CEO of Nation’s Biggest Utility Talks Affordability, Fires, Outages, and Public Outrage

After PG&E pled guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter in the 2018 Camp Fire, Patti Poppe was brought on as the utility’s new CEO. Her stated mission: to fix it. 

Now, rising electricity prices, repeated power outages, and the growing impact of climate change have put PG&E in the crosshairs of the public and legislators. Again.

This summer, California lawmakers rejected a bill that would have capped the utility’s liability if their equipment sparks another fire. In response. PG&E announced it would defer roughly $2 billion in capital investments planned for 2027 as it works to strengthen its finances and, in Poppe’s words, “reinvent” the company. That means plans to connect new housing projects, clean energy initiatives, and some technology upgrades may be put on hold.  

In a climate-changed world, is the investor-owned utility model still sustainable? Are utilities putting too much emphasis on profits at the expense of maintenance? And how do utilities across the country balance the needs for affordability, reliability, and climate resilience? 

Guests:

Patti Poppe, CEO, Pacific Gas & Electric

Ryan Reed, Co-Founder, FireGeneration Collaborative

Kyle Trefny, Seasonal wildland firefighter; Co-Founder, FireGeneration Collaborative

For show notes, transcripts, and related links, visit our episode page.

00:00 – Introduction

03:30 – PG&E CEO on rising costs of electricity

06:50 – Is PG&E beholden to Wall Street instead of Main Street?