California Electric Utility Could Face Murder Charges For Wildfire, AG Says

[appalachiablue]

Source: CNN

California's largest public utility provider could face murder or manslaughter charges if it were found responsible for causing the state's recent deadly wildfires, according to court documents filed by the state attorney general.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co., or PG&E, could potentially face a range of criminal offenses if any of the wildfires broke out as a result of the utility failing to properly operate and maintain power lines, per an amicus brief filed in US District Court Friday by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra.

PG&E, which provides electricity to about 16 million Californians, has been under scrutiny for how it maintains its infrastructure amid questions about what caused the Camp Fire -- the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in the state's history. According to the brief, potential charges range from minor misdemeanors related to clearing vegetation around power lines, to misdemeanors or felonies if it started the fire, up to "homicide offenses like implied-malice murder and involuntary manslaughter."

The potential charges would be dependent on an investigation into the cause of the fire and -- if PG&E were found liable -- on the utility provider's degree of negligence and recklessness. The attorney general's office has not come to a conclusion about PG&E's responsibility for the recent fires and is not taking a position on the issue, the brief states.


Read more: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/california-electric-utility-could-face-murder-charges-for-wildfires-ag-says/ar-BBRBHfl?ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

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PG&E's reputation has been damaged in recent years from its connection to other disasters and for failing to meet regulatory standards. The company was fined $3 million after being found guilty of multiple violations of the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act last year.

PG&E equipment also caused 17 fires last year, often after branches or trees came in contact with power lines.



Vehicles and homes burn as the Camp fire tears through Paradise, California on November 8, 2018. - More than 18,000 acres have been scorched in a matter of hours burning with it a hospital, a gas station and dozens of homes. (Photo credit, JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty).

[Hekate]

1. PG&E might fight back on the basis of Paradise having been built in a wind corridor that was known

...to be a devastating engine of fire. Jesus, it was known for 100 mph wind gusta. There's a comprehensive pair of articles in the Sunday Los Angeles Times -- highly recommended reading. It looks like the city of Paradise should never have been built there.

All the best to AG Xavier Becerra -- the utility companies have gotten away with murder far too long.

[NotASurfer]

3. People put cities in dumb places

Seattle is in the shadow of a volcano. San Francisco is on an insane number of fault lines. Los Angeles too, and it's basically in a desert so far as water goes. Speaking of deserts, Las Vegas and Phoenix. Speaking of fault lines, Charleston SC, and St Louis, and Memphis. What part of Florida is basically sea level? How many cities are in flood plains?

Nobody intends to live where they're in danger, I guess. Where Paradise stood, the Yahi lived for generations. You still find grinding stones they used for acorn meal. Paradise was a small town along the road to Reno. And the Southern Pacific railroad ran through town until the 1970s.

I don't doubt something will be rebuilt - there's a lot of basic infrastructure and a small core of buildings, and a good chunk of Magalia up the ridge is intact. But I hope we all learned something about what you need to actually build if you want to live there

[BigmanPigman]

4. I have said the same my whole life...why rebuild in an area

that is known to be prone to certain destructive elements, natural or man-made. If a person chooses to rebuild, knowing this, than they are responsible for their choice. However, it a man-made entity is responsible for accelerating or initiating a devastating environment, than they must be held accountable.

[CreekDog]

6. you make it sound so easy

maybe if the victims of natural disasters died and didn't need to live anywhere, we could live up to your decree.

[BigmanPigman]

7. With Climate Change already here and causing more and more

disasters, people will have to move, relocate, etc and will not have a choice. It is called adaption and people have been doing this for as long as there have been people.

[NotASurfer]

12. At least, don't build everything back the same way

and expect different results

It's pretty clear that putting high-density flammable housing in proximity to high-fire-danger wilderness, with high-voltage power lines of the sparked-and-caused-massive-wildfire variety, cannot be acceptable practice any more

[CreekDog]

5. San Francisco is not on either of the major faults in the Bay Area

it is earthquake country, no doubt, but to say that it's actually crossed by faults is misleading when in fact, they are outside the city.

[MichMan]

8. Should the officials of Paradise be charged with murder as well ?

I'm certainly not a legal expert by any means, but based on the LA Times article, couldn't the AG be also able to charge city officials with murder in a similar legal argument ?

[NotASurfer]

11. IMO, no

You'd have to charge them for decades of decisions made before they were elected. Or born, in some cases

Unlike most towns in the mountains there, Paradise city officials had an evacuation plan in place, and practiced it. Reversing inbound lanes to double evacuation capacity and speed for example. And they held high-participation evacuation drills. They knew from experience they needed that preparedness, and they took concrete steps to mitigate the risk

And then something happened so far outside the realm of experience

I think the Times is looking at a post-mortem of what went wrong. Experience didn't have anything this fast-moving that started this close. In hindsight there are so many things that would have saved lives...

My guess is we'll see the hot water strapping solution here, ie state-level requirements and regulations like the one requiring hot water heaters to be securely strapped to the wall to minimize tipping danger in the event of an earthquake. At least limiting population density to what can be evacuated quickly, and fire-resistant building material requirements, for areas like Paradise. It's a statewide problem in California, there's a Democrat in the Governer's mansion, and a Democratic supermajority in both houses in Sacramento. And unlike Republicans, who can't pass anything useful with both houses of Congress, I expect California will get things done

[pansypoo53219]

2. the supreme court did make them people. prove it.

[mpcamb]

14. So let's throw the board of directors in jail. This notion of 'personhood' for corporations

shields rats and lets them run loose.

( I'm just speculating here but the corporate types probably spend
a lot of time pontificating about 'personal responsibility.)

[Eugene]

9. Prosecutors: Fires may mean PG&E violated criminal sentence

Source: Associated Press

Prosecutors: Fires may mean PG&E violated criminal sentence

By SUDHIN THANAWALA
December 31, 2018

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A California utility’s role in igniting wildfires last year could allow a judge to find that it violated terms of its criminal sentence in a 2010 gas pipeline explosion that killed eight people, federal prosecutors said Monday.

In a court filing, the U.S. attorney’s office in San Francisco said state investigations blamed Pacific Gas & Electric power lines for some fires in October 2017. Investigators also found evidence that PG&E violated state law.

“These facts, specifically if PG&E started a wildfire by reckless operation or maintenance of its power lines, may serve as a basis for the court to find that the defendant corporation violated” terms of its probation, prosecutors said.

A U.S. judge in 2017 put PG&E on five years of probation following its conviction on pipeline safety charges stemming from an explosion of one of its pipelines in the San Francisco Bay Area.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/30c718f8481c4b4d82375fae819c4046

[Maxheader]

10. They better be care full about any charges...

I'm all for going after them if they did cause the fires..but with 16 million
dependent on power..And if the utility goes bankrupt fighting the charges...
Better be a plan to keep power going..

[ailsagirl]

13. I don't know if it's even feasible but why can't California switch to Con Edison??

They couldn't be worse than PG&E

I posted this thread in the California Group a few days ago-- outrageous!!

https://www.democraticunderground.com/104020349

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

15. Erin Brockovich cost them a few bucks

What's she doing these days?