Power company PG&E to plead guilty to 84 deaths from California wildfire
4 years, 6 months ago

Power company PG&E to plead guilty to 84 deaths from California wildfire

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The hearing before Superior Court Judge Michael Deems comes nearly three months after PG&E reached a plea agreement in November 2018 fire that ripped across the region of Northern California. PG&E is also reaching the end of a complicated bankruptcy case that the company used to work out $25.5bn in settlements to pay for the damages from the fire and others that torched wide swaths of northern California and killed dozens of others in 2017, the Associated Press reported. Since filing for bankruptcy early last year, PG&E claims it has been dramatically altering a corporate culture that prioritised profits for its shareholders over the safety of the 16m people who rely on the utility. Despite PG&E’s pledge, critics are fearful of the upcoming wildfire season after an unusually dry winter in northern California.

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History of this topic

PG&E hit with $225-million lawsuit for 2021 Dixie fire damages
8 months, 3 weeks ago

PG&E hit with $225-million lawsuit for 2021 Dixie fire damages

LA Times  

Flames consume vehicles as the Dixie fire tears through the Indian Falls community in Northern California’s Plumas County in July 2021. The complaint, filed Wednesday by Oregon-based Collins Pine Co. and six affiliated timber businesses with property in the Collins Almanor Forest in Plumas and Tehama counties, alleges that PG&E failed to properly manage the forest and electrical equipment to …

PG&E penalized $45 million in Dixie fire settlement with CPUC
11 months, 2 weeks ago

PG&E penalized $45 million in Dixie fire settlement with CPUC

LA Times  

Pacific Gas & Electric Company will be penalized $45 million for its involvement in one of the largest and most destructive wildfires in California history under a settlement reached recently between the utility and state regulators. The Dixie fire, which burned nearly 1 million acres and destroyed more than 1,300 homes, ignited July 13, 2021, after a Douglas fir tree …

California Supreme Court says PG&E can’t be sued over safety-related power shutoffs
1 year, 1 month ago

California Supreme Court says PG&E can’t be sued over safety-related power shutoffs

LA Times  

PG&E crews clear a damaged power pole after the Camp fire, which state investigators blamed on the utility’s equipment. Such litigation would interfere with the California Public Utilities Commission’s “comprehensive regulatory and supervisory authority” over such safety shutoffs and is therefore barred under state law, Justice Goodwin Liu wrote in a unanimous decision for the state’s high court. It said …

Ex-PG&E execs to pay $117M to settle lawsuit over wildfires
2 years, 3 months ago

Ex-PG&E execs to pay $117M to settle lawsuit over wildfires

Associated Press  

OAKLAND, Calif. — Former executives and directors of Pacific Gas & Electric have agreed to pay $117 million to settle a lawsuit over devastating 2017 and 2018 California wildfires sparked by the utility’s equipment, it was announced Thursday. The settlement was announced by the PG&E Fire Victim Trust, which was established to handle claims filed by more than 80,000 victims …

Former PG&E executives agree to $117-million settlement over California wildfires
2 years, 3 months ago

Former PG&E executives agree to $117-million settlement over California wildfires

LA Times  

All but a few homes in the Pine Grove Mobile Home Park were destroyed in the Camp fire in 2018. Former executives with utility giant Pacific Gas & Electric have reached a $117-million settlement agreement in connection with the 2017 North Bay fires and the 2018 Camp fire, officials said. Under its bankruptcy plan, PG&E allowed the Fire Victim Trust …

Cal Fire cites ‘excessively delayed response’ by PG&E for spread of massive Dixie fire
2 years, 7 months ago

Cal Fire cites ‘excessively delayed response’ by PG&E for spread of massive Dixie fire

LA Times  

An “excessively delayed response” from Pacific Gas & Electric Co. enabled last year’s Dixie fire to spread in the early hours after ignition, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection concluded in a final report made public this week. “The prolonged response to the initial outage and fault that occurred at 6:48 a.m. was a direct and negligent factor …

