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Report: Deadly California Wildfire Sparked When Tree Hit Power Line
Officials say a Northern California wildfire that killed four people and destroyed more than 200 buildings last year was sparked when tree branches came into contact with Pacific Gas & Electric power lines.
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Power Shutoffs in Bay Area Underway as California Preps for Dangerous Fire Weather
California, which has endured its worst wildfire season in history, is bracing for the most dangerous winds of the year, a forecast that prompted the largest utility to announce plans to cut power Sunday to nearly 1 million people to guard against its equipment sparking new blazes.
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Calif. Utility May Cut Power to 1 Million People Due to Extreme Fire Danger
Pacific Gas & Electric may cut power to over 300,000 customers on Sunday to prevent the chance of sparking wildfires as extreme fire weather returns to the region, the utility confirmed Saturday.
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PG&E Lacked Basic Training Before California Blackouts
When Pacific Gas & Electric intentionally cut power to Northern California last fall, few of its emergency managers had learned the fundamentals of managing an emergency in their home state
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Power Cut to Thousands in California to Prevent Wildfires
Tens of thousands of California utility customers were still without power Friday morning, though PG&E gradually started restoration efforts as a fall heat wave causing extreme wildfire danger began to subside.
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California Heat Spurs 1st Rolling Power Outages Since 2001
California has ordered rolling power outages for the first time since 2001 as a statewide heat wave strained its electrical system
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Utility's Power Lines Caused Huge 2019 California Wildfire
Pacific Gas & Electric transmission lines sparked a wildfire in Northern California wine country last year that destroyed hundreds of homes and caused nearly 100,000 people to flee, fire officials said Thursday.
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PG&E Pleads Guilty to 84 Deaths in 2018 Camp Fire
PG&E is due to plead guilty in Butte County Superior Court Tuesday to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter in the devastating 2018 Camp Fire that was caused by a break in a worn piece of equipment on a high-voltage transmission tower.
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Another Member of Fire Panel Resigns, Criticizes PG&E Plan
The former chief financial officer for a Northern California city destroyed in a 2018 wildfire caused by Pacific Gas & Electric equipment is trying to upend the utility’s plan for getting out of bankruptcy because she believes the company is shortchanging the people devastated by its misconduct. Karin Gowins, the former comptroller for Paradise, told The Associated Press Friday that…
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Calif. Utility Pleading Guilty in Wildfire Deaths
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 decimated three Northern California towns and drove the nation’s largest utility into bankruptcy.
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Court Approves PG&E's $23B Bankruptcy Financing Package
Pacific Gas & Electric on Monday won court approval to raise $23 billion to help pay its bills over destructive California wildfires after Gov. Gavin Newsom dropped his opposition to a financing package designed to help the nation’s largest utility get out of bankruptcy. The milestone reached during an unusual court hearing held by phone moves PG&E closer to...
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PG&E Suspends Power Shutoffs for Nonpayment During Pandemic
PG&E has announced that it is suspending power shutoffs for nonpayment during the coronavirus pandemic, the utility announced Thursday.
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Regulators Boost PG&E's Wildfire Fine to $2.1B
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.
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PG&E CEO Blames Past Management for Problems, Promises Fixes
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. Johnson, who was brought in to lead the company 10 months ago, delivered his remarks as the...
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PG&E Clears Another Bankruptcy Hurdle With Debt Refinancing
A federal judge has approved a settlement that moves Pacific Gas & Electric closer to getting out of bankruptcy.
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PG&E Pledges to Shake Up Board in Bid to Placate California
Pacific Gas and Electric is pledging to overhaul its board of directors in an attempt to avoid a potential takeover attempt by the state of California and prove the nation’s largest utility is turning over a new leaf as it works through its second bankruptcy in less than 20 years. The promise to shake things up came late Friday as…
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California Lawmaker Demands Probe of PG&E's Chief Regulator
A state lawmaker on Wednesday demanded an extensive review of the California Public Utilities Commission to determine whether regulators’ lax oversight enabled neglect at Pacific Gas & Electric that triggered catastrophic wildfires, a messy bankruptcy and exasperating blackouts. The request by Assemblyman Adam Gray could turn up the heat on the commission as it prepares to play a key role…
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Sonoma County Prepares to Sue PG&E for Damages From Fire
A county in Northern California wine country is exploring plans to sue a utility over a massive wildfire last fall that combined with rolling power shutoffs caused losses of $725 million. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to hire two law firms to pursue legal action against pacific Gas & Electric, the nation’s largest utility. The 121-square-mile (313-square-kilometer)…
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Feds to Bill Fire Victims If PG&E Doesn't Pay $4B: Report
Federal officials are prepared to bill wildfire victims for a portion of the nearly $4 billion the government says it’s owed by Pacific Gas & Electric Co., if the debt isn’t resolved as part of the utility’s bankruptcy case, according to a newspaper report Sunday.
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Financial Tug-of-War Emerges Over Fire Victims' Settlement
A financial tug-of-war is emerging over the $13.5 billion that the nation’s largest utility has agreed to pay to victims of recent California wildfires, as government agencies jockey for more than half the money to cover the costs of their response to the catastrophes. Pacific Gas & Electric declared bankruptcy nearly a year ago as it faced about $36 billion…