Stop at 11 00 am this morning, weve got a series of votes, ant we are going to observe an actual ten minute clock. Its the first time in senate history, but thats the goal this morning. So we want to be able to hear from everyone this morning, ande have an opportunity for the very, very important conversations regarding this issue. We are here today to discuss the impact of wildfires on the reliability of our electric grid and efforts to mitigate wildfire risk and increase grid resiliency. In recent years, devastating wildfires and related electricity blackouts in california have drawn National Attention to the challenge of maintaining grid resiliency in the face of extreme conditions. Tragically, we remember last years camp fire, the deadliest and most destructive fire inou california history, which incinerated the town of paradise, killed 85 people. Ve state investigators determined that the fire was caused by degraded, 97year old power lines during socalled fire weather, strong winds, low humidity, dry vegetation, and heat. The camp fire was a sobering wakeup call on the inherent risk of maintaining thousands of miles of aboveground power lines across fireprone landscapes. It spurred california regulators and several of the states largest utilities to increase their use of Public Safety power shutoffs, or psps plans, as a precaution against possible wildfire ignitions during high wind events. Intended as a measure of last resort, psps plans call for utilities to deenergize power lines in extreme weather conditions and blackout large portions of their service territory. From june through november, at least nine psps events cut power for more than three million californians. For some, these blackouts lasted a few hours. Others, however, went without power for nearly six days. These blackouts occurred not only in the rugged terrain of Northern California, but also in the greater metro areas of san francisco, san diego, and los angeles county. Repeat scenarios could be with us for a very long time. According to the testimony we will hear today, wildfire blackouts could be californias new normal for the next 10 to 30 years, or even longer. One would expect to see such Living Conditions in a developing county, not in some of the most populated and prosperous places in the United States. And certainly not in a state with some of the highest electricity prices in the nation. This challenge is not limited to california, however. R. Dense vegetation and hazard trees interfering with power lines are not an uncommon cause of wildfires. Neither is degraded Energy Infrastructure. On a national basis, the u. S. Forest Service Estimates that more than 277 fires from 2017 to 2018 can be traced to power lines. Several of the fires that merged into the 2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires were started by winddowned power lines. The Great Smoky Mountains wildfires were the deadliest in the eastern u. S. Since the great fires of 1947. In my home state of alaska, some fires in the matsu valley north of anchorage are believed to be connected to power line ignitions in a region with high spruce bark beetle mortality. An investigation is still pending, but a tree falling onto a distribution line is the suspected cause of the mckinley fire this summer, which resulted in the loss of 56 e homes. The danger in alaska, like elsewhere in the nation, is that power lines are necessarily located near homes, schools, and businesses. Climate change, drought, insect infestation, and poor Forest Management have made forest landscapes more susceptible to fire, particularly in the west. As more people build homes in the wildlandurban interface or in dispersed forest communities, the chances for utilityrelated wildfires are sure to increase. In this era of megafires, congress has stepped in to ensure that the federal government is not a roadblock to clearing dense vegetation and hazard trees from utility rightsofway. In 2018, we passed the electric reliability and forestli protection act as part of the 2018 consolidated appropriations act. That law directs federal land managers to expedite the clearing of vegetation within 100 feet of power line corridors on federal land. It is my understanding that both the department of the interior and the Forest Service are now implementing that important measure. Now, we must turn our attention to what can be done to harden our Energy Infrastructure and improve the resiliency of our grid in high firerisk areas during these extreme weather conditions. H this is a complex problem that is going to require collaboration at all levels in partnership with the electric industry. So i thank those of you that have joined us this morning to provide important this important testimony, i thank my colleagues being here, and i will now turn to friend, senator manchin for his comments before we turn to the panel. Thank you so much, chairman murkowski. Before i go to Opening Statements i want to take a moment of personal time if i can. Today will be last meeting of a person whos been with me for quite a long time in my committee. Shes been withmi me in my state office, not the state office, but my d. C. Office. She was my chief counsel there and she moved over when i became Ranking Member as the director of the Ranking Member staff and done a tremendous job. Sarah has a new little baby so sheew now has two little babies and things in life change as times and were just so sorry that she wont be on the committee or working in the committee or leaving