SAN FRANCISCO (AP) California regulators unanimously ordered an investigation into a dozen deliberate power outages that plunged millions of people into the dark in October.
The California Public Utilities Commission voted Wednesday, Nov. 13, at a short meeting in San Francisco after testimony from people pleading for regulation, planning, and leadership.
Pacific Gas & Electric’s multiple rounds of outages were meant to prevent its equipment from igniting wildfires in windy weather and affected nearly 2.5 million people throughout Northern California.
The state’s largest utility insisted on the shutoffs for public safety, but a parade of public officials complained the company botched its communications.
Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric also shut off power but to far fewer people.
The electric utilities under investigation are: Pacific Gas and Electric Company(PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), Liberty Utilities/CalPeco Electric, Bear Valley Electric Service, and Pacific Power, a division of PacifiCorp.
