California approves Bill to help utility giant PG&E pay for wildfire costs

The measure would allow PG&E to sell bonds backed by customer bills to cover costs from last year's wildfires

California lawmakers passed legislation to help utility giant PG&E pay for billions of dollars in potential liabilities from wildfires that ravaged Northern California wine country last year.

The state Assembly and Senate approved a wide-ranging plan Friday that includes directing regulators to limit how much PG&E shareholders would cover from the 2017 fires that killed dozens of people. The Bill now heads to the desk of Governor Jerry Brown, who has supported helping PG&E dodge fiscal distress.

The move is a key victory for PG&E, which may owe as much as $17.3 billion from the blazes. The utility owner raised the prospect