BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 1409
Page A
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 1409 (Hill)
As Amended August 21, 2014
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :36-0
UTILITIES & COMMERCE 14-0
APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Bradford, Patterson, |Ayes:|Gatto, Bigelow, |
| |Bonilla, Buchanan, | |Bocanegra, Bradford, Ian |
| |Ch�vez, Dahle, Fong, Beth | |Calderon, Campos, |
| |Gaines, Garcia, | |Donnelly, Eggman, Gomez, |
| |Roger Hern�ndez, Jones, | |Holden, Jones, Linder, |
| |Mullin, Quirk, Rendon | |Pan, Quirk, |
| | | |Ridley-Thomas, Wagner, |
| | | |Lowenthal |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requires the California Public Utilities Commission
(PUC) to publish an annual report that includes descriptions of
investigations into gas or electric safety incidents reported by
any gas or electric corporations, and requires the PUC to
publish in its annual workplan a summary of these
investigations, including those that remain open, along with a
link to an Internet Web site containing the annual safety
investigation report. Specifically this bill :
1)Directs the PUC to publish its annual safety investigation
report beginning February 1, 2016, and requires the report to:
a) Succinctly describe each safety investigation concluded
during the prior calendar year, along with each
investigation that remains open.
b) Include the month of the incident, the reason for the
investigation, the facility type involved, and the owner of
the facility.
2)Requires the PUC, in its annual work plan, to include:
a) A summary of staff safety investigations concluded
SB 1409
Page B
during the prior calendar year.
b) Staff safety investigations that remain open for any gas
corporation or electrical corporation.
c) A link to the Internet Web site containing the annual
gas and electric safety report.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, minor, if any, additional state costs.
COMMENTS :
1)Author's statement: "An annual reporting requirement will
raise the profile of accident investigations with CPUC
management and the public and will be consistent with the
CPUC's focus on transparency in safety matters."
2)PUC safety investigations. Safety investigations serve
various purposes. They a) help utilities, PUC staff, and the
public learn from accidents and prevent future accidents; b)
serve as a prerequisite for PUC enforcement actions; and c)
guide decisions related to whether claims against utilities
are an expense recoverable in future rates.
The PUC has issued several orders related to safety
investigations, but even with these rules in place,
information surrounding safety investigations is not always
available. According to the PUC's 2009 (and regrettably, most
recent) Electric, Natural Gas, and Propane Safety Report, the
PUC received 82 reports related to natural gas incidents and
93 related to electric incidents in 2009.<1> A typical
timetable for investigations is not outlined, thus it is
unclear whether incidents occurring in 2009 have been fully
investigated. Furthermore, the number of incidents occurring
since 2009 is unknown.
Safety investigations are initially conducted by PUC staff,
and if deemed necessary, the commission may open a formal
proceeding (an order instituting investigation - OII) to
further investigate the incident. OIIs are outlined in the
PUC's annual workplan, but the open staff safety
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<1>
http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/NR/rdonlyres/BDDBF3F2-8BE0-4C70-8D25-7987A
CF3E7CD/0/2009USRBANNUALREPORT.pdf
SB 1409
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investigations are not. This bill seeks to require inclusion
and descriptions of open PUC staff safety investigations in
the annual workplan.
3)PUC rulemaking on safety enforcement. As per SB 291 (Hill),
Chapter 601, Statutes of 2013, the PUC has opened a proceeding
to implement an electric safety enforcement program by January
1, 2015, and a gas safety enforcement program by July 1,
2014.<2>
Analysis Prepared by : Brandon Gaytan / U. & C. / (916)
319-2083
FN: 0005216
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<2>
http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M091/K638/91
638006.PDF