# California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric--And What It Means for America's Power Grid - Hardcover

by **Katherine Blunt** (Author)

**_NATIONAL BESTSELLER_  
2022 Winner of the Golden Poppy Award for Nonfiction (California Independent Booksellers Alliance)**

A revelatory, urgent narrative with national implications, exploring the decline of California's largest utility company that led to countless wildfires -- including the one that destroyed the town of Paradise -- and the human cost of infrastructure failure

Pacific Gas and Electric was a legacy company built by innovators and visionaries, establishing California as a desirable home and economic powerhouse. In _California Burning, Wall Street Journal_ reporter and Pulitzer finalist Katherine Blunt examines how that legacy fell apart--unraveling a long history of deadly failures in which Pacific Gas and Electric endangered millions of Northern Californians, through criminal neglect of its infrastructure. As PG&E prioritized profits and politics, power lines went unchecked--until a rusted hook purchased for 56 cents in 1921 split in two, sparking the deadliest wildfire in California history.

Beginning with PG&E's public reckoning after the Paradise fire, Blunt chronicles the evolution of PG&E's shareholder base, from innovators who built some of California's first long-distance power lines to aggressive investors keen on reaping dividends. Following key players through pivotal decisions and legal battles, _California Burning_ reveals the forces that shaped the plight of PG&E: deregulation and market-gaming led by Enron Corp., an unyielding push for renewable energy, and a swift increase in wildfire risk throughout the West, while regulators and lawmakers pushed their own agendas.

_California Burning_ is a deeply reported, character-driven narrative, the story of a disaster expanding into a much bigger exploration of accountability. It's an American tragedy that serves as a cautionary tale for utilities across the nation--especially as climate change makes aging infrastructure more vulnerable, with potentially fatal consequences.

### Author Biography

**Katherine Blunt** covers renewable energy and utilities for _The Wall Street Journal_. Her team's reporting on PG&E has been honored with a Barlett & Steele award for business investigative journalism, the Thomas L. Stokes award for energy and environmental reporting, and was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. She is based in San Francisco.  

**Number of Pages:** 368

**Dimensions:** 1.21 x 9.37 x 6.29 IN

**Publication Date:** August 30, 2022

## Details

- **Price:** 29.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 29.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric--And What It Means for America's Power Grid - Hardcover

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> Updated: 2026-07-23