Jul
y 25, 2022
Pr
esident Anson Moran
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
525 Golden Gate Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102
Re:
Resolution Adopted by the SFPUC Citizens’ Advisory Committee Dear
President Moran,
Thi
s letter is to inform you that the SFPUC Citizens’ Advisory Committee voted at their July 19, 2022, meeting, to pass a Resolution in Support of Electric Grid Reliability on Treasure Island.
Pl
ease see the attached adopted resolution.
The S
FPUC Citizens’ Advisory Committee was established by ordinance to publicly discuss and make recommendations to the General Manager of the Public Utilities Commission, the Public Utilities Commission, and the Board of Supervisors on the agency's long-term strategic, financial, and capital improvement plans. Our seventeen members are appointed by each of the Supervisors, with additional appointments by the Board President and the Mayor.
We
appreciate the opportunity to comment on this important topic and look forward to having staff report back on the progress made towards the recommendations.
Si
ncerely,
Em
ily Algire
Full CAC Secretary
cc: D
ennis Herrera, SFPUC General Manager
Masood Ordikhani, Assistant General Manager, External Affairs Barbara Hale, Assistant General Manager, Power Enterprise Ramon Abueg, Deputy Assistant General Manager for Operations, Power Enterprise
PROPOUNDED BY: Barklee Sanders
Resolution in Support of Electric Grid Reliability on Treasure Island
Sponsors: Barklee Sanders; Moisés García
WHEREAS, On February 18, 2022, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission confirmed that approximately 124 unplanned power outages have occurred on Treasure Island since January 2016; and
WHEREAS, The SFPUC has an Interconnection Agreement with the Port of Oakland and pays an annual fee directly to the Port to deliver electricity to Treasure Island; and
WHEREAS, currently residents and businesses (or their landlords) on Treasure Island pay electricity rates set by the Treasure Island Development Authority (TIDA); and
WHEREAS, Customers who will be served by the new infrastructure being deployed as part of the redevelopment project will become direct customers of SFPUC’s Hetch Hetchy Power program and will pay SFPUC-set electricity rates; and
WHEREAS, The existing electrical system on Treasure Island is owned and overseen by TIDA, is not part of PG&E’s transmission and distribution system, and does not fall under the regulatory oversight of the California Public Utilities Commission; and
WHEREAS, The SFPUC makes recommendations to TIDA to upgrade the existing electrical infrastructure, and those recommendations are reviewed and approved by TIDA based on priorities, budget, and other factors, and, upon TIDA approval, the SFPUC will implement the electrical infrastructure upgrades; and
WHEREAS, The City’s adopted approach to upgrading utilities on the island, such as power, water, and sewer services, has been to enter into a development agreement that binds the developer to finance the replacement of the utility systems over time; and
WHEREAS, The existing electrical distribution system has exceeded its expected life and, while TIDA has made some investments to enhance system reliability and serviceability, a broad upgrade utilizing long-term revenue bonds is not feasible; and
WHEREAS, SFPUC staff have stated that an ideal goal for reliable electrical service is no more than three power outages per year and one hour or less for each occurrence; and now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Citizens’ Advisory C
ommittee supports the SFPUC’s recommendations to TIDA that will help improve reliability of the island’s current electricity grid in the next five years; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Citizens’ Advisory Committee supports a study to determine necessary improvements and replacement of the power infrastructure on Treasure Island to improve the reliability of the services to all residential and business customers; and be it PROPOUNDED BY: Barklee Sanders
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Citizens’ Advisory Committee urges the Mayor and Board of Supervisors to ensure that a full inspection of the electric distribution system on Treasure Island and Yerba Island is conducted by SFPUC and an independent third party; and in accordance with California Public Utilities Commission General Order 165, a plan is established to replace aged electrical infrastructures, and report on the inspection results and details of plans for improvement regularly; and be it
FINALLY RESOLVED, That the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Citizens’ Advisory Committee supports upgrading the electric distribution system on Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island to achieve a reasonable level of safety and reliability for pre and post DDA residents.
As adopted by the Full Citizens’ Advisory Committee on July 19, 2022.