PG&E hit with new federal felony charges in San Bruno explosion

[Newsjock]

Source: Oakland Tribune

A federal grand jury on Tuesday issued a new criminal indictment against PG&E in connection with its alleged role in a fatal natural gas explosion in San Bruno in 2010, leaving the utility to face dozens of charges, including a claim of obstruction of justice.

All told, the U.S. Department of Justice filed 27 charges that accuse PG&E of wilfully violating the pipeline safety act, and a charge of obstruction of justice for impeding an investigation after the explosion by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The original criminal charges against PG&E included 12 felony counts.

The explosion in September 2010 killed eight people, injured 66 and wrecked 38 homes in a quiet San Bruno neighborhood.

Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_26239670/pg-e-hit-new-federal-felony-charges-san

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. Good...

I lived in that area about 10 years ago.
Freaky to realize how neglected the gas lines are.

[Jack Rabbit]

2. Pacific Greed & Extortion is the poster child for why . . .

. . . public utilities should be owned by the public and under the direct control of the people's government.

I'm still doing a slow burn about how twice in three years PG & E gave "we just had the storm of the century" as a lame excuse for why it was taking so long to to restore power to area hit by the two "storms of the century" in three years. Hey, guys, who do you think you're kidding? Since when did a "storm of the century" come twice in the same decade? Neither of those was the worst storm I could remember in my lifetime. But they did come at a time when PG & E was in the habit of maximizing profits by failing to tree branches a sufficient distance from power lines.

Next time that happens, I want heads to roll. And if they don't roll, then I want to be able to vote some crooked politician out of office and be replaced by one who understands that Californians expect public utilities to be run in the public interest.

Socialism, you say? If this is socialism, let us make the most of it.

[silvershadow]

3. Doesn't the term willfully indicate more than just being careless or negligent? In any case,

all I can say is "good". These utility companies need to get back to understanding they are there for the good of the people, and do the right things at all times.

[dballance]

4. Too bad corporate "persons" cannot be jailed.

Some one, some where in the hierarchy of PG&E made the decisions that caused that accident and those deaths.

That person should be jailed as an example to others.

[DeSwiss]

10. Who says ''they'' can't?

This is all virgin legal territory. Some enterprising DA should give it a shot with a Grand Jury and see what they come up with.

I mean, why not lock up the Corporate Charter Person in a drawer like we do many a person who are found to be in possession of more than an ounce of weed, in some states?

And as you know, once Corporate Charter Person is convicted, their now ''criminal assets'' are subject to confiscation by the state. Oh, and of course while in prison Corporate Charter Person can't do any business. Leaving his business open to predators. Or it's other name: Wall Street.

- Seems only fair since Corporate Charter Person doesn't have to actually bleed for their citizenship. Not even ink....

[rickyhall]

5. Now they need to hit those bastards in West, TX

who want to blame the City and Fire Department.

[The Second Stone]

6. they need to go after the executives that let it deteriorate

and throw them in jail no matter how old they are.

[stranger81]

7. The CPUC needs to be next in line.

The emails KQED has been reporting on this week make it crystal clear that the CPUC has been colluding, ex parte, with PG&E in order to help the company avoid liability.

[DesertDiamond]

8. PG&E has a loooong history of not giving a crap about the well-being of the people...

Anyone remember Hinkley, California?

[DeSwiss]

11. Yes.

[Hekate]

9. Excellent. KnR.

[DeSwiss]

12. It's TOTAL BULLSHIT to call it ''criminal charges''....

...when none of the fucking criminals who did this shit will ever go to jail for what they did.

- Calling them ''criminal charges'' is just to pacify us proles......

K&R

Sumthin' fer nuthin'

"The main feature of capitalism is the seductive assertion that you can get something for nothing in this world. That you can manufacture wealth through money manipulation, and that it is OK to steal and hold captive the people's medium of exchange, then charge them out the ass for access. That you can do so with a clear conscience.

Which you can, if you are the kind of sleazy prick who has inherited or stolen enough wealth to get into the game. Even so, to keep a rigged game going, you must keep the suckers believing they can, and eventually will, benefit from the game."

~ Joe Bageant, "Waltzing at the Doomsday Ball"