Government Energy Policy, Business and Technology

Federal judge orders PG&E to recruit inspectors as CPUC considers future of safety investigation

Utility Dive: U.S. District Judge William Alsup, who is in charge of PG&E’s 5-year probation, has taken an active interest in addressing the utility’s track record with sparking catastrophic wildfires in the last few years. In an order Friday, Alsup said that the new conditions to the utility’s probation are necessary given multiple recent developments, including the fact that PG&E has fallen behind on aspects of its wildfire mitigation plan, which comprises a mix of strategies, including vegetation management, upgrading infrastructure and undergrounding portions of its system.

PG&E was placed on criminal probation after being convicted for six felony counts following a natural gas pipeline explosion in 2010. Alsup previously added conditions to the probation in 2019, after PG&E power lines sparked wildfires in its service territory that killed more than 100 people.

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