PG&E Rate Hike Legal: Judge

A federal judge has ruled that Pacific Gas and Electric does have a legal basis for its claim that state regulators improperly refused to raise customer electric rates. Raising those rates might have allowed the utility to cover soaring power costs during the state´s energy crisis. However, US District Court Judge Vaughn Walker says PG&E still must prove at trial that it´s entitled to recover up to $8.1 billion from electricity users.