SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (AP) — A federal judge on Friday approved a $58 billion plan by the nation’s largest utility to end a contentious bankruptcy saga that began after Pacific Gas & Electric’s outdated equipment ignited wildfires in California that killed more than 100 people, wiped out entire towns and led the company to confess to crimes driven by its greed and neglect.
PG&E still faces formidable challenges: Montali’s decision is allowing the company to emerge from its financial morass just as California heads into a summer expected to bring especially high wildfire risks.
“This does not put us into a new chapter at PG&E,” said Will Abrams, a survivor of a 2017 wildfire who had been trying to convince the judge to reject the company’s bankruptcy plan.
He wants to impose more safety requirements on PG&E to reduce wildfire risks posed by its electrical grid, but the company has resisted his efforts so far, saying it is meeting the standards of California regulators.
State regulators are still investigating PG&E’s mishandling of those deliberate blackouts, which left many wondering how an area that’s home to some of the world’s most influential technology companies can’t find a way to keep the power on for days at a time.
