TRAGESER: An appearance of petulance

By JIM TRAGESER - Staff Writer | Sunday, October 5, 2008 6:08 PM PDT ∞

The announcement Thursday by San Diego Gas & Electric that it will turn off power to backcountry customers during extreme Santa Ana conditions has the feel of an angry child stamping his feet in frustration.

Coming as it does on the heels of the state billing the local power utility $21 million for having its power transmission lines start two massive wildfires a year ago (and still facing several lawsuits by folks who lost their homes and/or businesses to the Witch Creek and Rice Canyon fires), the decision to simply turn off the juice when fire conditions are bad comes across as little more than corporate petulance.

The suspicion that this is a petty power play is only exacerbated by the fact that the much larger high-volume lines will be kept open at all times; it's only the local service that's going to be cut off during dangerous conditions. It sure looks as if SDG&E is trying to prove it has the ability to inconvenience customers who file complaints ---- yet not going so far as to tick off so many customers that there's a serious backlash.

Now, appearances can be deceiving ---- something to keep in mind as we all absorb the utility's announcement.

If SDG&E is to be held legally and financially liable for fires started by its power lines, then it has the right (and obligation to its shareholders) to take reasonable, prudent steps to protect itself from future liability.

But Thursday's announcement affecting up to 45,000 homes and businesses in an area taking in everywhere from Palomar to Julian to points south toward the border was not presented in a reasonable, prudent manner.

There was no public discussion ahead of this very serious policy change.

And while SDG&E's parent company, Sempra Energy, is indeed a private company, SDG&E is a state-sanctioned utility. A licensed monopoly, guaranteed by the state to operate without competition.

As such, SDG&E possesses quasi-government powers.

With those powers should come quasi-government accountability and transparency.

If indeed the only way for SDG&E to lower its risk when fire danger is high is to shut down the power lines to the back country, then that may be something residents in those areas have to learn to live with. Those who have lost their homes to previous wildfires may well agree that such inconvenience is a small price to pay.

On the other hand, backcountry residents with serious medical conditions who rely on an uninterrupted supply of electricity may feel differently. (Of course, they presumably have a backup plan in place, as the power already can and does go out in those areas when the winds are high, simply because lines get knocked down.)

But the larger point is: Before springing a major change in policy on the community, SDG&E has a responsibility to have a public discussion. The community should have the chance to bring in outside experts and to talk to other utilities serving Southern California that presumably must deal with Santa Ana winds and dangerous fire conditions in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The time to send out the information packets SDG&E says it has mailed to affected customers was before the new policy was enacted, not after.

Contact staff writer Jim Trageser at (760) 740-5408 or jtrageser@nctimes.com.

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