Legislative Bills Introduced to Increase Oversight of State Utilities

Northern California Fires, PG&E

Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) introduced three bills to the state senate on Friday Feb. 22, pushing for greater oversight of state utilities. Hill said the purpose of the bills are to “protect the ratepayers and consumers of PG&E from excessive rates and from hazardous conditions.”

  • SB 548 would further regulate required maintenance on California electric transmission lines. Currently, there is little oversight from state or federal regulators. SB 548 would require the California Public Utilities Commission to regulate how often inspections must be carried out.
  • SB 549 would require legislative approval in order for PG&E to raise rates on its customers. Currently, rate increases only must be approved by the California Public Utilities Commission.
  • SB 550 is aimed at improving safety. Any sale, merger, acquisition or change of ownership of a utility would require a plan to improve or maintain safety under the new ownership. This seems to be targeted at rumors that PG&E might sell off the “G”, or its natural gas division, as a part of its Chapter 11 Bankruptcy restructuring.

About Northern California Fire Lawyers

Northern California Fire Lawyers is a team of more than 30 attorneys from a coalition of three Northern California law firms: Corey, Luzaich, de Ghetaldi & Riddle, Danko Meredith and Gibbs Law Group.  Collectively, our fire lawyers have more experience investigating and bringing claims against PG&E than any law firm in California.  Our attorneys have been appointed by California judges to leadership positions in some of the largest fire and disaster cases, including the Butte Fire Cases, 2017 PG&E Fire Cases, and San Bruno Explosion lawsuits.

Our attorneys currently represent over 200 families who are victims of the 2015 Butte Fire that devastated over 70,000 acres.  We have earned hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for our clients, and members of our team have been honored for their work with numerous awards, including “Top Plaintiff Lawyers in California,” “Trial Lawyer of the Year,” and “Top Women Lawyers in Northern California,” among others.

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Our wildfire attorneys are happy to answer any questions you may have. Call (530) 208-3062, or email us at contact@norcalfirelawyers.com to speak with a wildfire attorney, free of charge.