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2w ago

Regulators Seek $22 Million From PG&E Over 2022 Mosquito Fire

A finding that electric arcing likely started the blaze raises new questions about PG&E’s safety practices ahead of an Aug. 13 commission vote.

A truck sprays water to put out flames after the Mosquito Fire jumped the Middle Fork of the American River and burned structures and vehicles in Foresthill, Calif., in 2022. State regulators are now recommending a $22 million penalty against the utility provider related to that blaze.
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Overview

  • The CPUC safety and enforcement division released its findings Friday recommending a $22 million settlement that would pay $21 million to the state general fund and $1 million for an independent review of PG&E’s inspection program.
  • Investigators concluded the fire most likely began from electric arcing at a lower jumper where three transmission circuits converged and found visible scorch marks on equipment.
  • The CPUC report identified lapses in required clearance, testing, repairs and vegetation work and says PG&E disposed of a pole and other equipment instead of preserving it as evidence.
  • The U.S. Forest Service seized PG&E transmission equipment in 2022 and opened a criminal probe that remains unresolved, while PG&E says it agrees to the proposed decision even though no official cause has been shared with the company.
  • The regulatory proposal follows an $80 million civil settlement earlier this year with the Placer County Water Agency and could trigger an independent review that changes how PG&E inspects and documents transmission work.