US judge eases wildfire safety plan for California utility

A U.S. judge in San Francisco overseeing a criminal case against Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is scaling back his proposals to prevent the utility’s equipment from causing more wildfires.

Judge William Alsup said in an order late Tuesday that he’s now considering making PG&E comply with targets in a wildfire mitigation plan that the company submitted to California regulators.

He also proposed that a court-appointed monitor oversee the utility’s efforts to clear trees and branches that could fall on its power lines and start fires.

The judge previously considered ordering PG&E to reinspect its entire electric grid, remove or trim all trees that could fall on its power lines and cut off power during certain wind conditions.

PG&E said it’s committed to completing work in its wildfire plan.