The California Public Utilities Commission has ordered PG&E to check for leaks in of its gas lines. This, of course, comes on the heels of Thursday's San Bruno fire and explosion.

"The California Public Utilities Commission said it would direct PG&E to focus on high-pressure pipelines in heavily populated areas like the San Bruno neighborhood that erupted in flames on Thursday evening," reports the Chronicle. "The agency also told PG&E to detail how much it has spent to replace pipelines and ensure their safety since 2005."

Although investigators and PG&E claim they have no records of anyone making a leak report, some residents allege that PG&E was contacted days prior to the disaster.

“Our lives are literally in PG&E’s hands, and that’s scary,” said The Utility Reform Network (TURN) executive director Mark Toney. “The previous explosion in Rancho Cordova should have been a wake-up call not only to PG&E but also to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). If customers can’t depend on PG&E to respond quickly and effectively to potential safety problems, it falls on the CPUC to step up to protect Californians and hold PG&E accountable.”

The much-needed demand placed on PG&E was prompted by Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado, who has been our acting governor while Schwarzenegger tends to business in China. Maldonado, we should point out, plans on running for reelection against Gavin Newsom.