"The cost of preventing power-line
wildfires could rise so high that California’s top utility regulator
recently suggested a new way to pay for it — charge residents of
high-risk areas more money for electricity," David Baker reports for the San Francisco Chronicle. "Michael
Picker, president of the California Public Utilities Commission,
floated the idea during a Jan. 31 meeting on fire safety for utility
companies. With more Californians moving into rural areas prone to
fires, he questioned the fairness of forcing all utility customers to
pay the costs of preventing rural wildfires sparked by utility lines."
Though state investigators haven't figured out what caused last year's fires, power lines tossed about in harsh winds are a likely culprit. Such fires have repeatedly ravaged California, but it's expensive to preventing them with measures like tree trimming or burying lines underground. Picker said it's unfair to charge everyone for upgrading and protecting the grid in areas that only a few residents would benefit from. Read more here.
Though state investigators haven't figured out what caused last year's fires, power lines tossed about in harsh winds are a likely culprit. Such fires have repeatedly ravaged California, but it's expensive to preventing them with measures like tree trimming or burying lines underground. Picker said it's unfair to charge everyone for upgrading and protecting the grid in areas that only a few residents would benefit from. Read more here.
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