Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

PG&E Faces Historic Financial Liability From California Wildfire
wnd.com ^ | 11/16/2018 | Alan Neuhauser

Posted on 11/18/2018 7:14:13 AM PST by rktman

California’s electric utility is facing historic financial liability if it’s deemed responsible for a deadly wildfire ravaging Northern California, but a lifeline from the state Friday suggested that it just may be taxpayers who help foot the bill.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. this week disclosed that it had “experienced an outage” and damage to a transmission tower near the origin one of the largest of several fires burning in Northern and Southern California, the Camp Fire. The incident was apparently reported to the utility mere minutes before the blaze started.

PG&E’s disclosure, contained in a regulatory filing, sent shockwaves through a state already reeling from the toll and magnitude of the blazes, which have blanketed much of it in acrid smoke. Under California law, if investigators determine that PG&E’s equipment contributed to the fires, the utility could be on the hook for billions of dollars even if authorities conclude it wasn’t negligent.

(Excerpt) Read more at wnd.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: firestarter; paradiseca
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-37 last
To: rktman

oh yeah... signed their death warrant last week


21 posted on 11/18/2018 7:57:55 AM PST by Chode ( WeÂ’re America, Bitch!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Thank You Rush

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=%2bvqdWkSC&id=B47173216A5C7A0ACEF2CF1FD9DCA681F955CC8C&thid=OIP.-vqdWkSC2C2N_8wHzIfMOQHaJp&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fstatic.seekingalpha.com%2fuploads%2f2014%2f9%2f4623221_14105434006962_0.png&exph=634&expw=487&q=ca+map+of+electrical+companies&simid=607995792196765694&selectedIndex=8&ajaxhist=0


22 posted on 11/18/2018 7:59:38 AM PST by zanarchist
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Blennos
“California is a beautiful, resource-rich state utterly ruined by lousy government. What a shame.”

Man, isn't that the truth! And since the Reagan Years, the GOP here hasn't been much better than the RATs, but now they face extinction. Ahnold’s only contribution as our governor was an illegitimate halfbreed son, he “produced” with his Mexican maid. BTW, here's today's air qualty forcast for the Bay Area. It's worse than China's http://www.sparetheair.org/Stay-Informed/Todays-Air-Quality/Five-Day-Forecast.aspx

23 posted on 11/18/2018 7:59:57 AM PST by vette6387
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Thank You Rush

PG&E is Northern CA down to about San Luis Obispo-Bakersfield. Sacramento is is own thing, SMUD.
So Cal is So Cal Ed down to San Diego-ish, which is or was SDG&E. LA is also its own thing, LADWP.

There are various small municipal and rural utilities too, like Palo Alto and others that hang off of irrigation projects.

Transmission to connect all these together is almost all PG&E and So Cal Ed.


24 posted on 11/18/2018 8:03:59 AM PST by buwaya
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: rktman

The California taxpayers will be required to bail out their public utility.

That’s just the way it is.


25 posted on 11/18/2018 8:04:53 AM PST by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Chode

heir NET last year was $1.66B... it should come completely out of their profits till it’s paid and not one penny from customers rate increases


Right now the estimate of damages is $15B and I doubt that includes the liability for all of the deaths. Something like 1000 are still unaccounted for. The fact is if PG&E goes bankrupt who provides gas/electric for California? One way or another, the ratepayers/taxpayers are going to end up paying for it. Will it be just California taxpayers or will we all get to share?

As I understand it, environmentalists who refuse to allow clearing of deadwood/brush, controlled burns, etc. are more to blame for this fiasco than PG&E, but they will suffer little or no consequences.


26 posted on 11/18/2018 8:05:18 AM PST by hanamizu
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Thank You Rush

We’re in calvada and have NVenergy so I don’t know their coverage.


27 posted on 11/18/2018 8:11:16 AM PST by rktman ( #My2nd! Enlisted in the Navy in '67 to protect folks rights to strip my rights. WTH?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: HereInTheHeartland

“Let me guess what we will likely find out.

Environmentalists denied PG&E the ability to make their power lines safer by clearing trees around them for example.

I haven’t heard this yet, but expect this scenario could be true.”

I think it will be found to be so. That said, with 45% of California’s land area “owned” by the Federal Government, why hasn’t it found to be complicit in the nonsensical policies that have prevented good forest management? Just what has Zinke been doing as Interior Secretary to undo this nonsense? While they are trying to pillory PG&E, they might want to turn the investigation onto BOTH the State AND Federal governments. PG&E is quasi-incompetent, but causing it to go broke isn’t going to solve the problem.
The other thing that’s going to go through the roof here is fire insurance on homes. We just changed insurance carriers after 35 years with the same company, because of their “recovery” policies charging all their customers for the fires of two years ago in Napa and Sonoma Counties. You will need to avoid “mutual companies” like the one’s with FARM in their names, or expect to pay through the nose.


28 posted on 11/18/2018 8:12:53 AM PST by vette6387
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: rktman

There are literally millions of miles of overhead linesin California & elsewhere.

Those lines cannot be all put underground-—especially in earthquake areas.

The winds are not the fault of P G & E. Trees falling or breaking branches are NOT the fault of PG & E

IF you were in charge at PG & E, what would YOU do?

The power companies are already shutting down entire areas to active power when the winds are too high. For as many as 2 days at a time...to lessen their exposure to more lawsuits.


29 posted on 11/18/2018 8:27:18 AM PST by ridesthemiles
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: hanamizu

yes the RATS are primary cause of the fuel source, but not maintaining the grid is all on PG&E

and at $1.6B per year NET, they just wouldn’t make a profit for the next ten years or so not taxpayers


30 posted on 11/18/2018 8:29:13 AM PST by Chode ( WeÂ’re America, Bitch!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: vette6387

The state will find global warming is to blame. The source article is full of talk of global warming related liability being the thing that is going to drive industry and government policy.

The solution will be more government.


31 posted on 11/18/2018 8:34:06 AM PST by M1911A1 (MAGA must include jail for the Swamp's leading lawbreakers)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: rktman

PG&E should sue the state and Sierra club for the equivalent of corporate manslaughter.


32 posted on 11/18/2018 9:16:04 AM PST by CincyRichieRich (No provisional ballots allowed; ever notice there have never been Republican ballots found?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rktman

I find it curious that Paradise is
just north of Oroville lake, which
had it’s dam nearly wiped out in 2017.
It is a hydroelectric generation
facility.


33 posted on 11/18/2018 9:50:57 AM PST by Lean-Right (Eat More Moose)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: buwaya

Thanks - satisfied my curiosity..


34 posted on 11/18/2018 10:17:32 AM PST by Thank You Rush
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: rktman

I can hardly wait to see how JK Simmons spins this one on the next State Farm commercial


35 posted on 11/18/2018 1:37:16 PM PST by Oscar in Batangas (12:01 PM 1/20/2017...The end of an error.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rktman

The Jesuit Heretic in his illicit fourth term is already enabling them to pass it onto us proletariat.


36 posted on 11/18/2018 4:11:34 PM PST by YogicCowboy ("I am not entirely on anyone's side, because no one is entirely on mine." - J. R. R. Tolkien)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: YogicCowboy

Moo bean needs to do a couple more lines.


37 posted on 11/18/2018 5:15:18 PM PST by rktman ( #My2nd! Enlisted in the Navy in '67 to protect folks rights to strip my rights. WTH?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-37 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson