SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas & Electric expected to restore power Thursday to virtually all the 120,000 people it intentionally blacked out to avoid the risk of catastrophic wildfires. The nation’s largest utility cut the juice on Wednesday in 10 Northern and central California counties because of concerns that dry,...
Utility’s Boss to Testify About Power Shutoffs in California
SACRAMENTO — The CEO of the nation’s largest utility is expected to face angry California lawmakers on Monday over the company’s decision to turn off power for millions of people to prevent its outdated equipment from starting wildfires. Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. CEO Bill Johnson is scheduled to testify...
Regulators to Open Inquiry Into PG&E Outages
SAN FRANCISCO — California regulators will vote Wednesday on whether to open an investigation into pre-emptive power outages that blacked out large parts of the state for much of October as strong winds sparked fears of wildfires. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. initiated multiple rounds of shut-offs and plunged nearly...
PG&E Expects More Than $6B in Wildfire Costs
SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas & Electric reported substantial losses for the third quarter on Thursday, driven by catastrophic wildfires that have been blamed on the utility's outdated transmission lines. The company anticipates those costs could escalate to as much as $6.3 billion. PG&E filed for bankruptcy in January to...
Paradise Rebuilds but Is It Any Safer a Year After Wildfire?
PARADISE — There was "no way in hell" Victoria Sinclaire was rebuilding in Paradise. She'd thought she was going to die during the six hours it took her to escape the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. The town where she'd raised her family was nearly wiped out,...
PG&E: Company’s Equipment May Have Ignited Camp Fire
NEW YORK — Pacific Gas & Electric says its equipment may have ignited the 2018 Camp Fire, which killed 86 people and destroyed an entire town in Northern California. The embattled utility said Thursday it's taking a $10.5 billion charge for claims connected to the Camp Fire in its fourth...