Hill: 'Safety Needs to Be a Part of the Equation'

Assemblyman Jerry Hill said today he is planning to introduce three new bills aimed at improving pipeline safety.

At a news conference held in front of the steps of the California Public Utilities Commission headquarters in San Francisco, Hill, D-San Mateo, said progress has been made since the Sept. 9, 2010, pipeline explosion in the Crestmoor neighborhood, which left eight people dead and 38 homes destroyed. But as long as utilities such as PG&E are allowed to continue to make huge profits without living up to safety standards and without proper accountability, he said, the safety of the state's vast pipeline system will continue to be compromised.

The following are the bills that Hill is proposing, one of which is in response to last year's Cupertino condominium complex explosion:

• AB 578, which would require the CPUC to implement the following the San Bruno fire;
• AB 1197, which would mandate that the CPUC establish a “whistleblower” protection program for utility employees who disclose publicly safety threats; and
• AB 1456, which would require the CPUC to consider the safety performance of utilities in determining gas rates that they will be allowed to charge customers.