SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A judge ordered Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to release 65,000 emails that critics say could contain additional evidence of backroom dealings between the utility and state regulators.
Administrative Law Judge Amy Yip-Kikugawa ruled Tuesday that PG&E must turn the documents over to the city of San Bruno by Jan. 30.
San Bruno officials had requested the emails in connection with the 2010 PG&E pipeline explosion that killed eight people in the city.
Officials claim cozy relations between the utility and state regulators contributed to the blast.
PG&E said in a statement it had already agreed to turn over the emails to the California Public Utilities Commission, and it supports open access to communications between the commission and all parties.
“We’re committed to doing the right thing and to interacting with our state regulator in a transparent and ethical manner that upholds both the letter and spirit of the law and the company’s own Code of Conduct at all times,” spokesman Keith Stephens said.
State regulators in November fined PG&E $1 million and required its shareholders to cover as much as $400 million of a planned gas rate increase after emails showed a PG&E executive and public utilities commission officials discussing which judge to appoint to the rate case.
PG&E has appealed the fine. Those emails were inappropriate and some violated the CPUC’s rules, but PG&E reported them, held people accountable and was making changes to prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future, the company said.
The emails about the judge were the latest in a series released by the utility and others that allegedly show PG&E executives privately negotiating with CPUC officials.
PG&E said not all of the 65,000 emails were relevant to the gas rate hike, and it had planned to turn them over to the public utilities commission by mid-February, making San Bruno’s request moot.
In her ruling, Yip-Kikugawa noted that PG&E was not contending that none of the documents was relevant. She also said waiting until the February release would unnecessarily delay PG&E’s response to San Bruno’s request.
PG&E ordered to release more emails

