Message from
the Chairman and CEO
To Our Stakeholders:
For PG&E, “Together, Building a Better California” is not just a slogan. It’s the very core of our mission, and the scale by which we measure our success. We know that the millions of people who do business with our company count on us for far more than the delivery of utility services. They, along with every citizen of the state we call home, also expect PG&E to help improve their quality of life, the economic vitality of their communities, and the prospect for a better future fueled by clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy.
This report documents the progress we’ve made toward these goals in the most recent leg of a sustainability journey we first began decades ago in partnership with policy makers, environmental leaders and customers. Our work together has made PG&E one of the nation’s cleanest energy providers and instilled in us a deep commitment to confronting issues from clean air to climate change.
At the same time, our sustainability agenda has evolved to encompass other important values as well. In recent years, for example, we have sharpened our focus on driving improvements to public safety and economic development, and we have sought new opportunities to partner with community-based organizations, educational institutions and emergency responders to serve the interests of our customers and communities at a local level.
We’ve come to appreciate that these objectives are closely related. Providing clean, reliable, safe and affordable energy also means building a better California for the generations whose tomorrow will turn on how well we navigate the challenges of today. Our state’s economic prosperity hinges on our ability to protect the integrity of our environment and create the workforce of tomorrow, while taking bold steps to curb reliance on fossil fuels and develop the technologies—and energy solutions—of the future. PG&E, with its scale and scope, is uniquely able to identify, explore and demonstrate the viability of new approaches and ways to get there, while helping to solve problems both big and small, local and global.
California’s drought offers a timely example. Water and energy are closely linked. Saving energy saves water, and vice versa. So much so that PG&E’s energy efficiency programs helped households and businesses save 1.8 billion gallons of water in 2014. The same is true for clean air. Our work to green the transportation system by pioneering new plug-in electric vehicles and building a charging-station network will play an integral part in meeting local air quality goals and the state’s greenhouse gas targets.
We also want to provide our customers with more choice in their energy sources, and more control over their energy use. We are excited by the prospect of helping consumers reap the benefits of a “Grid of Things” that interconnects and enhances the power of a whole range of innovative new energy technologies, from rooftop solar to electric vehicles. And we look forward to forging partnerships with new players and other industries to develop equally ambitious ideas at the frontier of innovation.
On some fronts, the past year saw areas where our performance fell short of the mark. While PG&E has made enormous strides in strengthening our safety culture, there is more still to do. Likewise, while we are committed to meeting the highest ethical standards, we found that certain interactions between individuals at PG&E and our regulators failed that test. In response, we took swift and decisive action to tighten compliance and prevent such serious violations from happening again.
We continue to build on all our efforts to ensure transparency and accountability as we collaborate in constructing the clean energy future we all aspire to achieve. The chance to create new value for our customers, while also positioning California to tap the promise of a low-carbon economy, is a task we are eager to tackle, and one that is consistent with PG&E’s historic strengths.
As part of that effort, we invite you to share your feedback on this year’s report and results. On behalf of all our employees throughout Northern and Central California, we welcome your contributions and thank you for your engagement in the sustainability of our enterprise.
Sincerely,
Tony Earley
Chairman, CEO and President
PG&E Corporation