Bear Valley Electric Service Wildfire Mitigation Plan 2021 Annual Filing March 5, 2021 ©2021 Bear Valley Electric Service, Inc. Bear Valley Electric Service Wildfire Mitigation Plan – 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... ii Executive Summary ..................................................................................................... iii 0. Glossary of Defined Terms ....................................................................................... 1 1. Persons Responsible for Executing the WMP ........................................................ 9 1.1 Verification ................................................................................................................................... 12 2. Adherence to statutory Requirements .................................................................. 13 3. Actuals and Planned Spending for Mitigation Plan .............................................. 16 3.1 Summary of WMP Initiative Expenditures ................................................................................... 16 3.2 Summary of Ratepayer Impact ................................................................................................... 17 4. Lessons Learned and Risk Trends ........................................................................ 18 4.1 Lessons Learned: How Tracking Metrics on the 2020 Plan has Informed the 2021 Plan .......... 18 4.2 Understanding Major Trends impacting Ignition Probability and Wildfire Consequence ............ 18 4.2.1 Service Territory Fire-Threat Evaluation and Ignition Risk Trends ................................ 26 4.3 Change in Ignition Probability Drivers ......................................................................................... 32 4.4 Research Proposals and Findings .............................................................................................. 34 4.4.1 Research Proposals ....................................................................................................... 35 4.4.2 Research Findings .......................................................................................................... 35 4.5 Model and Metric Calculation Methodologies ............................................................................. 35 4.5.1 Additional Models for Ignition Probability, Wildfire and PSPS Risk ............................... 35 4.5.2 Calculation of Key Metrics .............................................................................................. 47 4.6 Progress Reporting on Past Deficiencies ................................................................................... 51 5. Inputs to the Plan and Directional Vision for WMP .............................................. 56 5.1 Goal of Wildfire Mitigation Plan ................................................................................................... 56 5.2 The Objectives of the Plan .......................................................................................................... 56 5.3 Plan Program Targets ................................................................................................................. 57 5.4 Planning for Workforce and Other Limited Resources ............................................................... 70 5.4.1 Target Role: Vegetation Inspections .............................................................................. 72 5.4.2 Target Role: Vegetation Management Projects ............................................................. 74 5.4.3 Target Role: Asset Inspections ...................................................................................... 74 5.4.4 Target Role: Grid Hardening .......................................................................................... 76 5.4.5 Target Role: Risk Event Inspections .............................................................................. 79 6. Performance Metrics and Underlying Data ........................................................... 81 6.1 Recent Performance on Progress Metrics, Last 5 Years ............................................................ 81 6.2 Recent Performance on Outcome Metrics, Annual and Normalized for Weather, Last 5 Years 81 6.3 Description of Additional Metrics ................................................................................................. 81 6.4 Detailed Information Supporting Outcome Metrics ..................................................................... 82 Page ii ©2021 Bear Valley Electric Service, Inc. Bear Valley Electric Service Wildfire Mitigation Plan – 2021 6.5 Mapping Recent, Modelled, and Baseline Conditions ................................................................ 82 6.6 Recent Weather Patterns, Last 5 Years ..................................................................................... 83 6.7 Recent and Projected Drivers of Ignition Probability .................................................................. 83 6.8 Baseline State of Equipment and Wildfire and PSPS Event Risk Reduction Plans ................... 83 6.8.1 Current Baseline Status of Service Territory and Utility Equipment ............................... 83 6.8.2 Additions, Removal, and Upgrade of Utility Equipment by End of 3-Year Plan Term.... 84 7. Mitigation Initiatives ................................................................................................ 85 7.1 Wildfire Mitigation Strategy ......................................................................................................... 85 7.2 Wildfire Mitigation Plan Implementation ...................................................................................... 95 7.3 Detailed Wildfire Mitigation Programs ......................................................................................... 98 7.3.1 Financial Data on Mitigation Initiatives, by Category ..................................................... 98 7.3.2 Detailed Information on Mitigation Initiatives by Category and Activity .......................... 99 8. Public safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), Including Directional Vision for PSPS ... 149 8.1 Directional Vision for Necessity of PSPS .................................................................................. 149 8.2 Protocols on Public Safety Power Shut-off ............................................................................... 152 8.3 Projected Changes to PSPS Impact ......................................................................................... 155 8.4 Engaging Vulnerable Communities ........................................................................................... 156 8.5 PSPS-Specific Metrics .............................................................................................................. 158 9. Appendix ................................................................................................................ 159 9.1 Definitions of Initiative Activities by Category ........................................................................... 159 9.2 Citations for Relevant Statutes, Commission Directives, Proceedings, and Orders ................ 166 Appendix A. Public Safety Power Shutoff Plan ...................................................... 169 Appendix B. BVES Emergency Response Plan ...................................................... B-4 Page iii ©2021 Bear Valley Electric Service, Inc. Bear Valley Electric Service Wildfire Mitigation Plan – 2020 Update EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The state of California (CA) and the California Public Utilities Commission (Commission or CPUC) mandated in Order Instituting Rulemaking (OIR) 18-10-007 that the electric utilities develop Wildfire Mitigation Plans (WMPs) pursuant to Senate Bill (SB) 901 with inaugural filings required in early 2019. Assembly Bill (AB) 1054 further modified requirements setting a framework for the regulatory entities to track and monitor continued improvement and compliance of the WMPs through routine data collection submissions and audit practices. The Wildfire Safety Division (WSD), under the Commission, is the compliance branch ensuring ongoing obligations to enforce inspections, independent evaluations, and field inspections. The WSD issued Resolution WSD-011 with Attachments 2.2 and 2.3 to form the basis of the WMP package for the 2021 filing, including relevant spatial data updates. This template modification sets the precedence for ongoing compliance reporting through the WMP and scheduled quarterly data reports (QDRs), quarterly initiative updates (QUIs), and quarterly advice letters (QALs), and the annual report on compliance (ARC).1 Through the issuance of Resolution WSD-012 on November 23, 2020, the CPUC adopted this compliance process. Bear Valley Electric Service, Inc. (BVES)2 WMP aims to reduce the risk of utility-posed ignitions or threats as well as to mitigate the need for public safety power shutoff (PSPS) events in the future. This WMP represents BVES’s plan to meet its obligations for 2021. During 2020, BVES did not experience any ignition events or the need to activate PSPS to mitigate potential wildfire threats. BVES maintains its service territory under a foundational understanding of natural resource management as the area is surrounded by mountainous terrain and high alpine trees. The utility has an ongoing history working collaboratively with public safety partners, and state and federally managed lands agencies in an effort