often accused of being the lapdog of the utilities it regulates, may face a defining moment. PG&E is seeking a deal to essentially skip paying fines in connection with the San Bruno disaster, which killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes.Add: How’s that? It wants the PUC to let it offset the $200 million or more in fines it’s expected to receive with $221 million it spent on pipe testing and other work prompted by the disaster, the Chronicle says. The hoped-for deal emerged yesterday during the second-day of a hearing in San Francisco aimed at determining who gets stuck with the cost of PG&E’s San Bruno blundering—its shareholders, or customers.
