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A regulatory law judge found ratepayers, not PG E, should pay all outstanding costs from the 2019 Kincade Fire and 2021 Dixie Fire.

The Details

If the proposed decision issued Friday is approved, the total bill for ratepayers would be $1.7 billion, on top of funds PG E previously tapped from the state’s wildfire fund.

The utility, according to the ruling, is entitled to presumption of operating its system reasonably, under a 2019 law, having been issued a wildfire safety certificate.

“PG E’s conduct related to the ignition of the Kincade and Dixie Fires is presumed to have been reasonable (or prudent), and no party to the proceeding has created a serious doubt as to the reasonableness of PG E’s conduct leading up to the fires.”

Ratepayer advocates had argued hard against the burden fallen to ratepayers, but the judge determined they failed to show the utility broke the law, violated commission standards or could prove that another utility would have acted differently in a similar situa