Pacific Gas & Electric has been blamed for starting some of California’s most devastating wildfires. Now it is asking state officials for permission to raise electricity rates to pay for safety improvements and to offset the financial risk of more wildfires.

PG&E, working its way through its second bankruptcy in two decades, isn’t alone in its request. The state’s two other investor-owned utilities — Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric Company — are seeking similar rate increases, saying they need bigger profits to attract investment given their exposure to liability from fire-related damage claims.

A California legal principle holds utilities responsible for damage from wildfires started by their equipment even when the companies were not negligent. In recent years, courts have ordered the state’s power companies to pay billions of dollars in damage to homeowners and businesses. PG&E, the state’s largest utility, estimates that it could be liable for an estimated $30 billion in damage for fires in 2017 and 2018.

[Read more: How PG&E ignored fire risks in favor of profits.]

But consumer groups say the utilities are trying to shift the cost of their mistakes onto ratepayers. These groups point out that PG&E in particular has been cited by state investigators for not doing enough to trim trees and properly maintain its equipment.