PG&E

Hand holding candle toward small electrical fuse box in the dark

California Developments Wait Months for Power

In areas served by PG&E, new developments sometimes have to wait months before the utility will turn on the power, creating extra costs for builders and keeping new affordable housing units off the market.

April 25, 2023 - Politico

Close-up of Pacific Gas & Electric Company title carved into building facade, flanked by two statues of utility workers

Delays in Power Hookups Force New Buildings To Sit Empty

Hundreds of residential and commercial buildings in the San Francisco Bay Area are vacant, waiting for electric connections from PG&E.

March 13, 2023 - San Francisco Chronicle

Diablo Canyon Nuclear

Legislature Extends $1.4 Billion Lifeline to California's Last Operating Nuclear Power Plant

A bipartisan bill, fiercely opposed by many in the environmental community, would keep the Diablo Canyon Power Plant operating beyond 2025. The bill received overwhelming approval after it was amended to shorten the duration of the extension.

September 6, 2022 - CALmatters

Diablo Canyon nuclear plant

Funding Allocated to Extend Life of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant

In order to to ensure that the lights stay on, the California legislature approved allocating up to $75 million to extend the life of the state's sole remaining nuclear plant and four natural gas powered plants, to the chagrin of environmentalists.

July 11, 2022 - CALmatters

Diablo Canyon Nuclear

Extending the Life of California's Largest Power Plant

Gov. Gavin Newsom has notified the U.S. Department of Energy of his interest in using funding included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to extend the life of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant slated to close in three years.

May 31, 2022 - Bloomberg News

Paradise, California

Paradise Was Prepared for the Camp Fire, Report Says. It Wasn't Enough.

Sobering findings from a thorough examination of the causes of the 2018 Camp Fire.

February 9, 2021 - The Sacramento Bee

California from Space

Massive Power Outages in Northern California as PG&E Avoids Wildfire Risk

Planetizen has collected local and national news on a massive, ongoing environmental and infrastructure story in Northern California. There are maps to keep track of the scope of planned power outages.

October 9, 2019 - The San Francisco Chronicle

California Wildfire

California Faces Costly Measures in Preparing for Future Wildfires

In California, recovery after wildfires means many upfront investments by communities and the state.

July 26, 2019 - The New York Times

East Bay Area

Another Berkeley 'First': Banning Natural Gas Lines in New Buildings

On Tuesday night, the City Council of Berkeley, Calif., unanimously voted to ban natural gas infrastructure from new buildings starting next year, the first city in the U.S. to pass such an ordinance. Fifty cities in the state could be next.

July 22, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

California Wildfire

PG&E Promises to Keep the Lights on After Declaring Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Pacific Gas and Electric has declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the face of "actual and potential" liability.

January 29, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Northern California Wilidfires

California's Largest Utility Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

PG&E announced that it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, facing $30 billion in liability after two years of catastrophic wildfires in the state of California.

January 15, 2019 - The Mercury News

Electric Cars

'Electric Charge Network' to Install 7,500 New Charging Stations in California

One of California's three investor-owned utilities has announced an electric vehicle charging infrastructure program that will spend $130 million through 2020.

January 21, 2018 - Smart Cities Dive

The High Cost of Curbside Electric Vehicle Charging

There's nothing like the convenience of charging one's electric vehicle at home, assuming you have a garage, driveway, or your apartment building has a charger. California cities and utilities are working to increase EV infrastructure on all fronts.

December 3, 2017 - San Francisco Chronicle

Power Lines

The High Cost of Burying Power Lines

With speculation that downed power lines and exploding transformers may have caused California's most deadly and destructive wildfires, many question why utility companies don't bury these lines through fire-prone areas.

October 27, 2017 - San Francisco Chronicle

Northern California Wilidfires

Wine Country Wildfires Put Spotlight on Transmission Lines

No cause has yet been attributed to California's deadliest wildfires, but the connections to fallen power lines and exploding transformers, maintained by PG&E, have been exposed in a series of reports by the Bay Area News Group.

October 23, 2017 - The Mercury News

Cap-and-Trade Bill Boosts California's Struggling Biomass Facilities

California's new rigorous renewable portfolio standard of 50 percent by 2030 will support a renewable energy source that serves the dual purpose of reducing forest fire hazards.

September 5, 2016 - Planetizen

Diablo Canyon Nuclear

The Only Remaining Nuclear Power Plant in California Will Close

In a surprise announcement by Pacific Gas and Electric Company on Tuesday, it was learned that California's only remaining nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon in San Luis Obispo County along California's central coast, will close in nine years.

June 23, 2016 - The (San Luis Obispo) Tribune

Will Electric Utilities Disrupt the Oil Industry in California?

A key bill had language allowing public utilities to enter into the electric vehicle charging industry—overlooked by the oil industry and a game-changer for EVs as it tackles one of their most formidable challenges.

October 29, 2015 - Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Is $1.4 Billion Enough Punishment for Deadly Natural Gas Explosion?

With a final decision expected later this year, the California Public Utilities Commission recommended a $1.4 billion fine for PG&E in connection with violations leading to a natural gas explosion in 2010.

September 6, 2014 - San Jose Mercury News

Aging Natural Gas Infrastructure Suspected in Deadly NYC Explosion

A repair crew was en route to investigate a complaint of gas odor when the two five-story, one-hundred-year-old buildings in East Harlem exploded, killing seven with eight still missing as of press time. Leaking cast iron pipelines may be to blame.

March 14, 2014 - WNYC

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