SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — Pacific Gas & Electric's CEO is pledging that the future will get “easier” and “brighter.” But those words are ringing hollow one year after the nation’s largest utility emerged from a complex bankruptcy triggered by a succession of harrowing wildfires ignited by its long-neglected electrical grid.
Tragedies over the past six years include a 2018 wildfire that killed 85 people and destroyed the town of Paradise.
Since the bankruptcy, PG&E has still been breaking safety promises, and a $13.5 billion trust set up for victims of its past catastrophes is facing a big shortfall.