
PG&E was penalized $45 million in a settlement related to its role in the Dixie fire. (L.A. Times)
Pacific Gas & Electric Company will be penalized $45 million for its involvement in one of the largest and most destructive wildfires in California history under a settlement reached recently between the utility and state regulators.
The Dixie fire, which burned nearly 1 million acres and destroyed more than 1,300 homes, ignited July 13, 2021, after a Douglas fir tree fell and struck energized conductors owned and operated by PG&E. The blaze became the first known wildfire to burn from one side of the Sierra Nevada to the other.
The California Public Utilities Commission announced the settlement Thursday and said the penalty includes $40 million in shareholder funding for an initiative to transition some of the utility’s hard-copy records to electronic records.
The initiative “will support public safety by enabling more accurate recording of information and immediate awareness of the condition of PG&E’s assets, thereby improving the timeliness of inspections and preventive maintenance, and assisting the CPUC in conducting future audits and investigations,” the regulatory agency said.
PG&E will also pay $2.5 million in fines to the California General Fund and $2.5 million to tribes affected by the Dixie fire. PG&E will distribute those payments to the Greenville Rancheria and Maidu Summit Consortium, a nonprofit representing a number of Mountain Maidu tribes and organizations, the CPUC said.
Compared to $83.3 million for E. Jean Carroll, $45 million doesn’t seem like that much.
Not following this closely, but from afar, it sure seems like PG&E is a repeat offender. Too big to fail? I did order a smoke filter to have on hand for my air purifier for the next round of fires that spew smoke across the nation. Too pessimistic?
CA peeps, does this seem like a reasonable penalty?
Open thread.
PG&E Penalized $45 Million Dixie Fire SettlementPost + Comments (71)








