Ore. PUC Clears Wildfire Mitigation Rules
The Oregon Public Utility Commission voted 3-0 for wildfire mitigation rules for utility poles, at a virtual meeting Thursday. A 2021 state law required PUC regulations. The Oregon PUC order will include a 25% surcharge that electric utilities may assess…
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to pole-attaching entities for repairs or remediation of ignition risk on collocated facilities. CTIA and the Oregon Cable Telecommunications Association (OCTA) sought a 15% surcharge or limiting the 25% surcharge to certain poles or types of problems, said a PUC memo on proposed rules: Staff recommended keeping it at 25% to incentivize companies to fix issues quickly but also to allow a waiver process. Commissioners agreed. Also, the PUC supported CTIA’s suggestion that complaints filed by utilities should include an explanation about how a claimed violation is causing increased wildfire risk. And it agreed with OCTA to clearly require utilities to contact third-party equipment owners before determining facilities are abandoned.