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IPFS News Link • Lobbyist and Lobbying

PG&E SPENT MILLIONS ON LOBBYING--

• https://theintercept.com by Lee Fang

THE DECISION BY Pacific Gas & Electric to declare bankruptcy in January did not prevent the utility giant from continuing to spend big on political influence in California's Statehouse.

The investor-owned utility's transmission lines have been blamed for multiple wildfires, including the Tubbs fire in October 2017 and the Camp Fire wildfire in November 2018, the two most destructive and deadly wildfires in California history. The company infamously neglected necessary safety upgrades on infrastructure known to be a fire hazard, instead choosing to spend its ratepayers' money on executive compensation, billions of dollars of investor dividends, and on buying political influence.

The company's plunge into Chapter 11, widely viewed as maneuver to avoid legal liability for wildfire victims, has temporarily suspended dividend payments to investors, but it hasn't stopped the company from showering the political system with money in an attempt to secure a preferential bond that could leave customers picking up the tab to cover the company's negligent behavior.


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