Panel Blasts PG&E And State Regulators
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A high-level, independent probing last year's deadly California pipeline explosion says urgent reforms are needed to fix ongoing problems at the pipeline company and inside a state utility commission.
Panelists told the California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday that the blast was a consequence of multiple management and oversight weaknesses at Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
The panelists also say the utility commission lacked the resources to monitor the company's pipeline safety work and failed to pay enough attention to concerns about PG&E's performance.
The Sept. 9 explosion in San Bruno killed seven people and sparked a fireball that torched 38 homes in the hills overlooking San Francisco Bay.
PG&E did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
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