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California Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Make PG&E a Publicly Owned Utility

Submitted by jhartgen@abi.org on

A California lawmaker has introduced a bill aimed at making PG&E Corp. a publicly owned utility, a year after liabilities from wildfires traced back to some of its equipment pushed the power producer into bankruptcy, Reuters reported. “Today I’m introducing legislation to force PG&E to become a publicly owned utility,” California State Senator Scott Wiener (D) said yesterday, adding that it was time for a new approach at the utility company. The power producer said on Saturday it had submitted an updated reorganization plan including a new board of directors and new roles aimed at addressing concerns raised by California Governor Gavin Newsom (D). Newsom last month rejected an earlier PG&E reorganization plan saying it lacked major changes in governance and tougher safety enforcement mechanisms mandated under a recent state wildfire statute.