Peninsula Lawmaker Rips State PUC Over San Bruno Explosion
SAN FRANCISCO - A Peninsula lawmaker criticized the California Public Utilities Commission for allowing safety lapses before the San Bruno explosion that killed 8 people and destroyed dozens of homes.
During a hearing Thursday, Assemblyman Jerry Hill said he had no confidence in the commission's ability to audit the records Pacific Gas and Electric's maintains on its underground pipelines.
"This commission has failed the people of California and especially the residents in my district by your culture of complacency," he said.
KCBS' Barbara Taylor Reports:
That accusation prompted a sharp response from Commissioner Michael Peevey, who used his gavel to try and reign in Hill's torrent of criticism.
Peevey said Hill was completely ignoring a blue ribbon panel appointed by the PUC specifically to conduct a critical, independent investigation of what led to the explosion.
"You make no mention whatsoever, or no recognition of that. And I find that contemptible," Peevey said.
Outside the hearing room, the executive director of the PUC, Paul Clannon, said everyone involved shares blame and responsibility for the tragedy.
"Eight died in an explosion in San Bruno. Nobody who's involved in operating that pipeline and regulating that pipeline and overseeing it can feel complacent about what happened. The system failed," Clannon said.
The Chronicle recently revealed that PG&E had elevated the pressure on the line that exploded to the maximum limit legally allowed, a factor investigators are weighing as they look into what led to the explosion.
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