Judge: San Francisco can pursue fight with PG&E over charges - SFChronicle.com

Judge: San Francisco can pursue fight with PG&E over charges - SFChronicle.com: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A judge on Thursday allowed San Francisco to renew its stalled legal fight with Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. over power delivery costs. The city has been fighting with PG&E for years, arguing the utility requires it to install unnecessary and costly equipment in large projects like affordable housing development and public safety buildings. When PG&E filed for bankruptcy in January all legal actions were stopped, a routine procedure with all bankruptcy filings. On Thursday, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali granted the city's request for an exemption to the litigation hold. The city argued that public safety consideration trumps the bankruptcy rules and the judge agreed. But the judge said San Francisco would have to wait with other creditors for PG&E to emerge from bankruptcy to collect any possible monetary damages. San Francisco generates its own electricity from a city-owned dam and reservoir near Yosemite National Park about 180 miles (290 kilometers) east of the city. The city pays PG&E to deliver the electricity. San Francisco is asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to force PG&E to lower its fees. San Francisco is