PG&E to California: Maybe You Should Decide On the Next Blackout
- Week after big California outage, CEO testifies to regulators
- Officials blast handling of blackout, while CEO vows better
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The chief of California utility giant PG&E Corp. has a suggestion for those state officials attacking the company over an unprecedented blackout it carried out last week to prevent wildfires: Maybe you should try making the call next time.
Bill Johnson, chief executive officer of the embattled power company, raised the idea in a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday -- just before attending a meeting in San Francisco where he was blasted by state regulators. In his letter, Johnson said a “discussion is in order” about whether an agency such as the state’s utility commission or its fire agency should make future decisions on whether to turn off the lights. Currently, that responsibility lies with three PG&E vice presidents.