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PG&E (NYSE:PCG) could face $45M in fines for violating state laws leading up to the 2021 Dixie Fire that burned nearly 1M acres in northern California, the California Public Utility Commission proposed Monday.
If approved, PG&E (PCG) would be required to spend $40M digitizing its records, the result of the PUC’s finding that PG&E’s poor record-keeping hindered the ability to detect and deal with the pine tree that fell on the company’s power lines and started the fire, according to the findings of Cal Fire’s investigation.
PG&E (PCG) also would pay $2.5M into California’s general fund and contribute another $2.5M to tribal governments impacted by the fire, according to the PUC’s proposal.
The company last year avoided criminal charges stemming from the fire by reaching a financial settlement with district attorneys representing counties that were affected.