California utility to pay $55 million for massive wildfires
2 years, 8 months ago

California utility to pay $55 million for massive wildfires

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Pacific Gas & Electric has …

PG&E to pay more than $55 million to avoid criminal prosecution for starting two wildfires
2 years, 8 months ago

PG&E to pay more than $55 million to avoid criminal prosecution for starting two wildfires

LA Times  

Flames consume a home on Highway 89 as the Dixie fire tears through the Greenville community of Plumas County in August. The maximum criminal fine in connection with the Dixie fire would have been just $329,417, according to the North State district attorneys, a consortium of prosecutors representing Butte, Lassen, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama counties. But community advocate Will Abrams, …

As PG&E probation nears end, judge calls company a ‘continuing menace’
2 years, 11 months ago

As PG&E probation nears end, judge calls company a ‘continuing menace’

LA Times  

Pacific Gas & Electric is about to emerge from five years of felony probation. PG&E Corp. is ending a five-year felony probation as a “continuing menace to California,” a judge supervising the company said in his parting observations, noting the company went on a “crime spree” even as he tried to rehabilitate it. “While on probation, PG&E has set at …

PG&E blamed for massive Northern California wildfire
3 years ago

PG&E blamed for massive Northern California wildfire

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Pacific Gas & Electric power lines sparked last summer’s Dixie Fire in Northern California that swept through five counties and burned more than 1,300 homes and other buildings, state fire officials said Tuesday. It was the second-largest fire in state history and the latest of several of California’s largest and deadliest blazes to be blamed PG&E equipment …

California marks 3rd anniversary of wildfire that killed 85
3 years, 2 months ago

California marks 3rd anniversary of wildfire that killed 85

Associated Press  

PARADISE, Calif. — Gov. The Camp Fire that erupted on Nov. 8, 2018, in the Sierra Nevada foothills killed 85 people, destroyed nearly 19,000 homes, businesses and other buildings and virtually razed the town of Paradise. “Today marks an important milestone on that journey, and California will continue to stand with all the communities impacted by wildfire as they work …

PG&E to spend $125M for igniting massive California fire
3 years, 2 months ago

PG&E to spend $125M for igniting massive California fire

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Pacific Gas & Electric has …

California power company charged with manslaughter over 2020 wildfire
3 years, 3 months ago

California power company charged with manslaughter over 2020 wildfire

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A California power company …

“Your company is a convicted felon”: PG&E judge asks why power wasn’t cut on line linked to fire
3 years, 3 months ago

“Your company is a convicted felon”: PG&E judge asks why power wasn’t cut on line linked to fire

LA Times  

A PG&E worker who spotted the initial flames of what has become the second-largest fire in California history faced questions from a federal judge Monday. A federal judge wants PG&E Corp. to explain why it didn’t turn off power sooner to a utility line suspected of causing the second-largest wildfire in California history. At a hearing Monday, U.S. District Judge …

US judge weighs if PG&E violated probation with 2019 fire
3 years, 8 months ago

US judge weighs if PG&E violated probation with 2019 fire

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal judge is weighing whether Pacific Gas & Electric violated its criminal probation by sparking a wildfire north of San Francisco that destroyed more than 100 homes and injured six firefighters in October 2019. Prosecutors and attorneys for PG&E appeared at a hearing Tuesday before U.S. District Judge William Alsup, a month after the Sonoma County …

California’s Pacific Gas & Electric charged in 2019 wildfire
3 years, 9 months ago

California’s Pacific Gas & Electric charged in 2019 wildfire

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A California prosecutor filed 33 criminal charges Tuesday accusing troubled Pacific Gas & Electric of inadvertently injuring six firefighters and endangering public health with smoke and ash in a 2019 fire blamed on its equipment. The Sonoma County district attorney charged the utility with five felony and 28 misdemeanor counts in the October 2019 Kincade Fire north …

