PG&E fined $45 million for conductors sparking Dixie Fire

(KRON) — Pacific Gas and Electric Company agreed to pay a $45 million fine for igniting the largest single wildfire in California’s history. The Dixie Fire burned nearly 1 million acres in Northern California during the summer of 2021 and raged out of control for four months.

The Dixie Fire ignited on July 13, 2021 when a Douglas fir tree fell and struck energized conductors owned and operated by PG&E in Feather River Canyon, state regulators said. The wildfire’s intensity sent giant pyrocumulus clouds, aka “fire clouds,” billowing into California skies.

More than 1,000 structures in Butte, Plumas, Lassen, Shasta & Tehama counties were destroyed before the blaze was 100 percent contained in late October, according to CalFire.

The California Public Utilities Commission’s Safety and Enforcement Division launched a thorough investigation to determine whether PG&E had violated the Public Utilities Code or any of the CPUC’s rules, regulations, orders, or decisions.

On Thursday, state regulators approved the $45 million settlement agreement with PG&E.

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Under the terms of the settlement agreement, PG&E will pay $40 million in shareholder funding for capital expenditures for an initiative to transition from hard copy records to electronic records for distribution patrols and inspections. The utility company will also pay millions to tribes impacted by the wildfire and the California General Fund, the CPUC said.

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The Dixie Fire fine seeks to hold the utility company accountable for safely serving its customers, state regulators said. Previous fines issued by the CPUC against PG&E include $150 million for the 2020 Zogg Fire, and $125 million for the 2019 Kincade Fire.

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