CPUC Orders Investigation Into PG&E Handling Of Public Safety Outages
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- California regulators have unanimously ordered an investigation into a dozen deliberate power outages that plunged millions of people into the dark last month.
The California Public Utilities Commission voted Wednesday at a short meeting in San Francisco after testimony from people pleading for regulation, planning and leadership.
The investigation will look at every aspect of the shutoffs, from how the grid was de-energized and re-energized to how customers were or were not informed. It will also look at whether any laws or regulations were violated in the process.
Pacific Gas & Electric's multiple rounds of outages were meant to prevent its equipment from igniting wildfires in windy weather and affected nearly 2.5 million people throughout Northern California.
The state's largest utility insisted on the shutoffs for public safety, but a parade of public officials and residents complained that the company botched its communications.
Last month, the CPUC President Marybel Batjer sharply criticized the utility over the outages, taking PG&E officials to task for not having an improved communication plan in place for future shutoffs.
Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric also shut off power but to far fewer people.
© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.