Apple Calls For Immediate Power Facility Upgrade

Following the subsequent wildfires in California, a representative from Apple said that the United States should really upgrade the old energy infrastructure.

New technology is "much more forward-looking" than maintaining the old power system, said Lisa Jackson, the vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives in the United States.

She also said that the wildfires in California are proof that innovation is really needed. And that the state could be the starting point of clean energy in the US.

Previous wildfires in the states were blamed on the old equipment from Pacific Gas and Utility, the biggest utility provider in California. And this October, the company was criticized for cutting off the power supply to prevent fire caused by the dry wind.

The company based in Cupertino, California boasted that its data centers, offices, and retail stores have been using clean energy since 2018. They also have convinced 44 of their total suppliers to do the same on manufacturing Apple products.

PG&E's bankruptcy

The company filed for bankruptcy protection after the court held them liable for the most destructive campfire that kills 85 civilians and destroys $16.5 billion worth of properties.

The total fire-related liabilities could be more than $30 billion with $7.5 billion would go to the victims of fires, the company claimed.

Then recently, the utility supplier reimbursed after a week-long shutoff. Residential customers received a one-time credit of $100, while the business institution got $250.

The intentional cutoff which they called "Public Safety Preventative Shutoffs (PSPS)" was conducted to minimize the fire risk. The utility's equipment were reported to spark during dry wind seasons, and some reports are claiming this might be related to at least three of the recent fires again.

Gov. Newsom said this preventive power outage has an impact on the life of the customers. As proof, some businesses suffer from income loss. The city of San Jose claimed their accumulated loss is at least $500,000.

Although Gov. Newsom told them to "be held accountable" and give rebates, the company claimed this initiative happened due to "communication issues" and not because of political pressure.

Governor Newsom's Intervention

After previously criticizing the utility company for its greed and incompetence, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that the state's government can take over on managing PG&E if the company failed to "secure its own fate and future."

Gov. Newsom pledged that his office will assist the company in getting out of bankruptcy by the end of June 2020, especially since it cannot continue without drastic transformation.

The company has to adopt a "safety first" culture, Gov. Newsom added.

Due to the recent PSPS, some PG&E employees received death threats, according to Bill Johnson, the CEO of the company. He also added that one was assaulted.

In response to this, Gov. Newsom urged the public to leave the employees alone because they are also community members. While they are part of the company, they did not create the mess and are working to fix it, he said.