City officials from San Bruno, Calif., have expressed their desire to resume settlement talks with Pacific Gas & Electric Company over the 2010 explosion of a natural gas pipeline in the San Francisco suburb that killed eight people.<\/p>\n
State regulators are nearing a decision on a proposed $2.25 billion penalty for the company. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Anthony Earley said in an interview in August that a fine of that size could bankrupt the utility. San Bruno officials say PG&E’s own expert witness refuted that idea.<\/p>\n
Earley, who became CEO in 2011, canceled a meeting planned with city officials for April 30, 2013, as his office expressed \u201ca level of dissatisfaction\u201d with statements the city made to the press, according to City Manager Connie Jackson.<\/p>\n
Jackson said that the time for settlement talks is running out, as the administrative law judges in charge of the penalty process are nearing a conclusion.<\/p>\n