$130,000 Will Fund Clearing Evacuation Routes and Shaded Fuel Breaks in Napa County
NAPA, Calif. — Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has joined forces with local Fire Safe Councils and other 501(c)(3) organizations across Northern and Central California to enhance the safety and preparedness of local communities in connection with the 2020 wildfire season. PG&E is providing $2.3 million to fund local Fire Safe Council and 501(c)(3) organizations’ projects across 28 counties to reduce the threat of wildfires and help keep communities safe. This includes $130,000 to the Napa Communities Firewise Foundation to support priority fuel reduction projects for the Deer Park and Soda Canyon Fire Safe Councils in Napa County.
“The safety of our customers and the communities we serve is PG&E’s most important responsibility and we are once again committed to supporting local wildfire prevention efforts in the North Bay. This collaboration among PG&E and local Fire Safe Councils will help the communities we serve prevent and prepare for wildfires,” said Joe Horak, senior manager of PG&E’s North Bay and Sonoma Divisions.
Napa Communities Firewise Foundation members are clearing hazardous trees and shrubs along wildfire evacuation routes from St. Helena down to Yountville.
“We are grateful for the funds from PG&E, as this work will help create shaded fuel breaks on Crystal Springs Road, a key evacuation route for the communities in Deer Park and Angwin as well as the St Helena Hospital. Additionally, these funds will reduce fuel along Soda Canyon Road which sustained substantial tree mortality as a result of the 2017 Atlas fire. Along both roads there are significant stretches that include heavy fuel loading near powerlines. We’ll be clearing the brush and ladder fuels for safe ingress and egress to critical infrastructure like Bell Canyon reservoir, the St. Helena Hospital and the Deer Park Volunteer Fire Department,” said Joe Nordlinger, Vice President of Grants for Napa Communities Firewise Foundation.
Since 2014, and including this year, PG&E will have provided $17 million to local Fire Safe Councils and 501(c)(3) organizations to fund more than 300 projects in Northern and Central California. Projects have included fuel reduction, shaded fuel breaks, emergency access and wood-chipping programs. This year, PG&E is providing funding to local councils and nonprofits to complete approximately 41 projects in 28 counties. Projects must be completed by November of this year.
Community Wildfire Safety Program
In addition to partnering with local Fire Safe Councils and 501(c)(3) organizations, PG&E is preparing for wildfires through its Community Wildfire Safety Program. The company launched the program in 2018 as an additional precautionary measure intended to reduce wildfire threats and strengthen communities for the future. Through the program, PG&E is bolstering wildfire prevention and emergency response efforts, putting in place new and enhanced safety measures, and doing more over the long term to harden its electric system to help reduce wildfire risks and to keep its customers safe.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release includes forward-looking statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the beliefs, expectations, estimates, future plans and strategies of PG&E Corporation and Pacific Gas and Electric Company, including but not limited to statements about PG&E’s ongoing work to reduce wildfire risk. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions, which management believes are reasonable, and on information currently available to management, but are necessarily subject to various risks and uncertainties. In addition to the risk that these assumptions prove to be inaccurate, factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements include factors disclosed in PG&E Corporation and Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s joint annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, their joint quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020, and their subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), which are available on PG&E Corporation’s website at www.pgecorp.com and on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Additional factors include, but are not limited to, those associated with the Chapter 11 cases of PG&E Corporation and Pacific Gas and Electric Company. PG&E Corporation and Pacific Gas and Electric Company undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether due to new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by law.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 23,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit pge.com and pge.com/news.