Judge rips PG&E for poor safety record leading to wildfires

FILE - In this Sept. 9, 2010, file photo, a massive fire following a pipeline explosion roars through a mostly residential neighborhood in San Bruno, Calif. A federal judge repeatedly ripped into Pacific Gas & Electric, saying its executives have put greed before safety. U.S. District Judge William Alsup told the utility at a hearing Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020, that it should plan to have at least 1,100 more tree trimmers to reduce the chances that it will cause even more devastation. The harsh rebuke came in a hearing as part of PG&E's criminal probation imposed after its natural gas lines blew up a San Bruno, California, neighborhood and killed eight people. Since its probation, poorly maintained power lines have been blamed for igniting wildfires that killed nearly 130 people and destroyed thousands of homes. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) FILE - In this Sept. 9, 2010, file photo, a massive fire following a pipeline explosion roars through a mostly residential neighborhood in San Bruno, Calif. A federal judge repeatedly ripped into Pacific Gas & Electric, saying its executives have put greed before safety. U.S. District Judge William Alsup told the utility at a hearing Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020, that it should plan to have at least 1,100 more tree trimmers to reduce the chances that it will cause even more devastation. The harsh rebuke came in a hearing as part of PG&E's criminal probation imposed after its natural gas lines blew up a San Bruno, California, neighborhood and killed eight people. Since its probation, poorly maintained power lines have been blamed for igniting wildfires that killed nearly 130 people and destroyed thousands of homes. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE / AP Business Writer February 19, 2020 6 min read

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – A U.S. judge ripped into Pacific Gas & Electric on Wednesday, saying its executives have put greed before safety and telling officials from the utility blamed for catastrophic California wildfires to plan to add at least 1,100 more tree trimmers to cut the risk of even more blazes.

“I am going to do everything I can to protect this state from more death and destruction from this convicted felon,” U.S. District Judge William Alsup said of PG&E.

He delivered the harsh rebuke of the nation’s largest utility during a court hearing to review how well PG&E has complied with the terms of a five-year criminal probation imposed after its natural gas lines blew up a San Francisco Bay Area neighborhood and killed eight people in 2010. The utility was convicted of six felony counts of falsifying records and safety violations in 2016.

FILE – In this Nov. 26, 2018, file photo, a Pacific Gas & Electric lineman works to repair a power line in fire-ravaged Paradise, Calif. A federal judge repeatedly ripped into Pacific Gas & Electric, saying its executives have put greed before safety. U.S. District Judge William Alsup told the utility at a hearing Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020, that it should plan to have at least 1,100 more tree trimmers to reduce the chances that it will cause even more devastation. The harsh rebuke came in a hearing as part of PG&E’s criminal probation imposed after its natural gas lines blew up a San Bruno, California, neighborhood and killed eight people. Since its probation, poorly maintained power lines have been blamed for igniting wildfires that killed nearly 130 people and destroyed thousands of homes. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

Alsup blasted PG&E for its abysmal track record since its probation began in January 2017. In that time, PG&E’s aging power lines have been blamed for igniting a series of wildfires that killed nearly 130 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

The aftermath saddled PG&E with more than $50 billion in potential liabilities, driving the San Francisco company into bankruptcy 13 months ago.