Office of the County Administrator County of Marin August 22, 2023 Matthew H. Hymel AUG 2 2 2023 County Administrator*

PG&E's electric transmission infrastructure is fragile, unable to reliably deliver electricity due to climate change events, and older electrical infrastructure, etc. A result of these events is that outages are increasing in number, frequency, and duration. Response: Agree. Service interruptions have increased on average from 2016–2022 and we are concerned particularly with impacts to the most vulnerable in our community during sustained events. The Board of Supervisors is on record supporting efforts to ensure energy providers are held accountable by regulators for costs associated with preparing for and recovering from deenergization events, including "fast-trip" (EPSS) shutoffs. Such events must be regulated to ensure a balance of utility risk mitigation with adequate notice to local governments, emergency managers and residents for protection of vulnerable customers and critical facilities, particularly in areas with poor cellular networks. We further support efforts to require utility companies to strengthen the reliability and resiliency of the existing energy grid to be better prepared for extreme weather events. As of September 2022, PG&E reports that it has completed 60 miles of enhanced vegetation management and 11 miles of equipment upgrade in Marin County, and similar work is ongoing.

Marin County has developed strong emergency action plans that allow a unified response to outages with a range of resources for the community. However, the level of responsiveness for solutions to outages is not adequate. There is a clear need to build electric resiliency in Marin in order to reduce outages, and emergencies stemming from them. Response: Agree. The County has a responsibility and feasible plan to ensure that emergency services are available to Marin residents. Both internal and external subject matter experts agree that a 100% elimination of power outages is not possible. The County does not have authority over PG&E with respect to transmission or distribution system improvements; PG&E is regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission.

Microgrids are an energy source that, although costly, can provide backup power in the event of brownouts or blackouts. Response: Partially Disagree. A microgrid is not an energy source unto itself. It is a self-sufficient energy system that includes energy generation as a component. While microgrids can be a source of emergency power for critical community facilities, they can be vulnerable to the same conditions that cause brownouts or blackouts in traditional energy grids, depending on the size and makeup of the microgrid.

Initial establishment of microgrids will provide Marin County with islands of resilient power during times of emergency (earthquakes, extreme heat emergencies for example). County of Marin Response to Grand Jury Findings and Recommendations County of Marin Response to Grand Jury Report Findings and Recommendations "Electrical Resiliency — It's Time to Do More" (Report Date) As additional microgrids are built, these islands merge together creating ever larger areas of self-sufficient power and resilient power storage and distribution for Marin residents and businesses. Response: Partially Disagree. While establishment of microgrids for critical County facilities could result in islands of resilient power during times of emergency, merging multiple microgrids will not necessarily solve all power outages, particularly in areas of West Marin. Even in cases where microgrids include power generation and storage, getting power to individual homes and buildings is dependent on distribution lines that can be interrupted in an emergency. Resiliency should come from a combination of microgrids for critical facilities, utility upgrades, vegetation management, and community preparedness. Any initial focus on microgrids should support critical facilities and localized resilience centers. RESPONSE TO GRAND JURY RECOMMENDATIONS The Marin County Civil Grand Jury recommends the following: