Corporate Responsibility Report - PG&E Corporation

workers have received these materials through their employers. In addition,
PG&E continues to work with trade associations and safety groups statewide
to help distribute safety information directly to their members.
n Emergency Preparedness. PG&E works closely with organizations like the Red
Cross and local city emergency preparedness councils to provide brochures
and other materials that help explain how to prepare for an earthquake, how
and when to shut off utilities, and why it’s necessary to have an emergency kit
beforehand. These efforts have been highly valued by the organizations,
as well as by the people, receiving the information.
For our efforts, PG&E continues to be identified by regulators and our peer utilities
as having a “best-in-class” public safety information program.
Environmental Justice
In order to be responsive to our customers and communities, we must first
understand their concerns and they must understand our intentions. Producing,
transporting and distributing natural gas and electricity to more than 15 million
people over 70,000 square miles requires power plants, thousands of miles of
pipelines and transmission and distribution wires, thousands of vehicles and other
equipment necessary to maintain this infrastructure and deliver this service.
The facilities used to serve our customers are often close to population centers
to ensure reliable power and efficient service. Our goal is to balance the need
to maintain and enhance these facilities for customers with the responsibility
to understand and respect the needs of our neighbors. Our efforts to strike
this balance are guided by a formal environmental justice policy and program.
This policy and program requires that we seek meaningful involvement from
stakeholders, train and educate employees on environmental justice and related
issues, and focus on managing facilities in an environmentally responsible manner,
in compliance with all laws and regulations, and in a way that minimizes impacts
on adjacent communities.
PG&E’s pledge to corporate responsibility includes a continuous effort to work more
effectively with our customers and communities and to make a positive difference.
Examples of our environmental justice policy in action during 2006 included
the following:
n The closure of PG&E’s Hunters Point Power Plant after years of collaborative
work with the local community. PG&E invested more than $300 million to complete
nine transmission projects to facilitate closure of the plant. The California
Independent System Operator (CAISO) determined that these transmission
upgrades were necessary to ensure electric reliability for our customers in San
Francisco and the greater Bay Area. Once the CAISO determined that the plant
was no longer necessary to maintain electric reliability, it ceased operation.
PG&E voluntarily committed that it would demolish the plant and remediate
the site to meet standards for residential use, becoming one of the first utility
companies in the country to make such a commitment.
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