In all the conversation about PG&E's looming bankruptcy, I feel like Californians grossly underestimate the costs of adapting our energy grid to climate change/wildfire. It's $4-5M/mile to underground lines, $5K/stump to remove hazardous trees. PG&E did 451K of them after 2016.
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Either way this shakes out, it's going to be on us. Btw, PG&E has 125,000 miles of lines. Between 2013 and 2017, 16,000 sections of them fell. https://www.wsj.com/articles/pg-e-sparked-at-least-1-500-california-fires-now-the-utility-faces-collapse-11547410768 …
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Today, in Californians grossly underestimating the cost of making our electrical grid safer amid climate change.https://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article224968200.html …
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Replying to @kimmaicutler
Pg&e turned over 1bil in profit in 2017. Maybe utils shouldn't be privatized for-profit businesses. It's not an immediate fix, but that's a helluva lot of income that just goes into already wealthy pockets, vs serving the citizenry.
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Replying to @GrayBlue
The argument here isn’t about whether PG&E should be nationalized or an investor-owned utility. It’s more that $1B is nothing compared to what it will cost to properly manage vegetation, micro grid or underground lines. Or convince 15% of CA households to not be in WUI areas.
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Replying to @kimmaicutler
i wouldn't say the two arguments are mutually exclusive - but regardless, i can't argue with the stats regarding the costs - but i'd also ask what has pg&e invested in r&d/innovation around those specific points, particularly undergrounding the lines?
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Things worse than not investing in R&D were happening and then the 20A program was suspended. https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/amp/Wine-Country-fires-PG-E-often-diverts-money-for-12742239.php …
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