The practice began in California, and now Oregon is beginning to see electric utilities shutting off power to reduce the possibility of an electricity-sparked wildfire. So the state Public Utility Commission recently issued rules on the practice--Public Safety Power Shutoff--for the 2021 wildfire season.
The process is not as simple as flipping a switch, because many systems, including 911 responses, depend upon a steady supply of electricity.
PUC Commissioner Letha Tawney talks us through the rules set up for this year, in effect until November.