California wildfires News

Judge Strips PG&E of Exclusive Control Over Recovery Plan

California power giant PG&E Corp. was stripped of its right to exclusively pitch a reorganization plan in court, escalating an already-heated battle over the largest utility bankruptcy in U.S. history. The shares dropped more than 25% in after-hours trading. U.S. …

California Insurers Drop Policies in High-Fire Risk Areas

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — New California data shows insurance companies declined to renew nearly 350,000 home insurance policies in areas at high risk for wildfire since the state began collecting data in 2015. The data released this week did not say …

Wildfire Acreage Way Down in California this Year – So Far

LOS ANGELES — California is not burning. At least not as much as it has in recent years. Acreage burned through Sunday is down 90% compared to the average over the past five years and down 95% from last year, …

PG&E Posts $2.6 Billion Loss Stemming From Bankruptcy, Wildfires

PG&E Corp., the bankrupt California utility giant, reported a $2.6 billion second-quarter loss and said it expects more charges this year tied to wildfires that devastated the state in 2017 and 2018. The company, which didn’t provide an outlook for …

Insurers Offer Competing Plan to Rescue PG&E from Bankruptcy

SAN FRANCISCO — Insurance companies contending that Pacific Gas & Electric owes them more than $20 billion from wildfire claims want to take over the California utility and pull it out of bankruptcy. The insurers filed court documents Tuesday to …

California Cities Ask Newsom to Remove Hurdles for PG&E Assets

A new California law, a win for Governor Gavin Newsom, is intended to help utilities cover wildfire liabilities. But it’s also impeding the efforts of cities such as San Francisco that are seeking power independence. Now, they’re pressing Newsom to …

PG&E Is Already Starting Fires Again, Just Weeks Into the Season

Just a few weeks into California’s dry summer season, fires linked to Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. have already started to break out. More than 2,000 acres burned in Monterey County this week, with power lines blamed as the cause. …

If PG&E Wants Newsom’s Fire Aid, Here’s What It Has to Do

It’s no secret that California Governor Gavin Newsom wants to create a fund that the state’s electric utilities can tap to cover the costs of catastrophic wildfires. Now, the utilities know what he wants in return. Based on a proposal …

Congress Passes $19 Billion in Disaster Aid, Sends Bill to Trump

The House cleared a $19 billion disaster-aid plan for areas hit by hurricanes, Midwest floods and California wildfires on Monday after months of negotiations and a final delay of more than a week caused by Republican objections. The bill, passed …

Judge Approves $105M Fund for California Wildfire Survivors

Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. received approval Wednesday to establish a $105 million fund to help survivors of recent California wildfires started by the utility’s equipment. A federal judge overseeing PG&E’s bankruptcy case approved the utility’s wildfire assistance program to …