Sparks fly over California wildfire costs

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A far-reaching proposal to assist electric utility companies faced with covering billions of dollars in wildfire damage was unveiled Friday to intense debate over whether ratepayers would be saddled with some of the bill for California's worst-ever fire year.

With time running out before the California Legislature adjourns for the year, lawmakers released a plan that would allow the utilities to use payments from customers to help underwrite the cost of wildfire liability. Some of the biggest wildfires since 2017 - which destroyed thousands of homes - have been caused by downed power lines, and at least one major utility has said it faces insolvency without help in covering the costs.

"Ratepayers can't be on the hook for everything, but we cannot bankrupt