美国国家公共电台 NPR Devastating Wildfires Force California's Largest Utility To Plan Sale Of Gas Assets

 

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

California's largest utility could be on the hook for billions of dollars in liability damages from deadly wildfires these last two years. The fires left more than 130 people dead, wiped out thousands of homes and businesses and destroyed much of the town of Paradise. Pacific Gas and Electric already faces ongoing¹ sanctions following felony convictions for deadly errors and safety violations³ in its gas division. NPR has learned that utility's parent company has plans to sell off its gas division this spring and use the proceeds to set up a settlement fund for wildfire victims.

NPR's Eric Westervelt broke this story. And, Eric, to start, this seems like the company's internal plan to survive, right? Tell us more about this gas proposal.

ERIC WESTERVELT, BYLINE⁴: Hi, Audie. Yeah, it is what a company source calls the company's only major play to survive. Executives have dubbed⁵ this gas sale plan and internal strategy Project Falcon⁶. And the company sources, including senior officials involved in the project and planning and backed up by internal documents, as well as a former employee, show that the plan has been in the works, Audie, for more than a year since after the 2017 wine country fires. But planning was restarted again intensively, we're told, after November's deadly Camp Fire.

And under the current plan, Audie, proceeds from the sale would go into a kind of escrow account, a settlement fund to pay down billions of dollars in potential claims for these wildfires, both the 2017 fires and the Camp Fire which killed at least 86 people, did billions in damage and destroyed most of the town of Paradise.

CORNISH: But PG&E has not been found liable for starting the Camp Fire, right? The investigation⁷ is ongoing. What have you learned?

WESTERVELT: That's correct - no cause pinpointed⁸ yet. The state is investigating. Cal Fire is investigating. PG&E is fully⁹ cooperating. The company did report damage to two transmission lines, one just before the fire was reported and another malfunction¹⁰ a half-hour later in a nearby area. That's seen as a second possible ignition source.

And just today it was announced that several major insurance companies, Audie, have sued PG&E, blaming the company for the Camp Fire. That comes on top of at least 10 major lawsuits¹² representing hundreds of victims that allege¹³ PG&E failed to properly maintain, inspect and upgrade all of its equipment. One estimate from Citigroup said the company could be liable for up to 15 billion in fire damages from the last two years. And the company hopes to get, we are told from the sources, between 10 and 15 billion for its gas assets.

CORNISH: Well, what's the company reaction?

WESTERVELT: Well, a spokesman declined to make any executives available to comment on Project Falcon. In a statement, Andy Castagnola said, quote, "PG&E doesn't comment on market rumors¹⁵ or speculations," but he added, "the company is reviewing its structural¹⁶ options to best position the company to meet customer and operational needs and improve safety."

And the company today also said it would be searching for new directors for the boards of both its parent company and the utility. And we know this gas sale isn't some market rumor¹⁴. As the inside the company source told us, quote, "the only play they see now is sever¹¹ and sell."

CORNISH: The utility is under no legal obligation, though, to talk about its plans to stave off possible bankruptcy¹⁷. At the same time, does it seem like lack of transparency is part of the problem?

WESTERVELT: Well, public watchdog groups I've talked with say it's a big problem. I mean, they want more openness. They want a bigger, more substantive¹⁸ focus on safety, not just talk. Remember; this company is already a felon² on probation¹⁹ for convictions related to this gas explosion, as you mentioned, in 2010 that killed eight people. Here's Michael Wara, an energy scholar at Stanford. He calls the company's lack of openness extremely disappointing.

MICHAEL WARA: Especially in the current context where there's a lack of trust and so many people that have been harmed by PG&E's infrastructure²⁰, they need to be thinking very hard about how to create safety for Californians rather than how to make money for shareholders²¹.

WESTERVELT: And, Audie, some lawmakers and the incoming governor, Gavin Newsom, are likely - very likely to have big questions about any potential gas sale as they look at the future of PG&E.

CORNISH: That's NPR's Eric Westervelt. Thanks for your reporting.

WESTERVELT: Thanks, Audie.

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 felon   

n.重罪犯；adj.残忍的

参考例句：

• He's a convicted felon.他是个已定罪的重犯。
• Hitler's early "successes" were only the startling depredations of a resolute felon.希特勒的早期“胜利 ”，只不过是一个死心塌地的恶棍出人意料地抢掠得手而已。

3 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 falcon   

n.隼，猎鹰

参考例句：

• The falcon was twice his size with pouted feathers.鹰张开羽毛比两只鹰还大。
• The boys went hunting with their falcon.男孩子们带着猎鹰出去打猎了。

7 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

8 pinpointed   

准确地找出或描述( pinpoint的过去式和过去分词 )； 为…准确定位

参考例句：

• His refusal to help simply pinpointed his cowardice. 他拒绝帮助正显示他的胆小。
• Computers pinpointed where the shells were coming from. 计算机确定了炮弹发射的位置。

9 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

10 malfunction   

vi.发生功能故障，发生故障，显示机能失常

参考例句：

• There must have been a computer malfunction.一定是出了电脑故障。
• Results have been delayed owing to a malfunction in the computer.由于电脑发生故障，计算结果推迟了。

11 sever   

v.切开，割开；断绝，中断

参考例句：

• She wanted to sever all her connections with the firm.她想断绝和那家公司的所有联系。
• We must never sever the cultural vein of our nation.我们不能割断民族的文化血脉。

12 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

13 allege   

vt.宣称，申述，主张，断言

参考例句：

• The newspaper reporters allege that the man was murdered but they have given no proof.新闻记者们宣称这个男人是被谋杀的，但他们没提出证据。
• Students occasionally allege illness as the reason for absence.学生时不时会称病缺课。

14 rumor   

n.谣言，谣传，传说

参考例句：

• The rumor has been traced back to a bad man.那谣言经追查是个坏人造的。
• The rumor has taken air.谣言流传开了。

15 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

17 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

18 substantive   

adj.表示实在的；本质的、实质性的；独立的；n.实词，实名词；独立存在的实体

参考例句：

• They plan to meet again in Rome very soon to begin substantive negotiations.他们计划不久在罗马再次会晤以开始实质性的谈判。
• A president needs substantive advice,but he also requires emotional succor. 一个总统需要实质性的建议，但也需要感情上的支持。

19 probation   

n.缓刑(期)，(以观后效的)察看；试用(期)

参考例句：

• The judge did not jail the young man,but put him on probation for a year.法官没有把那个年轻人关进监狱，而且将他缓刑察看一年。
• His salary was raised by 800 yuan after his probation.试用期满以后，他的工资增加了800元。

20 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

21 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任