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Crisis and Its Impact on CMC

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On Friday, January 26th, the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) suspended the penalty provisions of the Interruptible Power agreement that 1,400 customers, including the Claremont Colleges, have with utility providers, in our case Southern California Edison (SCE). The PUC is encouraging interruptible electricity customers to reduce energy usage insofar as possible during interruption requests but will not assess penalties if those customers choose to remain on line. The PUC interim decision may be found at www.cpuc.ca.gov or through the CMC Powersource web site.

Claremont McKenna College will remain powered from the grid following interruption requests from SCE. However, the need for energy conservation remains of paramount importance. Representatives of the Claremont Colleges are currently reviewing possible energy reduction measures for use throughout all campuses. In the meantime, please continue to use common sense steps such as turning off lights, computers and appliances when not in use, especially during peak periods of 7 to 9 a.m. and 5 to 7:30 p.m. CMC will implement elevator lock-downs following interruption request notices, and we should all utilize personal safety practices such as being familiar with the location of stairs, flashlights, and emergency supplies. Additional energy conservation tips may be found at www.sce.com.

The threat of rolling blackouts similar to those experienced recently in Northern California remains. In preparation for this likelihood, we are moving rapidly with the other Claremont Colleges to install large-scale backup generators to allow us to remain operational during most of a rolling blackout or other energy disruption. The generators are expected to be in place in several weeks and are compliant with EPA and Southern California Air Quality Management District standards.

Thank you for your continued cooperation.