PG&E knew its high-voltage power lines were dangerous — some transmission towers were over 100 years old — but it put off repairs, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
The Caribou-Palermo transmission line, which sparked last year's deadly Camp Fire, went into service in 1921.
According to the Journal, PG&E delayed repairs on that line since 2013.
If only the company heeded its 2017 report that advised replacing towers and managing lines to prevent a “structure failure resulting [in] conductor on ground causing fire.”
On Wednesday, the San Francisco federal judge overseeing PG&E's felony probation for something else — a 2016 pipeline safety conviction — ordered the utility to respond to the Journal report.