State regulators instead put forward plans to reduce the number by at least half, with the remaining overhead wires being covered by a protective material.Ĭhoosing between covering conductors and burying lines is a “sucker’s choice” because the utility is doing both, Poppe said. PG&E proposes to bury 2,000 miles of electrical wire over four years in high fire-threat areas. “It’s a no-brainer,” Poppe said in an interview with Bloomberg.
Poppe is scheduled to discuss the plan Friday with state regulators who have pushed back with their own proposal they say is cheaper and faster for Californians, who already face some of the highest power rates in the country.
Chief Executive Officer Patti Poppe is making a last-ditch effort to convince California to sign off on the utility’s $5.9 billion plan to put power lines underground to prevent wildfires.
