![]() ![]() The wildfire risk that we're experiencing is what it is. And also, it's not going to change the fact that the system is in the condition that it's in. But we don't really know where it's going yet. So there are conversations about, you know, having some sort of municipalization, as they call it, or a government takeover. But the big problem, especially with what San Francisco is considering, is what does that do to the rest of the system? Because then you would have, kind of, the remaining PG&E would have the same amount of fire risk, but far fewer customers. The mayor of San Jose, the Bay Area's largest city, is exploring whether PG&E should be transformed into a customer-owned cooperative. The city of San Francisco has already offered PG&E $2.5 billion to buy its power lines. ![]() Morris: “You're seeing a lot of conversation here in California about whether there should be some form of government takeover of PG&E. And almost everything people have done over the last 150 years has aggravated those conditions." Stephen Pyne And we never will be able, under these conditions.” We simply can't respond fast enough, vigorously enough. And you have to think more deeply about changing the conditions. But three years of serial conflagration - I think it's pretty obvious that model has failed. No place on the planet has that kind of concentrated firepower. I mean, the five largest fire departments in the country are in California. And for a century or so, California has bridged the gap between the number of people who live there, and the fire conditions that exist there, with a really aggressive firefighting program. And now climate change is acting as a performance enhancer - if you will - on top of that, and making it worse. And almost everything people have done over the last 150 years has aggravated those conditions. Stephen Pyne: “California is built to burn. On the history of wildfires in California ![]() And the current fire that's burning in Sonoma, you know, all evidence points that PG&E actually started that fire." Amy Harrington But, you know, this is a man-made problem, which is obviously exacerbated by climate change.” And it's going to require real leadership on behalf of the state, to figure out what to do about that. So, having a shareholder-owned utility is clearly a complete failure. And, instead, they were paying out guaranteed dividends to shareholders. During all of this period, the last 20 years, they should have been undergrounding power lines, and updating infrastructure. So, what is happening now, requires state-level intervention. And then, 20 minutes later, they turned off the power in that area. And it looks like the fire started from a PG&E device. It started at one of their geothermal power plants. And the current fire that's burning in Sonoma, you know, all evidence points that PG&E actually started that fire. How do people in Sonoma, California, feel that despite the power shutoffs, the fires are still burning?Īmy Harrington: “PG&E as a power provider is outrageous. Author of over 30 books, mostly on the history and management of wildland and rural fire, including " Fire: A Brief History" and " Fire in America." Interview Highlights Emeritus professor at Arizona State University, specializing in environmental history, the history of exploration, and especially the history of fire. Morris, reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle, covering power outages during the Kincade fire. GuestsĪmy Harrington, mayor of Sonoma, California. We have the latest from the frontlines and look at disaster response at the brink. Millions of residents plunged into darkness from mandatory power shutoffs. At least 180,000 residents have evacuated. (Philip Pacheco/AFP/Getty Images)įires have now torched more than 74,000 acres in Northern California. 26 ordered about 50,000 people to evacuate parts of the San Francisco Bay area in California as hot dry winds are forecast to fan raging wildfires. ![]()
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