In response to media inquiries about today’s ruling by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on San Diego Gas & Electric’s proposed emergency power shut-off plan, Debra L. Reed, president and chief executive officer of SDG&E, issued the following statement:

 
        “We are pleased that the CPUC today commended SDG&E for the extensive measures we’ve taken since November 2007 to reduce the fire risk on our system.
 
        “We remain committed to fire prevention and public safety and continue to bolster our fire-prevention efforts, including replacing more wood poles with steel, expanding our tree-trimming inspections, using technology in new ways for reliability, and bringing in a large-capacity, firefighting helicopter and a wildfire strike team to help respond to fires this fall.
 
        “The emergency power shut-off plan was one element of our community fire safety program, which has attracted the support of more than 30,000 state and local firefighters and fire officials, as well as the city of San Diego and other local municipalities. 
 
        “While we are disappointed in today’s ruling on the shut-off component of our overall community fire safety program, it’s important to point out that the CPUC reaffirmed SDG&E’s statutory authority and responsibility to operate our system safely.
 
        “Our goal always has been to reduce the potential for any more catastrophic fires in our region and we will continue to work with key stakeholders in the community to achieve this goal.  With much community feedback, we believe our overall fire preparedness today is better than ever before.”

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