CPUC President Michael Picker told California lawmakers that the commission is increasingly focused on wildfire prevention.

The California State Senate passed legislation that would allow the state’s investor-owned utilities to pass through the costs of wildfires to ratepayers.

Trees contacting Pacific Gas and Electric distribution lines caused four Northern California wildfires last year that burned about 9,400 acres, state investigators said.

The financial implications of last year's California wildfires for PG&E are just beginning to surge as the utility works to reduce the impact on shareholders.

A bill that would allow utilities to recover wildfire costs if they conform to state-regulated safety plans moved through the California legislature, but it faces opposition from some who say it lets utilities off the hook.

CPUC President Michael Picker asked state lawmakers for guidance on the increasingly precarious financial health of the state's investor-owned utilities, which face growing risks stemming from wildfires.

Edison International has joined other California utilities in protesting difficulties with cost recovery related to devastating wildfires.

Pacific Gas and Electric CEO Geisha Williams said that the utility will fight for the right to recover costs stemming from California wildfires.

California regulators have approved new measures aimed at the prevention of wildfires, as utilities face growing scrutiny.

Utilities are at the epicenter of public battles between the California PUC and its critics over wildfires, public safety and ethics.