FEMA Conflict with PG&E

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Tensions between the U.S. government and Pacific Gas & Electric are boiling over as they battle over whether a taxpayer-funded agency should be allowed to stake a claim on a $13.5 billion settlement covering most of the losses from catastrophic wildfires blamed on the bankrupt utility. The showdown came into sharper focus Monday when the Federal Emergency Management Agency blasted the nation’s largest utility and the fire victims’ lawyers for negotiating a deal that could put the government in the untenable position of trying to claw back money from people while they are still trying to rebuild their lives.