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PG&E: It Isn't Possible to Fully Comply With Wildfire Prevention Rules

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The utility estimated that it would take eight years to fully comply with state vegetation management law because there are not enough workers, and that 100 million trees could contact its overhead lines. (Sheraz Sadiq/KQED )

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said that it is impossible for any utility to fully comply with state wildfire prevention laws, in court filings on Friday.

Last week federal Judge William Alsup asked the embattled utility whether it is in full compliance with state laws. Alsup also asked PG&E to respond to attorneys representing wildfire victims, who argued that the utility accepted wildfire risks as part of the cost of doing business. The judge is overseeing PG&E’s probation for its 2016 criminal conviction for violating federal pipeline safety laws in connection with the 2010 San Bruno gas explosion in which eight people were killed.

Pacific Gas and Electric in Court

PG&E argued in court filings that conditions in the dense forests throughout its territory can change quickly. The utility estimated that it would take eight years to fully comply with state vegetation management law because there are not enough workers, and that 100 million trees could contact its overhead lines.

"Given the dynamic conditions of vegetation, it is impossible for a utility to achieve perfect compliance or to represent that it is in full compliance at all times," PG&E wrote in the filing.

The utility argued that it is already conducting many of the safety measures attorneys asked for, and listed several programs, including de-energization procedures, prioritizing tree trimming and removal in fire-prone areas and creating new safety plans.

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