We continue to reach out to customers to help answer questions, expedite claims, and provide special services and supplies to those in the San Bruno community.

Supporting affected customers

In the hours and days that followed the September 9, 2010 accident in San Bruno, PG&E crews worked quickly to make the area safe, assessed the damage and partnered with emergency services to safely restore power to customers.

PG&E crews quickly surveyed the gas transmission and distribution system to determine the extent of damage and to make sure we could restore our facilities safely. PG&E continues with its ongoing efforts to survey the gas transmission pipelines across the state.

A PG&E customer outreach center was established for customers to quickly help them get the services and supplies they needed. The center was available on a drop-in basis immediately following the accident. As of October 25, the center located at 900 Cherry Avenue in San Bruno will remain open for customers who have scheduled appointments with claims managers. Download our letter to customers (PDF, 25 KB).

PG&E also immediately suspended the gas and electric bills of all customers in the Glenview subdivision. PG&E's San Bruno Bill Relief program ensures that these customers will not be charged for energy use through December 2010. For customers whose homes were severely damaged or destroyed, we have extended the Bill Relief period through January 2012. PG&E shareholders will fund the Bill Relief program.

As a regulated entity, PG&E is required to seek approval of the Bill Relief program from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) through Advice Letter filings. Download our Advice Letter (PDF, 231 KB) and Supplemental Filing (PDF, 450 KB) and letters to customers explaining the Bill Relief program (PDF, 21 KB) and extension (PDF, 22 KB).

Rebuilding San Bruno

PG&E is committed to supporting the full recovery of the neighborhood and to do what is right to help all of those who have been affected by this accident event.

PG&E committed $1 million to a special charitable fund to support community-based aid and recovery efforts of nonprofit organizations responding to this event, including the American Red Cross Bay Area, The United Way 2-1-1 Program, and the Blood Centers of the Pacific, among others. The fund was also created to support future, longer-term community projects in the affected San Bruno neighborhood.

Download a Rebuild San Bruno Fund Claim Form (PDF, 15 KB).

Read the FAQ on claims for the Rebuild San Bruno Fund.

Read the Letter from Chris Johns, President of PG&E, to the residents of San Bruno (PDF, 70 KB).

PG&E worked with the American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter to provide emergency shelter for those in need. PG&E had staff on hand at the Red Cross evacuation centers to help customers obtain needed help and services.

Determining the cause

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is in the process of a comprehensive investigation and will be the principal source of information about the investigation as it progresses. PG&E is cooperating fully with the NTSB and all other federal, state and local agencies in the effort to identify the cause of this accident. PG&E will take the steps necessary to help those affected.

On December 14, 2010, the NTSB issued their second interim investigation report. While the report acknowledged that the investigation is still in the early stages and that much factual information needs to be developed before the NTSB can determine the cause of the accident, it did rule out several potential causes such as external corrosion and physical damage to the pipe. The report also noted a discrepancy in PG&E's records on the type of pipe installed at the San Bruno location.

On January 3, 2011, the NTSB released several safety recommendations and called on the gas pipeline industry and regulators "to ensure that the records, surveys, and documents for all pipeline systems accurately reflect the pipeline infrastructure as built throughout the United States so that maximum safe operating pressures are accurately calculated."

As part of the investigative process, the NTSB held a two-day fact-finding hearing in March, 2011, in order to learn more about the accident and important safety issues.

PG&E has already begun a thorough review of our pipeline records, scrutinizing and verifying thousands of documents to confirm the quality of our data. PG&E will continue to work closely with the NTSB, the California Public Utilities Commission and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to ensure we fully understand and are responsive to the safety recommendations.

Read the January 3, 2011, NTSB announcement.
Read PG&E's response to the January 3 NTSB announcement.