(Reuters) – The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) watchdog on Tuesday proposed fines of $155.4 million against shareholders of utility Pacific Gas and Electric Co (PG&E) for alleged violations related a 2020 wildfire in the state.
PG&E was last year charged with manslaughter and other felonies by prosecutors in Shasta County over the Zogg fire, which killed four people, destroyed 204 structures, and burned more than 56,000 acres.
The proposed penalties follow an investigation by the CPUC’s Safety and Enforcement Division into the fire, which found that PG&E failed “to remove trees marked for removal as a result of poor recordkeeping.”
PG&E said in a statement that it was reviewing the proposed order, adding that it had already have resolved civil claims with Shasta County and “reached settlements with most individual victims and their families”.
(Reporting by Deep Vakil; editing by John Stonestreetin Bengaluru)