EDITORS: Please do not use
"Pacific Gas and Electric" or "PG&E" when
referring to PG&E Corporation or its National Energy Group.
The PG&E National Energy Group is not the same company as Pacific
Gas and Electric Company, the utility, and is not regulated by the
California Public Utilities Commission. Customers of Pacific Gas
and Electric Company do not have to buy products or services from
the National Energy Group in order to continue to receive quality
regulated services from Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
GORDON R. SMITH
ISSUES STATEMENT FOLLOWING CPUC MEETING
SAN FRANCISCO - Gordon R.
Smith, president and chief executive officer of Pacific Gas and
Electric Company, today issued the following statement after the
California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued its "emergency
order":
"For nearly 100 years, Pacific
Gas and Electric Company has been committed to providing safe and
reliable service to our customers in Northern and Central California.
Through fires, earthquakes, and other natural disasters, our obligation
to serve has never wavered.
"The Commission's rhetoric
today is an insult to the 19,000 men and women of PG&E who have
worked tirelessly to minimize customer inconvenience this week when
the California Independent System Operator ordered rotating outages
in Northern California.
"Today's action does nothing
to prevent the rotating outages that have plagued California. Pacific
Gas and Electric Company is not changing its scheduling responsibilities.
This has been clearly conveyed to the California Independent System
Operator and Power Exchange. This was also conveyed directly to
the Commission before the emergency order was issued.
"We are committed to providing
safe and reliable service to our customers. As we have been stating
for several months, the state's regulatory framework has driven
us to the brink of not having the cash or credit to buy power for
our customers.
"At a time when we need
real solutions to the state's energy crisis, the Commission has
wasted precious time chasing after a problem that did not exist.
They continue to ignore the fundamental problem that we can no longer
afford to buy power for our customers."
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