Pacific Gas & Electric (PCG)

Section 2. Payments Participants and Their Beneficiaries

(a)

Prior to a Change of Control, distributions from the Trust shall be made by the Trustee to Participants and Beneficiaries at the direction of the Company. The entitlement of a Participant or his or her Beneficiaries to benefits under the Arrangements shall be determined by the Company or such party or professional administrator as it shall designate under the Arrangements as the Company's agent, and any claim for such benefits shall be considered and reviewed under the procedures set out in the Arrangements.

(b)

The Company may make payment of benefits directly to Participants or their Beneficiaries as they become due under the terms of the Arrangements. The Company shall notify the Trustee of its decision to make payment of benefits directly prior to the time amounts are payable to Participants or their Beneficiaries. In addition, if the principal of the Trust, and any earnings thereon, are not sufficient to make payments of benefits in accordance with the terms of the Arrangements, the Company shall make the balance of each such payment as it falls due in accordance with the Arrangements. The Trustee shall notify the Company where principal and earnings are not sufficient. Nothing in this Agreement shall relieve the Company of its liabilities to pay benefits due under the Arrangements except to the extent such liabilities are met by application of assets of the Trust.

(c)

After a Change of Control, the Company shall continue to make the determination of benefits due to Participants or their Beneficiaries and shall provide the Trustee with a schedule of benefits due. The Trustee shall pay benefits due in accordance with such schedule; provided however, a Participant or their Beneficiaries may make application to the Trustee for an independent decision as to the amount or form of their benefits due under the Arrangements. In making any determination required or permitted to be made by the Trustee under this Section, the Trustee shall, in each such case, reach its own independent determination, in its absolute and sole discretion, as to the Participant's or Beneficiary's entitlement to a payment hereunder. In making its determination, the Trustee may consult with and make such inquiries of such persons, including the Participant or Beneficiary, the Company, legal counsel, actuaries or other persons, as the Trustee may reasonably deem necessary. Any reasonable costs incurred by the Trustee in arriving at its determination shall be reimbursed by the Company and, to the extent not paid by the Company within a reasonable time, shall be charged to the Trust. The Company waives any right to contest any amount paid over by the Trustee hereunder pursuant to a good faith determination made by the Trustee notwithstanding any claim by or on behalf of the Company (absent a manifest abuse of discretion by the Trustee) that such payments should not be made.

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(d)

The Trustee agrees that it will not itself institute any action at law or at equity, whether in the nature of an accounting, interpleading action, request for a declaratory judgment or otherwise, requesting a court or administrative or quasi-judicial body to make the determination required to be made by the Trustee under this Section 2 in the place and stead of the Trustee. The Trustee may institute an action to collect a contribution due the Trust following a Change of Control or in the event that the Trust should ever experience a short-fall in the amount of assets necessary to make payments pursuant to the terms of the Arrangements.

(e)

In the event any Participant or his or her Beneficiary is determined to be subject to federal income tax on any amount to the credit of his or her account under any Arrangement prior to the time of payment hereunder, whether or not due to the establishment of or contributions to this Trust, a portion of such taxable amount equal to the federal, state and local taxes (excluding any interest or penalties) owed on such taxable amount, shall be distributed by the Trustee as soon thereafter as practicable to such Participant or Beneficiary. The Company shall promptly reimburse the Trust for any such distribution in an amount certified by the Trustee to be needed for the Participant's benefits. For these purposes, a Participant or Beneficiary shall be deemed to pay state and local taxes at the highest marginal rate of taxation in the state in which the Participant resides or is employed (or both) where a tax is imposed and federal income taxes at the highest marginal rate of taxation, net of the maximum reduction in federal income taxes which could be obtained from deduction of such state and local taxes. Such distributions shall be at the direction of the Company or the Trustee, or upon proper application of the Participant or Beneficiary; provided that the actual amount of the distribution shall be determined by the Company prior to a Change of Control and the Trustee following a Change of Control. An amount to the credit of a Participant's Account shall be determined to be subject to federal income tax upon the earliest of: (a) a final determination by the United States Internal Revenue Service addressed to the Participant or his Beneficiary which is not appealed to the courts; (b) a final determination by the United States Tax Court or any other federal court affirming any such determination by the Internal Revenue Service; or (c) an opinion by the Company's tax counsel, addressed to the Company and the Trustee, to the effect that by reason of Treasury Regulations, amendments to the Internal Revenue Code, published Internal Revenue Service rulings, court decisions or other substantial precedent, amounts to the credit of Participants hereunder are subject to federal income tax prior to payment. The Company may undertake at its sole expense to defend any tax claims described herein which are asserted by the Internal Revenue Service against any Participant or Beneficiary, including attorney fees and cost of appeal, and shall have the sole authority to determine whether or not to appeal any determination made by the Service or by a lower court. The Company also agrees to reimburse any Participant or Beneficiary for any interest or penalties in respect of tax claims hereunder upon receipt of documentation of same. Any distributions from the Fund to a Participant or Beneficiary under this Section 2(e) shall be applied in accordance with the provisions of the Arrangement to reduce the Company liabilities to such Participant and/or Beneficiary under the Arrangement with such reductions to be made on a pro-rata basis over the term of benefit payments under the Arrangement; provided, however, that in no event shall any Participant, Beneficiary or estate of any Participant or Beneficiary have any obligation to return all or any part of such distribution to the Company if such distribution exceeds benefits payable under an Arrangement. Any reduction in accordance with the foregoing sentence and the Arrangements shall be determined by the Company prior to a Change of Control. Following a Change of Control, the Company shall continue to make such determination subject to the right of a Participant to petition the Trustee under Section 2(c).

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