Wildfires

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra in a recent federal court filing said Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) could face criminal charges, including murder, if it’s determined that the utility recklessly operated equipment that caused deadly wildfires in Northern California over the last two years.

Regulatory preparations have been suspended on WCC LNG Ltd.’s dormant proposal for a jumbo liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal on the Pacific coast of British Columbia at Prince Rupert. A year after closing WCC’s office in the northern port, sponsors Imperial Oil Ltd. and ExxonMobil Corp. have withdrawn the application for BC and federal environmental approvals. The project’s 40-year export license from the National Energy Board for up to 4.6 Bcf/d remains valid if deliveries begin before November 2026. The WCC partners have told shareholders that the fate of all their projects depends on evolving market conditions.

California regulators late Thursday doubled down on the wildfires impacting each end of the state and the potential role by the two major utilities, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) and Southern California Edison (SCE).

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) on Wednesday was staring into a financial abyss as it confronts the possibility that the Camp Fire burning in Northern California could be linked to the failure of its equipment. Meanwhile, the destructive Woolsey Fire in Southern California may have ties to Southern California Edison Co. (SCE) equipment.

With a focus on wildfires, hurricanes and other natural disasters, Los Angeles-based Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) on Tuesday released a study distilling best practices that utilities and communities may pursue in future events, including ways to preserve and use existing natural gas infrastructure.

California Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed into law a bill aimed at better managing the prevention and response to wildfires, along with 28 other bills addressing fire-related issues, but he acknowledged the complexity and inherent added costs from the legislation.

In the wee hours before adjourning last Friday, the California legislature passed an amended version of state Senate Bill (SB) 901 addressing various wildfire issues, including planning and foliage management as well as some protections for the major electric utilities.

Days before the California legislature adjourns, a conference committee on Friday offered a basket of actions regarding wildfires without a specific solution to the utility liability issue.

California legislators indicated Tuesday that they are setting aside efforts to find a legislative solution to the wildfire liability problem for the state’s major utilities, according to a co-chair of the conference committee for state Senate Bill (SB) 901.