TY  - BOOK
AU  - Blunt,Katherine
TI  - California burning: the fall of Pacific Gas and Electric--and what it means for America's power grid 
SN  - 9780593330654
AV  - HD 9685 B659c 2022
U1  - 333.793/20973 23/eng/20220119
PY  - 2022///]
CY  - [New York]
PB  - Portfolio/Penguin
KW  - Pacific Gas and Electric Company
KW  - Wildfires
KW  - California
KW  - Incendios
KW  - Electric power distribution
KW  - United States
KW  - Distribución de energía eléctrica
KW  - Estados Unidos
N1  - Includes bibliographical references (pages 306-340) and index
N2  - "A revelatory, urgent narrative with national implications, exploring the decline of California's largest utility company that led to countless wildfires - including the one that destroyed the town of Paradise - and the human cost of infrastructure failure Pacific Gas & Electric was a legacy company built by innovators and visionaries, establishing California as a desirable home and economic powerhouse. In California Burning, Wall Street Journal reporter and Pulitzer finalist Katherine Blunt examines how that legacy fell apart-unraveling a long history of deadly failures in which Pacific Gas & Electric endangered millions of Northern Californians, through criminal neglect of its infrastructure. As PG&E prioritized profits and politics, power lines went unchecked-until a rusted hook purchased for 56 cents in 1921 split in two, sparking the deadliest wildfire in California history. Beginning with PG&E's public reckoning after the Paradise fire, Blunt chronicles the evolution of PG&E's shareholder base, from innovators who built some of California's first long-distance power lines to aggressive investors keen on reaping dividends. Following key players through pivotal decisions and legal battles, California Burning reveals the forces that shaped the plight of PG&E: deregulation and market-gaming led by Enron Corp., an unyielding push for renewable energy, and a swift increase in wildfire risk throughout the West, while regulators and lawmakers pushed their own agendas. California Burning is a deeply reported, character-driven narrative, the story of a disaster expanding into a much bigger exploration of accountability. It's an American tragedy that serves as a cautionary tale for utilities across the nation-especially as climate change makes aging infrastructure more vulnerable, with potentially fatal consequences"--
ER  -