Pacific Gas and Electric has agreed to pay the town of Paradise, as well as Butte County and several other Northern California counties $1 billion as part of a negotiated civil settlement for a string of utility-company caused wildfires that ravaged the north state since 2015.
President Trump has made eliminating federal regulations a priority. His administration, with help from Republicans in Congress, has often targeted environmental rules it sees as burdensome to the fossil fuel industry and other big businesses.
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom, Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins and Speaker of the Assembly Anthony Rendon issued the following statement after the release of the Commission on Catastrophic Wildfire Cost and Recovery’s draft report:
SACRAMENTO – California Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) has announced the creation of a Senate Select Committee to assess policy options outlined in Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2019 Report: “Wildfires and Climate Change - California's Energy Future.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday challenged the Legislature to revise state laws on utilities’ wildfire liabilities, presenting lawmakers with a series of potentially controversial strategies to shield electric companies from growing costs fueled by climate change.
The governor did not take a position on the most politically perilous options his “strike force” of state government officials laid out in a widely anticipated report about climate change, wildfires and utilities.
Saying the costs of wildfires must be spread more broadly as climate change worsens, Gov. Gavin Newsom said California must consider dramatic changes in California law Friday to give bankrupt PG&E and other big utilities greater legal protection against liabilities that can spiral into the billions of dollars.
Releasing a wide-ranging suite of proposals from a “strike force” he created two months ago, Newsom stopped short of endorsing what is likely the most controversial recommendation: a shuffling of costs that would likely take money from insurance companies and utility ratepayers, while potentially trimming
California should consider a wide range of policies and law changes to tackle the state’s wildfire crisis — including controversial revisions to state liability laws and potentially breaking up PG&E — Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday.
“I commend Governor Newsom for putting forward his vision for addressing wildfires and how California can meet its ambitious climate change goals. His report is thorough, substantive and well-researched. As legislators, we will continue to address these critical issues – as we did last year with Senate Bill 901.
MATHER – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the findings of his strike force charged with examining California’s catastrophic wildfires, climate change and our energy future.
The strike force report sets out steps the state must take to reduce the incidence and severity of wildfires, including the significant wildfire mitigation and resiliency efforts the Governor has already proposed. It renews the state’s commitment to clean energy. It outlines actions to hold the state’s utilities accountable, as well as recommended changes to stabilize California’s utilities to meet the energy needs of customers and the economy.
The Trump administration has taken aim at removing environmental federal protections for wetlands and isolated streams from pollution.
The Environmental Protection Agency unveiled a proposal redefining US waters under the Clean Water Act.