While PG&E requested an increase of $2.1 billion, regulators ultimately approved a $903 million spike. The higher prices will be distributed over a 17-month period to recoup costs, according to the utility commission.
The panel of five unanimously passed the request during their meeting with no discussion from commissioners before the vote took place.
Some 7 million customers lost power as a result of the storms, and PG&E employed more than 7,200 individuals to replace and repair more than 4,500 utility poles and 850 miles of wire, the company told The Epoch Times by email Sept. 16.
“Timely recovery of these expenses helps to lower costs for customers in the long term,” a spokesperson said. “At PG&E, our goal is to build a safe, reliable, sustainable and climate-resilient system at the lowest possible cost for customers.”
According to the utility, billions of dollars spent to improve resiliency and safeguard communities are proving effective, but are responsible, in part, for higher rates.
“Our investments are delivering results,” the spokesperson said. “Our layers of protection have reduced wildfire risk across our service area, and we have enhanced our ability to respond to storms, wildfires and other natural disaster emergencies.”
Dozens of ratepayers spoke in opposition to the rate increase during the commission’s hearing.
“PG&E is already the most expensive utility provider in the state, and PG&E customers are already paying [some] of the most expensive utility rates in the country,” Nathaniel Enright, a PG&E ratepayer representing the Reclaim Our Power organization, told commissioners before the vote.
He said some households are forgoing “basic necessities” to pay for electricity.
“PG&E’s negligence and profit seeking should not be rewarded, and working-class Bay Area families cannot be forced to foot the bill,” Enright said. “Enough is enough.”
One individual said he is unable to afford medication because his utility bills have climbed this year.
“My message is simple: Stop the rate hikes,” Gregory Stevens said during the public comment portion of the hearing. “I need insulin. This month I couldn’t afford both my PG&E bill and my diabetes medicine, so I chose to go without my long-term insulin and blood sugar test strips to pay the utility bill.”
After regulators approved previous requests, prices increased by around $34 per month in January, another $4 in April, and about $6 in September.
Some households’ power bills have crested four figures, multiple critics said during the meeting.
“Many of our electric bills are over $1,000 a month, and we’re not living in mansions,” ratepayer Erica Evans told commissioners. “We simply cannot afford these insane bills.”
The higher bills are affecting families across the state, including those most disadvantaged, another opponent said.
“A rate hike is an attack on the working class, especially black and Latina families,” Calixa Roman, a PG&E ratepayer, told commissioners.
About 166,000 homes experienced power shutoffs last year when they could not pay their bills, and more than 1 million households are behind on their utility bills, according to legislative analyses published this year.
Multiple callers mentioned the regulatory commission’s responsibilities—which include ensuring consumers have “safe, reliable” rates and protecting California’s economy, according to its mission statement.
“Where is our protection?” asked Evans. “Enough is enough. Stop the rate hikes.”
Several took exception to the power company’s executive pay—with CEO Patricia K. Poppe receiving a $51.2 million payout in 2021, $14.1 million in 2022, and about $17 million in 2023.
One consumer advocate said the company should be held accountable for its cost overruns and called on regulators to mitigate rate increases.
The utility commission did not respond to The Epoch Times’s request for comment before publication.