Pacific Gas & Electric faces criminal charges over 2019 Kincade wildfire
3 years, 9 months ago

Pacific Gas & Electric faces criminal charges over 2019 Kincade wildfire

LA Times  

A California prosecutor filed 33 criminal charges Tuesday accusing Pacific Gas & Electric of inadvertently injuring six firefighters and endangering public health with smoke and ash in a 2019 fire blamed on the company’s equipment. The Sonoma County district attorney charged the utility with five felony and 28 misdemeanor counts in the October 2019 Kincade fire north of San Francisco, …

Wildfire victims sue PG&E’s former management for neglect
3 years, 10 months ago

Wildfire victims sue PG&E’s former management for neglect

Al Jazeera  

California company accused of ‘dereliction of duty’; US claimants fear it will not be able to pay $13.5bn settlement. The wildfire victims’ lawsuit is seeking to tap into the $200m to $400m in liability insurance that PG&E secured for the former executives and board members, said Frank Pitre, the lawyer handling the case. If the lawsuit is successful, it could …

PG&E wildfire victims sue former management for neglect
3 years, 10 months ago

PG&E wildfire victims sue former management for neglect

LA Times  

A trust representing victims of deadly wildfires ignited by Pacific Gas & Electric’s rickety electrical grid is suing nearly two dozen of the utility’s former executives and board members. A trust representing more than 80,000 victims of deadly wildfires ignited by Pacific Gas & Electric’s rickety electrical grid is suing nearly two dozen of the utility’s former executives and board …

PG&E to shut off power to over 1 million people in Northern California
4 years, 2 months ago

PG&E to shut off power to over 1 million people in Northern California

LA Times  

Pacific Gas & Electric says it will cut power to over 1 million people in Northern California on Sunday to prevent the chance of sparking wildfires as extreme fire weather returns to the region, the utility said late Friday. The nation’s largest utility said it will black out customers in 38 counties — including most of the Bay Area — …

PG&E equipment suspected as cause of deadly Zogg fire
4 years, 3 months ago

PG&E equipment suspected as cause of deadly Zogg fire

LA Times  

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said California investigators were looking at its equipment as a possible cause of a fire that killed four people and burned more than 56,000 acres in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the northern part of the state. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has taken some of the utility’s equipment in its investigation …

PG&E emerges from bankruptcy
4 years, 6 months ago

PG&E emerges from bankruptcy

LA Times  

PG&E, which has emerged from bankruptcy nearly a year and a half after filing for protection under Chapter 11, plans to sell its downtown San Francisco headquarters and move to Oakland. “Our emergence from Chapter 11 marks just the beginning of PG&E’s next era — as a fundamentally improved company and the safe, reliable utility that our customers, communities and …

PG&E fined $4 million in deaths of 84 people in 2018 fire
4 years, 6 months ago

PG&E fined $4 million in deaths of 84 people in 2018 fire

Associated Press  

Pacific Gas & Electric on Thursday was fined $4 million for the deaths of 84 people killed in a nightmarish Northern California wildfire ignited by the its long-neglected electrical grid. The maximum penalty assessed by Butte County Superior Court Judge Michael Deems was a mere formality, given that PG&E reached a plea agreement three months ago to resolve manslaughter and …

Families of California wildfire victims slam PG&E for crimes
4 years, 6 months ago

Families of California wildfire victims slam PG&E for crimes

Associated Press  

The families of some of the 85 people killed by a horrific Northern California wildfire ignited by Pacific Gas & Electric’s long-neglected equipment vilified the company Wednesday as greedy, corrupt and reckless, telling heartbreaking stories of their loss in court. As they addressed Butte County Superior Court Judge Michael Deems, the families lamented never being able to see a music-loving …

Who they were: Victims of the deadliest California wildfire
4 years, 6 months ago

Who they were: Victims of the deadliest California wildfire

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas & Electric pleaded guilty Tuesday to killing 84 of the 85 victims of a 2018 wildfire in Northern California. Vincent Carota, 65, of Paradise, a partial leg amputee who did not have a vehicle, was found inside his home. Anna Hastings, 67, of Paradise, who couldn’t drive because of severe scoliosis, was found inside her …

