PG&E says judge’s wildfire safety plan would cost $75 billion, lead to huge rate hike

PG&E on Wednesday blasted a federal judge’s plan for wildfire safety as unrealistic, saying his proposal for the utility to inspect every inch of its electrical grid and remove dangerous trees would cost $75 billion to $150 billion and lead to staggering rate hikes.The embattled utility, which plans to file for bankruptcy because of wildfire claims, said it “does not have the ability to raise those funds” and would have to turn to ratepayers for more money. At the low end, a $75 billion increase in costs would generate a rate hike “of more than five times current rates in typical utility bills,” the company said