In an interestingly timed hearing, a proposal made over a year ago by state utility companies to bill ratepayers for catastrophic fires will be heard in San Francisco today by the California Public Utilities Commission — just a few days after a PG&E pipeline ruptured and incinerated a San Bruno neighborhood.

The measure was first introduced in 2009 by San Diego Gas and Electric Co. in order to cover for a series of 2007 blazes that incurred more than $1 billion in damages; state investigators blame the utility company for triggering at least three of those fires. But while the “Wildfire Expense Balancing Account” would stick customers with the bill for costs not covered by insurance, the most eye-catching element for locals is the definition of the term “wildfire.”