California Legislature to vote on wildfire reforms after blocking key parts of Newsom’s plan
Summary
California lawmakers are set to vote on a bill to help wildfire survivors after rejecting Governor Gavin Newsom’s plan that would have limited how much electric companies must pay for fires caused by their equipment. Newsom said the compromise bill will give some benefits but does not fix the bigger problem of who should pay for damages caused by utility equipment.Key Facts
- California lawmakers blocked Governor Newsom’s original plan on wildfire liability for utilities.
- Newsom’s plan would have reduced how much utilities pay to wildfire victims.
- The rejected plan also would have stopped insurance companies from suing utilities to recover wildfire costs.
- Lawmakers are voting on a new bill aimed at helping wildfire survivors get paid faster.
- Fire survivors protested Newsom’s original plan, saying it favored utilities over victims.
- Newsom says the new bill makes some progress but does not fully solve the wildfire cost issue.
- California law currently makes utilities pay for damages from fires started by their equipment, even without proof of negligence.
- Utilities have raised electricity rates to cover wildfire prevention and recovery costs as fires have grown worse due to climate change.
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