The California legislature passed a conference committee report on SB 901 Tuesday night to protect consumers and help utilities pay for wildfire damages.

Lawmakers have unveiled a new plan to help California’s investor-owned utilities cover the costs of wildfires sparked by transmission lines.

An unpopular proposal by California Gov. Jerry Brown to limit the liability of utilities for wildfire damage has been tabled for now.

California’s three investor-owned utilities want lawmakers to limit their liability for wildfires sparked by power lines.

CPUC President Michael Picker told California lawmakers that the commission is increasingly focused on wildfire prevention.

The California State Senate passed legislation that would allow the state’s investor-owned utilities to pass through the costs of wildfires to ratepayers.

Trees contacting Pacific Gas and Electric distribution lines caused four Northern California wildfires last year that burned about 9,400 acres, state investigators said.

The financial implications of last year's California wildfires for PG&E are just beginning to surge as the utility works to reduce the impact on shareholders.

A bill that would allow utilities to recover wildfire costs if they conform to state-regulated safety plans moved through the California legislature, but it faces opposition from some who say it lets utilities off the hook.

CPUC President Michael Picker asked state lawmakers for guidance on the increasingly precarious financial health of the state's investor-owned utilities, which face growing risks stemming from wildfires.