California Public Utilities Commission approves PG&E's wildfire mitigation plan

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN/KTVU) - The California Public Utilities Commission at a meeting in San Francisco Thursday approved PG&E Co.'s 2019 wildfire mitigation plan.

The plan was required for PG&E and other California utilities by a law passed by the Legislature last year in the wake of the state's catastrophic wildfires of 2018.

The plan includes expanded removal of trees that could fall on power lines and vegetation that could be ignited by sparking wires, adding stronger power poles and providing more frequent power shut-offs in locations of fire danger.

RELATED STORIES: California Wildfires

Among other elements, PG&E plans to remove or trim 375,000 trees, establish 200 new weather stations and install covered power lines or bury the lines in 150 miles of high-risk circuits.