Edison Electric Institute is forming a task force of industry CEOs to develop best practices for detecting and preventing wildfires such as the ones that devastated parts of California last year.

The task force comes as one of California's largest utilities, Pacific Gas & Electric Corp., is facing hundreds of lawsuits from victims who claim the company's power lines and other equipment are responsible for a series of wildfires that ravaged the state in 2017 and 2018. A state fire investigation recently concluded the company wasn't responsible for causing the 2017 fires but PG&E says it will seek bankruptcy protection, citing the potential it could be held responsible for more than $30 billion in damages, the news site MarketWatch reported. https://on.mktw.net/2DxZ6FU

Wildfire seasons in California are growing more severe because of drier conditions caused by the changing climate, and that is putting pressure on investor-owned utilities to take steps to mitigate their liability for causing fires, according to the industry news site Utility Drive. As a result, EEI CEO Thomas Kuhn announced the creation of the task force Thursday during an energy forum hosted by the U.S. Energy Association.

The task force will look at technological innovations to update systems used to detect fire hazards, Kuhn said. It will also work "to get greater rights of way to clear greater vegetation where we can," he said.

An EEI spokesman told Utility Drive the task force is still in its infancy, "but will be made up of CEOs who have interest in the range of wildfire-related issues." http://bit.ly/2FNfrsJ

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