg e power shut 218 instances of line damage were discovered. 24 which would likely started wildfires cautionary actions. Shutoff may have prevented several fires but it came at a great cost. Question, if we have to shut off the power, how can we do it in a way that customers . T harm to i look forward to hearing from the witnesses about ways that congress can be helpful. Took a big step forward by including the provision in the 2018 omnibus make it easier for utilities to do their required especially for the small electrical coops. To makee your thoughts it easier to clean up after a wildfire, including making use timbers from the trees killed by the fire. Makes to sense to me at all. We want to avoid devastations wildfires. He in the face of increasing dodfire risks we need to everything we can to manage and reduce these rising risks. Hearing fromd to witnesses and what they have to say about how to do that. Thank you chairman murkowski. Thank all our witnesses for coming here today. Senator manchin. We will begin with our panel tos morning again, thank you each of you for being here and the contributions that you will to this very important discussion. Panel will be led off by mr. Bill johnson. Mr. Johnson is ceo and president for pg e corporation. Aknow that this has been difficult time for you, for all pg e family. It has been a significant and i know that you have made every effort to be open and transparent as you deal with this and share these Lessons Learned. Were very appreciative that youre here with us. Dr. Michael weara is research scholar. Mr. Scott corwin is the executive director for the north power association. Appreciate your contribution. Carl inhofe is the manager for the electricity market sector at one of our fabulous National Labs at Pacific Northwest national laboratory. Be roundedel will russell. B. Dawn dr. Russell is a professor and director at the Power System Automation Laboratory at the department of electrical and Computer Engineering at texas a m university. Here. Reciate you being we ask you to try to keep your comments to about five minutes. Your full statements will be included as part of the record. Mr. Johnson, welcome to the committee. Thank you so much. Good morning. Im bill johnson president and of pg e corporation. I appreciate the invitation to committeesthe interest in wildfires and the gridt to electric reliability and resilient. As its been mentioned, weve dramatic increase in wildfires as a result of a changing climate. Has dramatic effect on our electric system and how we operate. Ago, 15 ofears Pg E Service Area was designated elevated fire risk. That number is over 50 today. Will continue to grow. In seven years the risk of fire for ourn tripled service area in northern california. Also experiencing most destructive wildfires. Pg e is deeply sorry for the our equipment had in those fires and the losses that occurred because of them. Were taking action to prevent happening again. We invested over 30 billion in our electric system over the decade including more than 3 billion in Vegetation Management. Taking that work a step further by increasing Vegetation Management in the areas, incorporating analytical predictable capabilities. Year, we inspected every element within the high threat examining all 730,000 structures in four months. We deployed 600 weather stations in High Resolution cameras to Situational Awareness and Emergency Response. Using satellite data to predict wildfire spread and behavior. Were hardening in our system where fire threat is highest by installing stronger poles and covered lines as well as undergrounding. This year we talk the unprecedented step of turning off for safety during string severe wind events. Hour wind onles an shore in northern california. Affected millions of customers, causing disruption and hardship even as it succeeded in the goal of protecting human life. The nature of this risk and the consequences requires the plan, operate and maintain differently than we have. This will require a focus on asilience as well reliability. Thats one the lessons california. Eyond the committee already noted resilience and reliability are related. Our customers including critical and firstture responders have long depended on reliable services. But today american ever our ability to provide reliable arvice depends on comprehensive approach to. Esilience support research and development of new technologies and forwardlooking data and promoting Public Private partnerships and building codes standards. Specific to addressing the wildfire threat, we believe that the federal government should its focus on funding Forest Management and Fire Suppression activities, implementing forest and policies, management landing access to federal for prevention and response and authorizing federal agencies to share satellite data for wildfire detection. We know that addressing this ink must start with us and our own operation. Thats why were focused on a safety and riskbased approach to mitigating this industry. By saying, pg e remains committed to doing within our power to build a better and safer future for all. Thats what our customers deserve. Thank you for the opportunity. You mr. Johnson. Dr. Wara. Welcome. Murkowski and senator manchin thank you very much. Presence metl wildfire. By the these threats raise significant highions that cross the threat areas should be operated increasingly dangerous events. Wind discussed, pg e has faced enormous threats to firststem and has for the widespread Public Safety power shut off as a tool to create safety. As you mentioned, this is not just an issue for rural or remote parts of california but millionsrectly impacts of people in the metro areas in california as well. Of psps a preventive cause widespread disruptions. Psps are very costly to the health of the economy, especially in smaller communities. Thatst estimates indicates pg e, psps events in 2019 likely thancustomers more 10 billion. Failure of transmission not a new is phenomenon in california. 