PG&E can’t duck potential liability for century-old gas plant pollution
Pacific Gas and Electric could be liable for contamination from a defunct gas plant that operated more than 100 years ago, a federal judge has ruled, because evidence suggests its predecessor dumped hazardous waste at or near the San Francisco site in 1903. … In a 14-page ruling issued Tuesday night, U.S. District Judge William Orrick rejected that argument, finding the available evidence supports a “reasonable inference” that SFG&E operated the plant and dismantled its parts in 1903, two activities that produced toxic waste that would have been dumped in or near the San Francisco Bay at that time.