A group of state legislators announced the introduction of a bill that would give the state attorney general and local district attorneys the power to reprimand utility companies for failure to comply with safety regulations.
Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, D-Orinda, and Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, and Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, introduced the Utility Accountability and Wildfire Prevention Act of 2020 in an effort to hold utility companies like PG&E accountable when their equipment is found to have started a wildfire due to improper safety practices.
Currently, only the California Public Utilities Commission has a similar authority.
The group of legislators argued that while climate change is partially to blame for recent deadly fires across the state, utility equipment has also played a part in the severity of disasters like the Camp Fire.
“We’ve brought this bill forward because our state is facing dire circumstances,” Bauer-Kahan said. “Four of the five largest wildfires in California’s history have been in the past seven years. In 2019 alone, we endured over 30 wildfires that burned 1,000 acres or more, with a number of those fires started due to downed electrical lines and faulty equipment.”
According to Bauer-Kahan’s office, the bill is modeled after the authority bestowed to the California Department of Toxic Substances Control.
The DTSC shares safety enforcement duties with district attorneys around the state.
Under the bill, the state attorney general or a district attorney would have the authority to take utility companies to court and hold them liable for up to $100,000 per day for each violation. Utilities could also be
charged with criminal violations for failing to maintain proper safety standards.
Bauer-Kahan is the principal author of the bill. In addition to Glazer and Hill, the bill is cosponsored by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, and Assemblymembers David Chiu, D-San Francisco, Tim Grayson, D-Concord, Marc Levine, D-Marin County, Monique Lemon, D-Santa Barbara, Cottie Petrie-Norris, D-Laguna Beach, Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, Christy Smith, D-Santa Clarita, Mark Stone, D-Scotts Valley, and Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland.
Bauer-Kahan’s office expects the bill to go to committee next month.
PG&E said in a statement that it is “reviewing the bill and has not taken a position. We share the Legislature’s focus on safety and recognize that California’s utilities must take a leading role in reducing the risk of wildfire in the communities we have the privilege to serve. We will continue working with all stakeholders toward long-term safety and wildfire solutions for our customers.”
23 comments
apparently not bi partisan
looks like a power grab by democrats to subdue PG and E
or rather blackmail them into compliance with democrats agenda of absolute power and having total control over it and you ….
wow you picked some great democrats to take you over ….
you must be proud they are taking over utilities as well
next they will tell you that you cant own a car
Perfect opportunity for Newsome to grab PG&E. Everyone hates PG&E..easy take over. The state will do so much better you know. Even if PG&E stays, Newsome will get his way anyway by replacing board members with who he wants.
Hey ZZ,
The state will do so much better? Kind of like the DMV or more recently the California Fish & Wildlife?
At least DMV doesn’t burn down entire cities and destroy people’s lives every year.
Clyde,
That’s because, if the Utility used DMV method of operation……….your power would just be OFF until further notice.
You sure do like to compare anything government related to the DMV. How about the post office?
What about the post office Clyde? I am sure Claycord would have a field day with a photo I took at the post office.
I was called for service there and I requested to see the onsite maintenance person……I was pointed to the room where the person was and there they were ASLEEP on a couch at 11am. How’s that for your post office.
LMFAO! Ask any PG&E employee about “compliance”. Quickest way to be terminated is to violate compliance.
What the Public doesn’t know is that PG&E has been operating under Government mandates / fines for the past 30 years.
As has been stated already, Why would Government want to take over the Utility and have to deal with employees etc……….when they can just shake the PG&E money tree through fines.
Remember the old saying about the Government managing the sand in the Sahara?
After 6 months they’d run out of the sand.
Let the government manage gas and electricity, there simply won’t be any left.
Just like our water (50 gals. a day) power will be at a premium. They’ll suck all the power off your solar panels to keep Newsom’s sunlamp burning bright.
I’ve never met a politician I liked and I’m sure they don’t like me much either.
All dems? No thanks.
Get ready for a lot more Black Outs.
Remember these new electric meters can be shut down from there main office. Do you want the government to have that power over you if they think you are using to much electricity. Our state government cannot manage anything with out high cost ver runs. PG&E is basically a construction company maintaining and installing equipment. Now try and think of one project that this state has run under budget or provided what they said we would have when done. Hmm bay bridge 5 times over budget and questionable if it will hold up during a earthquake with the retrofit repairs that had to be done. Now they want us to trust us with our electricity. Vote these idiot Dems out of office
IF politicians want to be helpful then FIX the CPUC.
Throw out the “political” appointees.
At state level last few state attorneys general were nothing more than political ladder climbers.
Allowing county DAs to be involved in the process would be a disaster.
Gosh this must be an election year, first newsom wants to round up the homeless and hide them . . . an now this.
So what is the alternative? Business as usual? PG&E in any other capacity would be called a spree killer. State takeover? This ain’t Venezuela. So having some teeth in the law now, maybe our beloved utility will find it more cost effective to not kill its customers. Seems like the best deal we’re gonna get.
Now I know where the terms Nuts and Asylum came from.
Smoke and mirrors. This is just more of the inept incompetent Democrats trying to make themselves look valuable and important.
p.s. I could be wrong, but isn’t there a California government agency called the CPUC that is supposed to be regulating power utilities?
More ill conceived drivel. Have you noticed they never introduce a bill that in anyway measures or monitors their own projects and responsibilities? They can’t, because the public would then demand results. It’s easier and more profitable to be punitive with others, while not taking any responsibility for future failures.
Quit screwing around with Utilities and work on homelessness.
CPUC doesn’t seem to be able to do the job. PG&E asked for at least 3 rate hikes last year and at least 1 more so far this year.
brace yourselves for another round of feel-good knee jerk legislation from the cash grab crew.
The more fines PG&E gets hit with, the higher our rates – the money ultimately comes out of our pockets. Sounds like a money grab on the part of our politicians instead of having to raise taxes.
Whether or not you voted for these politicians, the fact is you DID elect them – and you keep re-electing them. Don’t whine about what they’re doing.
You’re the cause of it.
Agreed-Vote these idiot DEMS out of office and continue to not elect them in the first place.
This will be like giving a child molester oversight over a serial rapist.
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