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In this September 9, 2010, file photo, a massive fire following a pipeline explosion roars through a mostly residential neighborhood in San Bruno, Calif. Repeated natural-gas accidents including a pipeline explosion that killed eight people suggest that Pacific Gas & Electric Co., California's largest power utility, may be too big to operate safely, the state's top utility regulator says. California Public Utilities Commission President Michael Picker said he would ask the commission's staff to study “the culture of safety” and the structure of the utility, which he noted currently has its gas and electricity operations under a single board and CEO. PG&E is one of the country's largest power utilities with 9.7 million gas and electric customers. The Associated Press obtained Picker's prepared statement ahead of a commission meeting Thursday, April 9, 2015, where the panel is expected to vote on a record $1.6 billion penalty for the 2010 PG&E gas pipeline explosion in a San Francisco suburb. (Photo by Jeff Chiu/AP Photo)
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