SAN FRANCISCO — California utility regulators on Thursday fined Pacific Gas and Electric Co. $97.5 million over improper back-channel communications with their own agency following a deadly natural gas pipeline explosion.
The California Public Utilities Commission unanimously approved the penalty that will require PG&E to pay $6 million each to the cities of San Bruno and San Carlos, and $12 million to the state’s general fund.
PG&E will also forgo $63.5 million in revenue it would otherwise have collected from its customers in 2018 and 2019 and another $10 million the next time the commission sets the PG&E’s rates.
The commission already fined the company $1.6 billion over the Sept. 9, 2010 explosion of a PG&E natural gas pipeline beneath San Bruno that killed eight people and the company has spent hundreds of millions of dollars settling victims’ lawsuits.
Investigations into the explosion revealed improper private talks and emails between PG&E executives and two former commissioners, as well as their staff.
PG&E, the state’s largest utility, will not be able to pass on to its customers the costs of paying the fines, nor can it deduct those penalties from its taxes.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Love & Hope & Magic: The Making of Jinx, the Musical,” is a documentary chronicling … Read morePremiere of Love & Hope & Magic: The Making of Jink, The Musical
Join us for an unforgettable evening as we set sail into the world of luxury river cruising!… Read moreLegendary Rivers & Tours Expo
San Francisco Symphony players get together in an intimate setting of the Gradus Ad Parnassu… Read moreSoirée Française: Our Favorite Violin Sonatas
Planning your dream wedding? Discover everything you need at the Wedding Fair in the Park – … Read moreWedding Fair in the Park
Dirk van Ulden said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
CoastalBoy said:
cube_corner said:
Better hurry up and increase spending soon! We can't allow a surplus.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.