PG&E Pays Property Tax and Franchise Fee Payments to Cities, Counties to Help Fund Local Schools, Public Health, Public Safety

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), which serves more than 16 million Californians, is paying property taxes and franchise fees of over $464 million this spring to the 50 counties, 246 local cities and one district where it owns and operates gas and electric infrastructure.

Also Read: Ndustrial Unveils Energy Industry’s First Platform that Seamlessly Integrates and Augments Multiple Legacy Controls into One System

“Property tax and franchise fee payments are one of the many important ways PG&E helps drive our hometown economies and support essential public services like education and public safety. These payments reflect the substantial local investments we are making in our gas and electric infrastructure to create a safer and more reliable system and to better mitigate against wildfire risk,” said Chris Foster, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for PG&E.

On April 12, PG&E paid property taxes of more than $310 million to the 50 counties in which it owns property. The payment covers the period from January 1 to June 30, 2022. Total payments for the tax year of July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, are more than $621 million. This is an increase of $84 million more than the prior tax year.

PG&E pays franchise fees to cities and counties for the use of public streets for its gas and electric facilities. The energy company completed payments on April 15.

PG&E’s franchise fee payments totaled nearly $154 million – nearly $106 million for electric service and more than $47 million for natural gas service. This is an increase of over $15 million from the prior year.

PG&E supports the communities it serves in a variety of ways. In 2021, PG&E and the PG&E Corporation Foundation contributed $23 million to communities throughout Northern and Central California to enhance educational opportunities, preserve the environment, and support economic vitality and emergency preparedness. This included more than $1 million in relief to communities and small businesses for COVID 19 impacts. PG&E employees provide volunteer services in their local communities. The company also offers a broad spectrum of economic development services to help local businesses grow.