Fire prevention: electrical utility facilities and maintenance: liability of contractors.

Existing law requires each electrical corporation, local publicly owned electric utility, and electrical cooperative to construct, maintain, and operate its electrical lines and equipment in a manner that will minimize the risk of catastrophic wildfire posed by those electrical lines and equipment. Existing law requires any person that owns, controls, operates, or maintains any electrical transmission or distribution line upon any mountainous, forest-covered, brush-covered, or grass-covered land to maintain a clearance between all vegetation and all conductors that are carrying electrical current, as prescribed. This bill would provide that a person or entity that performs tree trimming or vegetation maintenance services or specialty electrical contracting services under contract to an electrical utility is not liable for any damage or injury that results from a fire ignited by electrical utility facilities, except for damage or injury proximately caused by the contractor's negligence, gross negligence, or willful misconduct. The bill would, for contractors who retain at least $10,000,000 of fire liability insurance, limit the liability to the dollar amount of fire liability insurance possessed by the contractor, as provided. The bill would define various terms for purposes of those provisions and would state related findings and declarations of the Legislature.