PG&E confesses to killing 84 people in 2018 California fire
4 years, 6 months ago

PG&E confesses to killing 84 people in 2018 California fire

Associated Press  

Pacific Gas & Electric confessed Tuesday to killing 84 people in one of the most devastating wildfires in recent U.S. history during a dramatic court hearing punctuated by a promise from the company’s outgoing CEO that the nation’s largest utility will never again put profits ahead of safety. PG&E CEO Bill Johnson made the roughly 170-mile journey from the company’s …

Profits over safety: Utility blamed in fire that killed 85
4 years, 6 months ago

Profits over safety: Utility blamed in fire that killed 85

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — A scathing grand jury report released Tuesday after a 2018 Northern California wildfire killed 85 people found that Pacific Gas & Electric officials repeatedly ignored warnings about its failing power lines, performed inadequate inspections to focus on profits and refused to learn from past catastrophes. “Through a corporate culture of elevating profits over safety by taking shortcuts …

PG&E pleads guilty to 84 deaths from 2018 Northern California wildfire
4 years, 6 months ago

PG&E pleads guilty to 84 deaths from 2018 Northern California wildfire

LA Times  

In this Feb. 7, 2019, photo, Christina Taft, the daughter of Camp fire victim Victoria Taft, displays a collage of photos of her mother, at the burned out ruins of the Paradise, Calif., home where she died in 2018. PG&E CEO Bill Johnson entered guilty pleas Tuesday on behalf of the company for 84 felony counts of involuntary manslaughter stemming …

PG&E pleads guilty to 84 deaths in 2018 California wildfire
4 years, 6 months ago

PG&E pleads guilty to 84 deaths in 2018 California wildfire

Al Jazeera  

‘Our equipment started that fire’, utility’s CEO says as company admits to involuntary manslaughter in California court. PG&E Chief Executive Officer Bill Johnson entered individual guilty pleas on Tuesday on behalf of the company for 84 felony counts of involuntary manslaughter stemming from the fire, which was blamed on the company’s crumbling electrical grid. “PG&E will never forget the Camp …

PG&E takes a big step toward emerging from bankrupty as regulators OK the utility’s overhaul
4 years, 7 months ago

PG&E takes a big step toward emerging from bankrupty as regulators OK the utility’s overhaul

LA Times  

A traffic cone sits next to a Pacific Gas & Electric truck. California regulators approved PG&E Corp.’s $58-billion reorganization plan, bringing the power giant another step closer to exiting the biggest utility bankruptcy in U.S. history. “PG&E is a recalcitrant criminal, and I’m going to do everything within my power to protect the people of California from further crimes and …

PG&E’s top exec to end short stint at beleaguered utility
4 years, 8 months ago

PG&E’s top exec to end short stint at beleaguered utility

Associated Press  

BERKELEY, Calif. — PG&E Corp. CEO Bill Johnson will step down from his job just 14 months after the nation’s largest utility hired him to rescue it from a financial mess caused by a history of negligence and to change a corporate culture that emphasized profits over safety. The California Public Utilities Commission, which oversees PG&E’s operations, said it will …

PG&E plans to pay its $4-million fine for involuntary manslaughter out of fire victims fund
4 years, 9 months ago

PG&E plans to pay its $4-million fine for involuntary manslaughter out of fire victims fund

LA Times  

Pacific Gas & Electric vehicles at the PG&E Oakland Service Center. Pacific Gas & Electric, the utility that has pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter for the 2018 Camp fire, plans to pay its $4-million fine from a fund set aside for victims of the blaze. “The district attorney worked hard to hold PG&E responsible for its crime, …

Editorial: It’s no government takeover of PG&E, but it’s still a possibility for the state’s most dangerous utility
4 years, 9 months ago

