California Wildfires News

California Legislators Approve $21 Billion Liability Fund for Utilities

California lawmakers approved legislation on Thursday to create a $21 billion fund to help utilities in the state pay for claims arising from future wildfires sparked by their equipment, tackling a top issue for the state. The approval came after …

Judge Wants PG&E to Respond to Report It Knew Faulty Lines Could Cause Wildfires

PG&E Corp. was ordered by a federal judge overseeing its probation to respond to a Wall Street Journal story claiming the utility knew its power lines could cause wildfires and failed to perform upgrades. PG&E “must provide a fresh, forthright …

California Wildfire ‘Bailout’ for PG&E, Edison Clears Hurdle

Utility giants PG&E Corp. and Edison International are one step closer to getting California’s help in covering the costs of increasingly catastrophic wildfires that their equipment keeps igniting. The state Senate passed a bill late Monday that would create a …

Proposed California Wildfire Board Could Operate Partly in Secret

A closely watched wildfire law proposed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom would exempt a new safety board from some of the state’s government transparency laws. The Wildfire Safety Advisory Board would advise the state’s utility regulator and help set the …

PG&E in California Wants to Securitize Some Profits to Cover Wildfire Costs

PG&E Corp. is lobbying for legislation that would allow the bankrupt California utility giant to securitize some of its profits to pay for past wildfire liabilities, people familiar with the matter said. PG&E was pressing California Governor Gavin Newsom and …

PG&E Power Line Blamed for Sparking Small California Wildfire

A downed Pacific Gas & Electric power line is blamed for sparking a wildfire in eastern Monterey County, Calif. this week. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says the 2,456-acre blaze that erupted east of King City was …

Jump in Western U.S. Wildfires Means Smoke’s Health Impact Will Spread

Climate change in the Western U.S. means more intense and frequent wildfires churning out waves of smoke that scientists say will affect tens of millions of people and cause premature deaths to spike. That’s prompting people in cities and rural …

Bondholders Propose Bankruptcy Exit Plan Up to $30B for PG&E

A committee of bondholders of PG&E Corp.’s utility unit on Tuesday proposed a bankruptcy reorganization plan that would inject up to $30 billion to help the California power provider emerge from Chapter 11 and pay off its liability from wildfires. …

California Governor Wants Wildfire Fund to Help Utilities

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is pressing lawmakers on a wildfire fund that may be financed through bonds to help utilities pay for the catastrophic blazes their power lines keep igniting, according to people familiar with the proposal. Newsom is proposing …

PG&E Settles for $1B with Local Governments for California Fire Claims

PG&E Corp. will pay $1 billion as part of its bankruptcy reorganization to more than a dozen local governments in California struck by wildfires in recent years, the company and lawyers for the governments said on Tuesday. Payments to the …