Friday, I wrote an article on Puget Sound Energy?s performance during the January 2012 snowstorm.
Jeff Goltz, chair, WUTC
Monday, I interviewed Jeff Goltz, chair of the Washington State Utilities and Transportation Commission, the agency that regulates investor-owned utilities including PSE, about PSE?s ?January 2012 Pacific Northwest Snowstorm ? After Action Review.?
Goltz said the commission has no position on the report, prepared by KEMA, a PSE consultant. However, he said he has talked to PSE about it.
Goltz said the Hanukkah Eve 2006 Windstorm report, also by KEMA, was all critical and heaped criticism on PSE. The 2012 snowstorm analysis ?was a much more favorable report,? he said.
When asked if he thinks an independent report is needed, Goltz said he views the 2012 report as independent because KEMA was critical of PSE?s performance in 2006.
When asked why no customers were interviewed for the report, he said it would be good to get a ?broader view next time.?
Going forward, Goltz said he thinks the new the Outage Management System and the use of technology in the field are ?both good steps.? PSE plans to use iPads and GPS units to communicate damage assessment data from the field rather than having the assessments called in and written down.
After that, he thinks use of a smart grid, such as the project Avista is working on that can automatically detect and report outages and sometimes make repairs, will improve responsiveness. Avista is an investor-owned utility serving customers in Eastern Washington and Idaho.
Goltz, who spent most of the two days his power was out during the 2012 storm in his Olympia office where there was heat and he had work to do, thought the information on PSE?s website was useful.
He said he could see where PSE?s reliance on the Internet to get information out on outages would be a problem for people like me who don?t have access to the Internet when their power goes out.
On vegetation management, Goltz said PSE has stepped up efforts since 2001, according to a 2009 vegetation report.
When asked about information presented at the March 19 commission meeting that PSE reduced its vegetation management program expenditures from $11.7 million in 2010 to $10.2 million in 2011, Goltz said he didn?t recall that information, but would look into it.
If PSE has reduced its expenditures on vegetation management, he said the commission could address the issue in its next PSE rate increase case.
Also in that case, Goltz said the company will present information to the commission on how much money it spent on the 2012 snowstorm.
These expenditures aren?t included in the rates yet, he said. All PSE customers still pay a little money each month for the 2006 Hanukkah Eve windstorm costs, because those costs are spread out over a number of years, he added.
Goltz said PSE is working to fix the problems with its communications system, parts of which failed several times during the 2012 snowstorm.
While I appreciated Goltz being available for a 15-minute interview and giving me his views on PSE?s 2012 snowstorm response, I don?t think that the commission is giving this matter enough attention.
In its report quoting PSE officials, I didn?t think the company showed much regard for what customers went through during the storm.
A great deal of attention was paid to improved communications during the 2012 snowstorm response, with the report saying that PSE being able to ?own? the story in its work with the media and not lose control of it as the days progressed.
About 20 photographers were hired to put photos on Flickr.
Social media, which I couldn?t access, was used successfully, according to PSE officials, who plan to rely on it more heavily in upcoming outages.
I suggest that the commissioners prepare an official response on PSE?s 2012 snowstorm report.
In March, customers attended a hearing on PSE?s 2012 snowstorm response. On June 19, a report was issued.
The commission, as PSE?s regulators, need to tell PSE customers what actions, if any, they are going to require of the utility on storm response based on the 2012 snowstorm, .
For more information for boomer consumers, see my blog The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide.
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