The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CalFire, determined that PG&E was culpable for the 2018 blazes that killed 85 people. Earlier this year, the company filed for bankruptcy after being mired in legal uncertainty from the incident. PG&E’s owners and lenders certainly ought to bear some burden, but future risks remain, and the utility’s chapter 11 filing exposes the weaknesses not only at the company but in the state of California, according to a Wall Street Journal commentary. While it is an easy scapegoat, the greater public interest is to put customers and the utility companies in a better spot, according to the commentary. Fairer liability laws, better city planning and a structure that shares the burden should be politicians’ focus.
