Senator Wiener’s Statement on PG&E’s Announcement of Intention to Declare Bankruptcy

San Francisco –  Today, Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) issued the following statement in reaction to PG&E’s announcement that it will file for bankruptcy:

“PG&E’s announcement that it will declare bankruptcy is not good news, but we will all work hard to make the best of a bad situation. PG&E has been headquartered in San Francisco for more than a century, and is one of our city’s largest private employers. I am deeply disappointed that PG&E is again entering bankruptcy, and that it appears poised to sell its downtown San Francisco headquarters. PG&E’s bankruptcy also will harm victims whose homes burned and whose prospects of recovering damages is now potentially diminished. The City and County of San Francisco also has legal claims against PG&E that are now potentially in jeopardy.

“I am committed to working to ensure a smooth transition and avoiding any service interruptions as we go through this bankruptcy. I am confident that PG&E, even in bankruptcy, will continue to provide reliable energy to its customers. I will work to ensure PG&E maintains its clean energy obligations, which are critical to our climate goals. We must also work to protect PG&E’s employees, who are valued members of our community and should not be harmed by the actions of their employer.

“As disruptive as it is, PG&E’s bankruptcy creates an opportunity to form a comprehensive publicly owned electric utility in San Francisco. I urge the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to explore the possibility of purchasing PG&E’s transmission and distribution assets serving our city in order to transform the SFPUC’s public power enterprise into a full power utility for San Franciscans - one that delivers power to our residents in a safe, affordable, and reliable manner. Such an endeavor would be complicated - for example, we would need to ensure fair and equitable treatment of PG&E’s employees - but absolutely worth exploring.”