Energy Safety to create vegetation-management best practices focused on remote sensing and QA/QC
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Summary
Energy Safety staff briefed the Wildfire Safety Advisory Board on a plan to develop utility vegetation-management best management practices (BMPs) focused first on remote sensing (LiDAR, satellite) and quality-assurance/quality-control metrics; staff said research and engagement will begin this fall and draft BMPs are expected next spring.
Chair Jennifer Block called the Wildfire Safety Advisory Board to order on Sept. 3, 2025, and staff from the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety (Energy Safety) presented a plan to develop best management practices for utility vegetation management tailored to wildfire safety. Colin Blank, supervisor in Energy Safety’s Environmental Science Division, told the board the effort will begin this month with public notice, research and stakeholder engagement through winter, and draft guidance expected in March 2026.
The draft released by staff will focus initially on two topics: integrating remote sensing technologies (for example, aerial LiDAR, satellite imagery and UAV data) into inspection and remediation, and improving quality-management metrics (QA/QC) so different electrical corporations use consistent definitions for “pass rates,” sample sizes and audit methods. Blank said Energy Safety will collect data from investor-owned utilities (IOUs) and small/midsize utilities (SMJUs), hold targeted interviews and workshops, and publish drafts for public comment before finalization.
Blank described important differences among utilities’ current remote-sensing approaches: Liberty relies heavily on aerial LiDAR as a primary source of clearance information; Bear Valley combines LiDAR, satellite and UAV data and supplements with ground inspection; PG&E is piloting backpack LiDAR for dense forested areas. Blank said remote sensing shows promise to increase inspection efficiency but cautioned that methods and cadence vary (Bear Valley collects satellite data once per year; others collect more frequently).
On QA/QC, Blank said utilities now report “target pass rate” for audits but define a pass, sampling method and sample size differently. He told the board Energy Safety intends to evaluate sample size rules, whether sampling should be random or risk‑based, and how to align pass/fail definitions across utilities. Board members repeatedly urged Energy Safety to preserve flexibility for local conditions and for the BMPs to avoid stifling innovation; Blank said staff envisions BMPs as a guidance baseline, not a prohibition of alternative, technically sound practices.
Board members asked that remote-sensing guidance remain adaptable because technologies are evolving rapidly; several members suggested the remote-sensing section be reviewed frequently (annual updates were discussed). Board member Mike Mater warned BMPs could raise legal risk if treated as mandatory standards rather than guidance; Blank replied Energy Safety intends the documents to be “best practices” and plans to use wildfire mitigation plan (WMP) decisions and WMP guidelines to encourage adoption where appropriate.
Blank described a tentative schedule: publish notice in September 2025, conduct research and engagement through winter, write draft BMPs early 2026, publish drafts in March 2026 and aim for final publication in summer 2026. He invited the board to participate in targeted committee meetings and to review early drafts before formal docket posting.
Board members offered to share contacts, pilots and academic experts. Blank said staff will issue targeted data requests to electrical corporations and may present at industry conferences.
The presentation closed with board agreement to continue engagement and a staff request for names of academic and industry experts to interview.