the staff that she will always be near and dear to us by her phone, and we will not let her escape too far. So with that, sarah, i want to thank you for all your years of service. [applause] so chairman murkowski, thank you for holding a hearing today on relationship between wildfires and electric grid. Wildfires a threat to Critical Infrastructure including the electric grid but as weve seen in some instances of equipment for use on the grid can also sparked wildfires. This is true for western states. We haves. Seen several catastrophic fires in california but this impacts eastern states, too. In my home state of westt virginia is not been exempted over the thanks to giving weaka fiber in 1300 acres in west virginia. No homes were damaged but other communities across the country have not been so lucky. Over the last few years california has been extremely hardhit by wildfires and the impacts have been truly devastating. Last year the campfire camp fie killed 85, destroyed 14,000 homes in the town of paradise. I appreciate mr. Bill johnson president Pg E Corporation being here today and willing to talk about his Companies Understand of the mistakesmp that were mad, the Lessons Learned and operational changes pg e is making to ensure this never happens again. Wildfires are increasing iny, intensity, size and frequency and we will need a new approach to mitigate their devastating impacts and ensure electricity in startingre is the fires. They also are getting harder to control due to Climate Change, lack of Forest Management and new Housing Developments in rural fire prone areas. This is affecting millions of people. I look for viewing from a panel about available technologies and Management Practices and what Innovative Solutions are needed to reduce risk and cost to the department of energy and our National Labs including in my home state are working on modernizing electric grid to make it more we think that we need to make sure this effort is addressing relationship between wildfires and the grid both in terms of wildfires impacting the grid and also electricity infrastructure igniting wildfires. There is no Silver Bullet but we cant and should look to learn from utilities that it made their grids the most resilient to wildfires that that the best mens programs and the best service delivery. This goes for maintenance and inspection practices installations of new and improvedls technologies to detet problems early, Risk Mitigation like tree trimming or bearing powerlines and the energizing powerlines as a last resort. Of course a last resort shutting off the power which pg e of utilities have done proactively several times in recent months during unusual high winds. I can imagine how disruptive that was the millions of customers and businesses that in every day on electricity you provide. I hope you will explain to us today why that was a step he took in this particular circumstances and how effective they were. I understand thank you, madam chair of the pg e power shutoffs, 218 instances of wind damage were discovered. 24 of which would likely have started wildfires if you have not takenak precautionary actio. So the shuttle may prevent a civil fires but also came at great cost. It raises the question, if were to shut off the power, how quicr you in with the causes the least harm to customers . Finally i lookt for doing from the witnesses about ways that congress can be helpful. I know we took a big step forward by including the provision in the 2010 o omnibus bill to make it easier for you chose to do the required maintenance, especially for the somalia role of electrical coops. I welcome your thoughts on additional actions we can take to make it easier to clean up and marry after wildfire including making use of some of the timber from the trees killed by the fire before the timber rots. It makes no sense to me at all. We want to avoid the devastation caused by wildfires and have reliable electric grid to power our homes and our businesses. In the face of increasing wildfire risk, we need to do everything we can to manage and reduce these rising risks. I look forward r to ring from te witnesses and what they havero o say about howha to do that. So thank you, chairman and i thank all of our witnesses for coming and making the effort to be a a today. Thank you, senator manchin. We will begin with our panel this morning. Again, thank you to each of you for being here and thebu contributions that you will make to this very important discussion. The panel will be laid off this morning by mr. Bill johnson, mr. Johnson is ceo and president for Pg E Corporation. I note thatt this has been a vey difficult time for you, for all within pg e family. It is, it has been a significant challenge, and i know you have made every effort to be open and as you deal with this and share these Lessons Learned, so we are very appreciative youre here with us this morning. Dr. Michael wara is also with us, Senior Research scholar at stanford woods and find for the Stanford Woods Institute for the department. Mr. Scotts going is executive director for the northwest Public Power Association. Appreciate your contribution. Carl imhoff is the manager for the electricity market sector at one of our fabulous National Labs at Pacific NorthwestNational Laboratory. We are thankful you here. And the panel will be rounded off by dr. Don russell, a professor and director of the Power System Automation Laboratory at the department of electrical and Computer Engineering at texas a m university. So we appreciate you being here. We would ask you to try to keep your comments to about five pins. Your full statements will beil included as part of the record and didnt live an opportunity for the back and forth. Mr. Johnson, welcome. Thank you so much comfortably. Im bill johnson president andoo ceo of Pg E Corporation. I appreciate invitation to be here and the Committee Interest in wildfires and impacts to electric grid reliability and resilience. As has been mentioned, and california and throughout thehe west weve seen a dramatic increase in wildfires are as result of a changing climate which interns has to medical effects on our electric system and howec we operate. Just seven years ago, 15 of our service area was designated as having elevated fire risk. That number is over 50 today and it will continue to grow. So in seven years the risk of fire more than tripled for our service area in Northern California and california is also expense this post restrictive wildfires in the past two years and its deadliest. Pg e is give peace are for the role thatso our equipment had in the first and the losses that occurred. We have taken action to prevent it from ever happening again. We invested over 30 billion and our electric system over the last decade including more than 3 billion in Vegetation Management. And today were taking that work a step further by increasing Vegetation Management and the high risk areas, incorporating analytical and predictive capabilities, and c expanding te scope and intrusiveness of our inspection processes. This year we inspected every element of our electric system within the high threat fire areas, examined almost 730,000 structures 30,000 structures and 25 million discrete related components in about four monster we do put 600 weather stations and 130 highresolution cameras across our service area to bolster Situational Awareness and emergency response. We are using satellite data and modeling techniques to predict wildfires spread and behavior, and we are hardening our system in those areas where the fire threat is highest by installing stronger and more resilient polls and covered lines as well as underground. Did she we took the unprecedented step of intentionally turning off power for safety during a string of severe wind events where we saw hour winds on an short in Northern California. This decision affected millions of our customers, cause them description disruption and hardship even as it succeed in the goal of protecting human life. The nature of this risk at the potential consequence of it requires to plan, operate and maintain our system differently though ever have and this will require a focus on resilience as well as reliability. Thats one of the lessons that is applicable beyond california and the committee has noted this. The this. The resilience and reliability are relateded but distinct concepts. Our customers including Critical Infrastructure and First Responders have long depended on Reliable Service, but today more than ever our ability to provide Reliable Service depends on a comprehensive societal approache to resilience. Congress addressed reliabilityco through section 215 of the federal power act nearly 15 years ago. Congress can address resilience now to potential actions that include directing d. O. E. To develop a framework and process for economic costbenefit analysis, increased eligibility and funding for existing Energy Assistance and Community Resilience programs, support research and development of new technologies and forwardlooking data, and promoting publicprivate partnerships to establish voluntary resilience zones and building codes and standards. Specific to addressing the wildfire threat, we believe the federal government should continueer its focus on funding Forest Management and Fire Suppression activities, implementing forest in Vegetation Management policies advanced by senator daines and others, ensuring access to federal lands for prevention and response, and authorizing federal agencies to share satellite data for wildfire detection. We of course know that addressing this risk muster with us and in her own operations and thats what were focused on safety and riskbased approach to mitigating the dynamic risk facing this company and industry. Let me conclude by saying that pg e remains committed to doing everything in our power to build a better and safer future for all. Thats what our customers deserve. Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you mr. R. Johnson. Doctor ware, welcome. [inaudible] sorry. Senator murkowski, senator manchin, thank you very much for having me before the committee to discuss this issue. There are real present threats to the Transmission System present by wildfire. Elise and the a california contt these threats are a significant questions regarding how and if the element of the Transmission System across the high threat and they should be operated during increasingly common and increasingly dangerous late fall dry, high wind events. As bill johnson just discussed, pg e has faced enormous threats to its system and has really for the first time this a year used widespread Public Safety power shutoffs as a tool to create safety, and as you mentioned in your opening remarks, this is not just an issue for rural or remote parts of california but i really directly impacts millions of people in the metro areas in california as well. The use of psps as both preventive wildfire and cause widespread disruption families and businesses, especially