Utility Pacific Gas & Electric agreed Monday to pay $55 million in penalties and costs to settle civil cases over two massive wildfires that affected six Northern California counties.
Why it matters: Investigators found PG&E's ageing, faulty utility equipment sparked the 2019 Kincade Fire and the 2019 Kincade Fire. But the agreement means the nation's largest utility will avoid criminal prosecution for the blazes, per a statement from the company.
California is entering the dry season with its water resources in a precarious position, having seen its driest start to the year on record. A heat wave last week sent temperatures soaring into the 90s and even triple-digits in some locations, as the paltry Sierra Nevada snowpack shrunk even further.
Why it matters: Water and wildfire woes lie ahead for the nation’s most populous state, as spring runoff into reservoirs slows to a trickle, and forests dry out unusually early in the year.
