Edison International’s southern California utility wants its customers to cover $2.4 billion in lawsuits and $65 million in reconstruction costs from the massive 2017 Thomas Fire and the deadly mudslides that followed.
(Bloomberg) — Edison International’s southern California utility wants its customers to cover $2.4 billion in lawsuits and $65 million in reconstruction costs from the massive 2017 Thomas Fire and the deadly mudslides that followed.
The company filed a request with state regulators Tuesday to recover the money through rates spread over 30 years. The average customer would pay an extra $1.50 per month if the California Public Utilities Commission approves the request, said Caroline Choi, Edison’s senior vice president of corporate affairs.
Fanned by powerful winds, the Thomas Fire scorched more than 280,000 acres across Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, killing two. A month later in January 2018, heavy rains struck the region and triggered mudslides that killed 23. Thousands sued Edison, blaming the company for the fire and claiming the blaze had stripped nearby hillsides of vegetation.
State and local investigators blamed the fire on two points of ignition, both involving Edison power lines. The company agrees its equipment was involved with one of those ignition points but not the other.
In its filing, Edison says it properly maintained and operated its electric system in the area, and the fire and debris flows were affected by numerous factors outside of the company’s control.
California has endured a series of deadly wildfires blamed on power lines falling or arcing during high winds and the state’s largest utility — PG&E Corp. — filed for bankruptcy in 2019 as a result.
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