Monday, August 20th, 2018 — When all the options are bad, choosing the least-bad option wont make anybody happy. Thats whats likely to happen with a stack of proposed legislation to deal with liability for the catastrophic wildfires that have scorched hundreds of thousands of acres across California. The states investor-owned utilities are lobbying for a change in the law that reduces their liability for fires caused by electrical equipment, like wires and transformers. Under a doctrine known as “inverse condemnation,” theyre liable for the damage from fires sparked by utility equipment — for example when tree branches make contact with wires during high winds even if the utility wasnt negligent.
The Utilities’ Liability For California’s Wildfire Woes
When all the options are bad, choosing the least-bad option won’t make anybody happy. That’s what’s likely to happen with a stack of proposed legislation to deal with liability for the catastrophic wildfires that have scorched hundreds of thousands of acres across California.