The California Public Utilities Commission may penalize one of the country’s largest utility providers after an investigation found it had been falsifying records for five years.<\/b>
\n\u00ab\u00a0Excavators, including construction crews, rely on PG&E to inform them exactly where PG&E underground natural gas infrastructure is located,\u00a0\u00bb CPUC stated. \u00ab\u00a0If PG&E fails to meet its legally imposed responsibilities to locate and mark the required deadline of the excavating contractor’s request, a contractor may simply commence digging despite the danger.\u00a0\u00bb
And while there may not always be immediate consequences to hitting a pipe, damage can sometimes take years to manifest itself, the report said.
\u00ab\u00a0Utility falsification of safety-related records is a serious violation of law and diminishes our trust in the utility’s reports on their progress,\u00a0\u00bb CPUC President Michael Picker said in a statement. \u00ab\u00a0These findings are another example of why we are investigating.\u00a0\u00bb
Friday, the CPUC launched a proceeding, similar to a court case, to consider penalties the utility company may have to face for the false records and safety violations that began in 2012, two years after a company pipeline exploded, killing eight people and damaging dozens of homes in San Bruno, California.
At the time, the utility company said it was working to improve the safety of its pipeline operations.
Following the explosion, PG&E was placed on probation and fined $1.6 billion by the commission for unsafe operation of its gas transmission system.
Last year, the company was sentenced to another five years of probation and fined $3 million.
In a statement, PG&E said it agreed with the findings in the new investigation and will be working with the commission.
\u00ab\u00a0We’re committed to accurate and thorough reporting and record-keeping, and we didn’t live up to that commitment in this case,\u00a0\u00bb PG&E spokesman Matt Nauman said. \u00ab\u00a0Once that became apparent, we took and continue to take additional actions to meet the regulatory standards related to our locate and mark record-keeping.\u00a0\u00bb
Those actions, Nauman said, include updating the company’s ticket tracking system, reviewing audit protocol, hiring more employees and training them better.
\u00ab\u00a0We are aware of and cooperating with the CPUC’s investigation,\u00a0\u00bb Nauman said. \u00ab\u00a0We are fully committed to keeping our customers, communities and coworkers safe every single day.\u00a0\u00bb
PG&E has more than 20,000 employees and delivers natural gas and electric power to 16 million California residents.
Earlier this year, a federal judge asked the company to detail any role it may have played in causing the Camp Fire, which killed more than 80 people. Company employees reported power outages and flaming poles near the starting location of the fire.
Thursday, the utility company submitted a revenue increase proposal to the CPUC which would, among other things, fund wildfire precaution measures.<\/p>\n