Wildfires spark ire of state legislators

It will be some time before state investigators learn the cause of the still-raging Camp and Woolsey fires in California. But initial incident reports have concerned investigators and investors that the state’s two major utilities, PG&E and Southern California Edison, may face major liabilities associated with the blazes. If so, it wouldn’t be the first time.

State Senator Jerry Hill, Democrat-San Mateo, is arguing that it should be the last.

He is looking at legislation that would break up the state’s investor-owned utilities, including PG&E, or eliminate their public licence to provide electricity as utilities. (In response, PG&E spokesperson Paul Doherty said: “We’re focused on supporting first responders as they work to contain the fire and keep people safe.”) Hill has been a vocal critic of PG&E since the 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion that killed eight people and injured dozens more.

Earlier this year, Governor Jerry Brown signed wildfire legislation that allowed PG&E and other utilities to issue bonds to pay for their liability costs from the 2017 wildfires and made it possible for those costs to be passed on to ratepayers.

The new law leaves the matter of utility responsibility for 2018 fires unresolved. But state leadership has been hesitant to stand up to the utilities in the past, and that’s unlikely to change without immense public pressure.