wildfire liability News

Maui Fire Lays Bare Utility Missteps Mirrored Across the Country

When flames ripped through the drought-parched town of Paradise in 2018, destroying homes and killing 85 in California’s deadliest-ever wildfire, it was a wake-up call to power companies across the country. Electric lines would ultimately be blamed for the blaze, …

Wildfire Help for PG&E, Edison May Not Be Ready When California Lawmakers Adjourn July 12

California’s biggest utilities, PG&E Corp., Edison International and Sempra Energy, may not get the help they need to deal with multi-billion dollar wildfire liabilities before lawmakers adjourn July 12 for recess. Governor Gavin Newsom signaled that pending legislation may not …

PG&E Says It Won’t Commit to Paying Settlements With 2015 California Fire Victims

PG&E Corp. is so cash-starved that it won’t commit to paying settlements reached with people who lost their homes in a 2015 wildfire caused by a tree falling on a power line. The disclosure by a lawyer for the utility …

California Legislative Special Committee to Consider Wildfire Liability

California lawmakers may change the standard for determining whether utilities are liable for wildfire damage following the worst wildfire season in state history. Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders said on July 2 that they are forming a special committee …

Effective Wildfire Prevention Hampered by Liability, Weather, Development

Forest managers would prefer to use prescribed burns every few years to help prevent costly wildfires and rebuild unhealthy ecosystems, but hurdles like staffing, budget, liability and new development hinder them, a new University of Florida study shows. Fighting wildfires …