Watch CBS News

PG&E Taps Ex-NTSB Chair To Review Safety Actions

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS / AP) -- Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said a former chairman with the National Transportation Safety Board will help oversee its safety improvements in response to last year's deadly pipeline explosion in San Bruno.

The utility said on Tuesday that Jim Hall and his Washington, D.C.-based firm will evaluate PG&E after it received a scathing report from the NTSB last month about the blast in San Bruno that killed eight people, injured dozens and destroyed 38 homes on Sept. 9, 2010.

The NTSB concluded after a yearlong probe that the explosion was caused by a "litany of failures" by PG&E, as well as weak oversight by regulators.

Hall, who led the NTSB for seven years, said his that firm will share its findings with PG&E officials and the California Public Utilities Commission.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.