DATE: June 18, 2019
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Jean M. Rousseau, County Administrative Officer / Emergency Services Director
David Pomaville, Public Health Director/ Assistant Emergency Services Director
SUBJECT: Non-Disclosure Agreement and Mutual Assistance Agreement with PG&E
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Adopt and authorize Chairman to execute a Non-Disclosure and Mutual Assistance Agreement with Pacific Gas and Electric Company for access to Confidential Customer Information to carry out emergency service functions in response to a public emergency, effective upon execution;
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute a Non-Disclosure Certificate with Pacific Gas and Electric Company providing terms and restrictions safeguarding Confidential Customer Information; and
3. Approve and authorize the Director of the Department of Public Health, or designee, and Department employees identified as having a need to access Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s secure data transfer portal to execute the Public Safety Power Shutoff Portal User Information Form.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended actions will authorize access to Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E) secure data transfer portal to identified County employees to carry out emergency service functions in response to a public emergency. The recommended agreement will allow PG&E to provide information regarding the location of Medical Baseline customers on life support equipment and other critical essential non-residential PG&E customers during an emergency event. The access enhances response to evolving weather and potential fire hazards to vulnerable populations. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If your Board does not approve the recommended actions, the County will not be provided this additional resource during an emergency or power safety shutoff event.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. PG&E will allow access to their web portal to a limited number of identified Department staff at no cost to the County upon execution of the Public Safety Power Shutoff Portal User Information Form. The system will be accessed remotely through the internet and does not require any Department staff time to coordinate or maintain the web portal.
DISCUSSION:
Beginning with the 2019 wildfire season, as an additional precautionary measure to further reduce risks and keep customers and communities safe, PG&E expanded its Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program to include all electric lines that pass through high fire-threat areas - both distribution and transmission. While customers in high fire-threat areas are more likely to be affected, any of PG&E’s more than five million electric customers could have their power shutoff if their community relies upon a line that passes through a high fire-threat area.
PSPS is one component of the Community Wildfire Safety Program that PG&E has created a set of procedures for:
• Monitoring fire danger conditions
• Determining what combination of conditions necessitate turning off lines for safety
• Identifying potentially impacted areas
• Notifying customers, municipalities, agencies and critical facilities
• Restoring power as quickly as possible once it is safe to do so
If extreme fire danger conditions threaten a portion of the electric system serving a community, it may be necessary for PG&E to shutoff electricity in the interest of public safety. During an emergency event, the collection of data and geolocation (i.e. people, homes, or critical infrastructure) play a vital role in saving lives and protecting infrastructure. To help cities, counties, and emergency service providers prepare, PG&E is establishing a secure data transfer portal to provide event-specific maps and the number of customers, including medical baseline and critical facilities in the potentially impacted areas. This information will be provided in a secure PG&E web portal in advance of and during an event and will be specific to potential PSPS areas within the County.
Along with providing electric and gas service to the residents of the County, PG&E is an important partner during a disaster or emergency event. The recommended agreement allows PG&E to release contact information to the County to support both PG&E utility and public emergency response services to such customers who may be subject to potential imminent threat to life or property or other emergency needs. The information is important and necessary in assuring an appropriate response to a potential long-term power outage.
The proposed Non-Disclosure Certificate grants access to confidential customer information pursuant the terms and restrictions of the resolution. Identified employees would complete the Public Safety Power Shutoff Portal User Information Form.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Non-Disclosure and Mutual Assistance Agreement
On file with Clerk - Non-Disclosure Certificate
On file with Clerk - Public Safety Power Shutoff Portal User Information Form
CAO ANALYST:
Sonia M. De La Rosa