Editorial: It’s no government takeover of PG&E, but it’s still a possibility for the state’s most dangerous utility

LA Times  

It’s not the government takeover that many Californians were hoping for in light of the massive utility-sparked fires in recent years and the bungled “public safety power shutoffs” last fall. Gavin Newsom struck with Pacific Gas & Electric last week to let the state’s largest and most dangerous utility exit out of bankruptcy will bring some badly needed new oversight …

PG&E to plead guilty to lethal crimes in 2018 wildfires
4 years, 9 months ago

PG&E to plead guilty to lethal crimes in 2018 wildfires

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas & Electric will plead guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter for a swath of death and destruction left behind after its fraying electrical grid ignited a 2018 wildfire that destroyed three Northern California towns and drove the nation’s largest utility into bankruptcy. Instead, its plea agreement with the Butte County District Attorney’s office calls …

PG&E pleads guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter over Camp fire
4 years, 9 months ago

PG&E pleads guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter over Camp fire

LA Times  

In a federal filing Monday permanently documenting its role in causing California’s deadliest wildfire, Pacific Gas & Electric announced it has pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter for the 2018 Camp fire in the Northern California town of Paradise. Hiatt said the plea “is a big thing” not just for Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & …

Regulators boost PG&E’s wildfire fine to $2.1 billion
4 years, 10 months ago

Regulators boost PG&E’s wildfire fine to $2.1 billion

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — California power regulators on Thursday slapped Pacific Gas & Electric with a $2.1 billion fine for igniting a series of deadly wildfires that landed the beleaguered utility in bankruptcy. Several consumer groups had protested the settlement as too lenient in light of PG&E’s destruction, and the California Public Utilities Commission agreed after further review. The San Francisco …

PG&E CEO blames past management for problems, promises fixes
4 years, 10 months ago

PG&E CEO blames past management for problems, promises fixes

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — PG&E Corp. CEO Bill Johnson blamed negligence by the company’s past management for a cascade of catastrophes that killed nearly 140 people as he tried to persuade California regulators Tuesday that he is steering the utility to make safety its top priority. He couldn’t explain how the lack of accountability and organization happened because he said he …

Judge rips PG&E for poor safety record leading to wildfires
4 years, 10 months ago

Judge rips PG&E for poor safety record leading to wildfires

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — A U.S. judge ripped into Pacific Gas & Electric on Wednesday, saying its executives have put greed before safety and telling officials from the utility blamed for catastrophic California wildfires to plan to add at least 1,100 more tree trimmers to cut the risk of even more blazes. “I am going to do everything I can to …

PG&E and California governor at odds over bankruptcy plan
4 years, 11 months ago

PG&E and California governor at odds over bankruptcy plan

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas & Electric attorneys on Wednesday assured a federal judge the utility will emerge from bankruptcy by its June deadline, even as California Gov. PG&E’s bankruptcy plan requires support from the governor and the state’s chief regulator, giving Newsom unusual leverage as the utility seeks to qualify for a wildfire insurance fund state lawmakers approved last …

Judge OKs nearly $25 billion for PG&E fire victims, insurers
5 years ago

Judge OKs nearly $25 billion for PG&E fire victims, insurers

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal bankruptcy judge on Tuesday approved two Pacific Gas & Electric settlements totaling $24.5 billion to help pay the losses suffered by homeowners, businesses and insurers in the aftermath of catastrophic Northern California wildfires that sent the nation’s largest utility into a financial morass. Montali also handed the utility another victory by rejecting attempts by a …

PG&E says it has reached $13.5 billion wildfire settlement
5 years, 1 month ago

PG&E says it has reached $13.5 billion wildfire settlement

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — Pacific Gas and Electric announced Friday it has reached a tentative $13.5 billion settlement resolving all major claims related to the deadly, devastating Northern California wildfires of 2017-2018 that were blamed on its outdated equipment and negligence. “From the beginning of the Chapter 11 process, getting wildfire victims fairly compensated, especially the individuals, has been our primary …

