The deadly 2010 gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, California, continues to cost Pacific Gas & Electric. A federal jury last week found the utility guilty of five of 11 criminal counts of violating the US Pipeline Safety Act, meaning the company could be fined up to $3 million. Prosecutors had originally sought up to $562 million in penalties but last month dropped the maximum to $6 million, without explanation (NGWAug.8' 16). The case centered on allegations that PG&E made a series of "deliberate and illegal" decisions related to its record-keeping and integrity-management program, which led to the explosion of a 30-inch transmission line that killed eight people and destroyed dozens of homes in the San Francisco suburb. The California Public Utilities Commission already has finedPG&E a record $1.6 billion for the incident.
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