San Diego Gas & Electric’s bid to recover $379 million in wildfire-related costs will soon be the subject of public meetings.
The California Public Utilities Commission has scheduled hearings on the matter for 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Jan. 9 at the California Center for the Arts Conference Center at 340 N. Escondido Blvd., in Escondido. The meetings will take place in the center’s Salon 1 room.
In a news release Dec. 5, the CPUC said it will take public comment on whether SDG&E exercised “reasonable” operation and management of its facilities prior to the Witch, Guejito and Rice wildfires that swept through parts of the utility’s territory in October 2007.
Based on prior decisions by the commission, the agency said, SDG&E must prove its wildfire-related costs were “prudently incurred by competent management exercising the best practices of the era, and using well-trained, well-informed and conscientious employees and contractors who are performing their jobs properly.” Unjust or unreasonable costs must not be recovered from ratepayers, it stated.
No official action will be taken at the hearings.
SDG&E is owned by Sempra Energy, a San Diego-based energy services holding company with 2015 revenues exceeding $10 billion.