PG&E reaches $13.5-billion settlement with victims of devastating California wildfires
5 years, 1 month ago

PG&E reaches $13.5-billion settlement with victims of devastating California wildfires

LA Times  

The Camp fire burns last year outside of Pulga, Calif., on the North Fork of the Feather River. Richard Bridgford, an attorney who is part of the team representing the victims, called the settlement a “delicate balance” that has three goals: compensating victims as much as possible, deterring future “bad behavior” by the utility and allowing the utility to remain …

PG&E inspections of equipment that sparked deadly Camp fire were flawed, state regulators say
5 years, 1 month ago

PG&E inspections of equipment that sparked deadly Camp fire were flawed, state regulators say

LA Times  

Helicopters perform airdrops on the Camp fire in November 2018 outside of Pulga, Calif., on the North Fork of the Feather River. The omission of climbing inspections on the failed tower since 2001 “is a violation of PG&E’s own policy requiring climbing inspections on towers where recurring problems exist,” investigators wrote. In a statement, Paul Moreno, a PG&E spokesman, said …

Judge keeps a California law on utilities paying fire damages
5 years, 1 month ago

Judge keeps a California law on utilities paying fire damages

LA Times  

A federal bankruptcy court judge on Wednesday rejected Pacific Gas & Electric’s latest attempt to change a California law requiring utilities to pay for the devastation from wildfires ignited by their electrical equipment. The decision issued by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali preserves a long-standing principle known as “inverse condemnation.” The century-old law helped drive the nation’s largest utility into …

US power firm PG&E reportedly offers $13.5bn in fire compensation
5 years, 1 month ago

US power firm PG&E reportedly offers $13.5bn in fire compensation

Al Jazeera  

Bankrupt utility giant PG&E Corp. is offering $13.5 billion in compensation to the victims of wildfires sparked by its power lines as part of a restructuring plan, according to people with knowledge of the situation. PG&E has spent months trying to come up with a restructuring plan that would get it out of the biggest utility bankruptcy in U.S. history …

The Hopelessness of Wildfire Season
5 years, 2 months ago

The Hopelessness of Wildfire Season

Slate  

Fires are roaring across California again. Officials haven’t determined the cause, but a jumper cable connecting PG&E equipment to a transmission tower near Kincade Road failed just minutes before officials say the fire began in the same location. Right now, PG&E would rather pull the plug on hundreds of thousands of people across large areas of the state for a …

PG&E power outages bring darkness, stress and debt to California’s poor and elderly
5 years, 2 months ago

PG&E power outages bring darkness, stress and debt to California’s poor and elderly

LA Times  

Michele Newton, left, and her daughter, Brenna Delwisch, have evacuated to a hotel at their own expense because Newton requires electricity to run a breathing machine at night. “PG&E has made a large assumption by utilizing their care database, but it is wildly inaccurate and doesn’t do the job to keep the most vulnerable in their service territory safe,” McGuire …

PG&E admits its equipment may have sparked several fires this year
5 years, 3 months ago

PG&E admits its equipment may have sparked several fires this year

LA Times  

Amid unprecedented power outages implemented in an effort to avert wildfires sparked by their power lines, Pacific Gas & Electric has admitted in federal court that its equipment probably caused 10 wildfires this year in Northern and Central California. “As we have said throughout this process, PG&E shares the court’s focus on safety and recognizes that we must take a …

PG&E Agrees to Pay $11 Billion to Settle With Insurers Over California Wildfires
5 years, 3 months ago

PG&E Agrees to Pay $11 Billion to Settle With Insurers Over California Wildfires

Slate  

The utility company PG&E, which owned the equipment that sparked the deadly Camp Fire in Northern California in 2018, has settled with insurance carriers for $11 billion, the company announced Friday. According to the Associated Press, the settlement will resolve roughly 85 percent of claims related to the 2018 fire and the 2017 Northern California fires that were also blamed …

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