Free Republic

A "screwed-up" repair project at a Pacific Gas and Electric Co. control station in Milpitas caused pressure levels to rise on all the natural gas transmission lines serving the Peninsula just 50 minutes before the San Bruno pipeline exploded, newly released federal documents show. The repair project set in motion a chain of unforeseen problems and blunders leading up to the Sept. 9 explosion that killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes, records released by the National Transportation Safety Board show. Electricity was cut off to equipment that controls gas pressure in the Peninsula pipelines, two backup power supplies failed...

In the not-too-distant future, your home's electric bill could be based on when you use power, not just how much you consume. State energy regulators are scheduled to vote in July on a $1.7 billion plan by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to install new meters and meter-reading equipment that would allow the utility to track electricity and natural gas usage with far more precision than it can today. As part of the plan, PG&E would let small businesses and residential customers try a new way of paying for power. Those who volunteer would receive a lower rate in return...

It was only last year that the Bank of America Center, long the dominant building in San Francisco's financial district, was sold to a group of New York investors for an impressive $825 million. Now the 52-story reddish-brown granite tower is said to be going on the market again. This time, the sellers are hoping that the price will reach as high as $1.25 billion. In recent weeks, the feverish residential market has spurred incessant talk about the prospect of a housing bubble. But prices for commercial real estate have also been going through the roof, despite high office-vacancy rates...