SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Liberty (also known as Liberty Utilities and CalPeco Electric) has asked the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for a rate increase to cover losses that occurred in the 2020 Mountain View Fire near Walker, California. Part of the process is to hold public hearings, and the two scheduled next week for both North and South Lake Tahoe have been moved from in-person to virtual.
CPUC Administrative Law Judge Patrick Petersen made the ruling in San Francisco. The two Public Participation Hearings (PPHs) were to take place on August 21 in Kings Beach, and on August 27 in South Lake Tahoe.
The virtual PPHs will proceed as previously noticed:
- August 21 at 2 p.m. Phone Number: 1-800-857-1917, Passcode: 1673483# Webcast www.adminmonitor.cam/ca/cpuc
- August 27 at 6 p.m. Phone Number: 1-800-857-1917, Passcode: 1673483# Webcast www.adminmonitor.cam/ca/cpuc
The reason for the in-person PPHs was not disclosed and a message left for the CPUC has not yet been returned.
The Mountain View Fire was a wildfire that started on November 17, 2020 and burned burned 20,879 acres before being 100 percent contained on December 11. The fire destroyed over 80 structures and claimed one life. Calfire determined that it is most probable an energized power line owned by Liberty fell into dry vegetation, starting the blaze, though Liberty questioned the accuracy of the final report. Twenty-two lawsuits representing 380 plantiffs followed, from Mono County to individual homeowners, and the insurance companies who covered their customers’ losses. The total about Liberty had to pay after the fire was confidential due to a settlement with the parties, and redacted from its summary report.
Liberty is required to submit a General Rate Case (GRC) every three years to CPUC to reflect changes in costs related to operation, maintenance, and investment in the grid. In 2022, Liberty was granted a rate increase “to provide its customers with safe and reliable electric service, including the necessary expansion of Liberty’s wildfire mitigation efforts.”
Now, three years later, the new request, if approved, would see an average monthly bill increase on the California side of Lake Tahoe of 20.6 percent, or $37.51. They are also seeking additional rate hikes in 2026 and 2027 as part of the GRC application.
This year, Liberty seeks an overall revenue increase of $39.773 million or 19.1 %.