As the CEO of PG&E, Patti Poppe is charged with navigating the company through epic wildfires, disrupted energy markets, and lingering public distrust of the utility. The company is undergrounding 10,000 miles of electric lines, working with GM and Ford on incorporating EV batteries into homes and the grid, deploying batteries at large power plants, and pushing to change net metering rates that pay homeowners for electricity generated on their roofs.

In 2006, PG&E was perceived to be one of the most progressive utilities in the country. They supported California’s landmark climate law AB 32, and a few years later, quit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over its opposition to climate action. But recently, a string of self-imposed disasters has damaged the company’s image and public trust. A company gas line exploded in San Bruno, killing eight people, and failure of PG&E equipment caused a rash of deadly wildfires — Butte, Tubbs, Camp, Kincade and Dixie — killing 113 people and burning nearly 1.5 million acres. The company’s 2019 bankruptcy was the largest ever for a U.S. utility.

Climate One welcomes you back for our first in-person event at the Commonwealth Club. Join PG&E CEO Patti Poppe and Climate One host Greg Dalton for a radio and podcast discussion of what one of the country’s largest utilities is doing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at a time of turmoil in energy markets and accelerating climate impacts in the American West.