Public Utilities Commission News

Southern California Wildfires Grow with Little Containment

HEMET, Calif. (AP) — Two wildfires burned out of control in the inland Southern California region on Wednesday, forcing evacuations in communities and a mountain resort area. The deadly Fairview Fire grew to nearly 8 square miles (20.7 square kilometers) …

California Utility Says its Equipment May Be Linked to Fire

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Pacific Gas & Electric equipment may have been involved in the start of the big Dixie Fire burning in the Sierra Nevada, the nation’s largest utility reported to California regulators. PG&E said in a report Sunday …

PG&E Seeks $3.6 Billion in Rate Hikes for Wildfire Safety

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Pacific Gas & Electric asked regulators Wednesday to grant a $3.6 billion rate hike to help it pay for hardening its power systems to prevent deadly wildfires. The nation’s largest electric utility requested the hike beginning …

PG&E to Ante Up $150M for Botched Outages, Recent Wildfires

SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) — Pacific Gas & Electric is getting hit with a nearly $150 million billion for neglect that caused Northern California wildfires during the past two years and mismanagement of blackouts designed to prevent the utility’s crumbling …

Team Investigating Deadly Calif. Fire Seizes PG&E Equipment

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Fire investigators looking into what caused a wildfire that killed four people in far Northern California have taken possession of equipment belonging to Pacific Gas and Electric, the utility has reported. PG&E said in a filing …

PG&E Agrees to More State Control If It Gets Into Trouble Again

PG&E Corp. said it’s open to a proposal that would let California regulators take greater control of the company if it gets into trouble again, largely conceding to one of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s demands for the utility to exit bankruptcy. …

California Governor Demands PG&E Accountability For Mismanaging Power Shutoffs

LOS ANGELES — California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Monday that utility Pacific Gas and Electric Co should be held accountable for mismanaging last week’s widespread power shutoffs and urged the company to provide credits or rebates to affected customers. …

Edison Report Ties Equipment to a Deadly Los Angeles Wildfire

California utility giant Edison International has sent state regulators a report on a deadly wildfire that broke out last week on the edge of Los Angeles, signaling that the company’s equipment may have been somehow involved in the blaze. Southern …

PG&E to Fire Safety Critics: We’re Going Beyond Call of Duty

PG&E Corp. sought to assure a judge it’s making progress on fire prevention, saying it’s exceeding regulatory requirements to clear vegetation from power lines. Kevin Orsini, a lawyer for the utility, on Tuesday acknowledged criticism from a court-appointed compliance monitor, …

Proposed Wildfire Board Could Operate Partly in Secret

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A closely watched wildfire law proposed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom would exempt a new safety board from some of the state’s government transparency laws. The Wildfire Safety Advisory Board would advise the state’s utility regulator and …