PG&E Says Prosecutor Wrong on ‘Callous Disregard’ for Safety
- Company admits to facts underlying guilty plea for 84 deaths
- U.S. judge overseeing utility’s probation is a reliable critic
Officers remove the remains of a victim of the Camp Fire in Magalia, California, on Nov. 15, 2018.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergPG&E Corp. didn’t dispute the basic facts in a county prosecutor’s report that found it squarely at fault for the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history, but took exception to being condemned for a “callous disregard” for safety.
PG&E was ordered by the federal judge overseeing its probation to identify any false statements in the 105-page report, which describes in excruciating detail the physical and human devastation of the 2018 Camp Fire that incinerated the town of Paradise, California, and how it originated with the utility’s worn, neglected and faulty equipment.
The report by Butte County District Attorney Michael Ramsey is the culmination of his investigation that forced the company last month to plead guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter, one for each person killed in the blaze.
PG&E admitted that the report offers “a sufficient factual basis” for its plea, according to the response it filed Wednesday. But the company rejected Ramsey’s conclusions that it “ignored warning signs, elevated profits over safety, did the absolute minimum to mitigate fire danger, and took advantage of a position of trust.”