PUC Exempts All Acute-Care Hospitals from Rolling Blackouts

Adding to its earlier decision to exempt acute-care hospitals with at least 100 beds from rolling blackouts, the California Public Utilities Commission yesterday approved an exemption for all acute-care hospitals regardless of bed number. In addition, the commission approved an initiative to notify people who use life support equipment in their homes prior to a blackout (Berry, Orange County Register, 4/4). PUC introduced the initiatives to "protect so-called essential-use customers" from expected power outages and rolling blackouts this summer, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Lazarus, San Francisco Chronicle, 4/3).