2007 witch fire was causedo county sdg e transmission line failure. This year, failure of a jumper a 230kb line in the geysers appears to have caused the fire. E superblyde fire was it could have resulted property losses. Theres at least a suggestion that two fires in Southern California were potentially caused by failure thissystem year. Firesasize that the 2019 still very much under investigation. We dont fully understand their causes. But theres strong suggestion of vulnerability in the Transmission System. Prayer to prior to this year, it was relatively limited. Mostly involved lower voltage, transmission lines that were much older. Failures we observed this year indicate that even the thatr voltage lines provides reliability maybe vulnerable during high wind events. It was prudent based on experience to consider including theof these lines except very highest voltage line in the has protocols and that potentially significant systemations for bulk reliability in california and impacts beyond the high wildfire threat. Currently, california regulators engaged ines are urgent examination of expectation and testing components. R these to understand why the failures are occurring. Tower that, the caused the fire was inspected last 2 24 over the months. Yet it failed. Why. Ed to understand can mitigation actions we take. All this raises important question about how to approach and system Maintenance Operations moving forward. Some risklly, mechanical failure was acceptable because the failures occur during wet winter storms. Today in california, the failure worry most about is mechanical failure when its the fuels areand cured. These conditions are highly of theant of any failure Transmission System to operate properly. In the consequence mode it much lower. This problem is going to get years not better as the pass. Its likely to spread beyond california into a broader impacts on the western united states. Legislature and Governor Newsom is worked successfully last year to reduce the risks of and financial these impacts on customers, on the utilities and victims of fire. Passage of the Wildfire Fund legislation this summer which provided a possible pg e out of bankruptcy. Also helped stabilize credit ratings. I think we all have to focus on affordability and cost effectiveness of the strategy as we look to the future. Weordability is key as maintain safety and reliability of the system. Require veryto smart and very targeted investment in the electricity system. Much more to require sophisticated approaches to measurement in the system performance. Problems can be identified and fixed before disaster strikes. Its going to require collaboration between local anderty owners, local state federal government and firefighters in reducing fuel loads. Of ignitionquences are less. Im hopeful Lessons Learned in past severaler the years catastrophe, can be western for other states that the wildfire threat both from the electric system causes increases due to Climate Change. Thank you. Dr. Wara. Ou mr. Corwin, thank you. Thank you chairman murkowski. Ranking member manchin and members of the committee for holding this hearing today. Dedicated toy so safety, reliability and affordability for our customers, out as a major threat to all three principles. Something that demands our effort. Northwest Public Power Association is comprised of utilitieslectric across the region with land thats mostly under federal in many places and many of the largest wildfires occur. Areas your in these family, your friends are very real in these areas. My fatherinlaw was a smoke the 1960s in oregon. Still lives in northern nevada wildfires reach their. Uburban neighborhoods fire is one the greatest risk to Financial Stability of our members and it threatens their basicy to provide that electricity service. They have mobilized and analyzed gaps and needs. Implemented plans that throughs dozens of actions on topics like enhanced operational practices, Situational Awareness, vegetation hardening, system circuit reclosing and others youll hear about today. You in congress for your work and this all takes funding. Stabilizing and starting to stabilize the funding. Its an important part of this equation. We its important that prioritize that funding and get the best bang for the buck. Members know the best way to avoid fire to eliminate fuel or the first place. Unfortunately delays aremoving that or widening corridors haveo longer wide enough exacerbated. That end we thank you for the amendment last year to federal land policy Management Act to promote consistency, accountability and timely decisionmaking. For consistent, coordinated, quick implementation of this law. The u. S. Forest service issued a proposed rule this week, blm has instructional memos to state office in the west. Still, we highlight several things that the agencies move to ensure grid safety, reliability and resilience. We need consistent guidelines that eliminate the need for case by case approvals for routine of hazard and control trees. We like to see a culture of responsiveness. Relationshipsood with the hard working employee service. D the forest they share our goal of good stewardship of federal land more standards, time line and collaboration with operators sides and upall most important. We are fully use of Agency Discretion to identify the categorical exclusions to the prosses under the National Environmental policy act. Work andnd regular hazard tree removal. We need more training for agency especially on electrical system knowledge and were ready to provide it as the law outlines. We like to see implementation of the provision allowing quick trees. On hazard this is really vital to action oprotect people in our systems and its important that we see implementation of the provisions on liability. Theres been lot of uncertainty and theres layers at the state local level that utilities need to comply with and that create risks and even when theres no indication that a utility cause an event, sometimes theyll receive an from a state or federal agency without process. Finally we should build on the coordination that were seeing increasingly among utilities and federal and state