‘It’s all a lie’: PG&E undergrounding perplexes customers

[@davidfairless1028]

I work with contractors that do "undergrounding." Very little of it takes place in high fire danger areas. Today, we were on a job at Ehrhardt and Cosumnes River Blvd. This is a residential neighborhood with no wildlands within two miles. It seems to be just for show. I live seven miles into the wilderness in Calaveras County. It's high fire danger everywhere within miles and miles of my house. No undergrounding happening that I know of anywhere in my county.

[@RetroBerner]

They don't consider y'all rich enough to deserve underground wires

[@stevemcqueen399]

The internet companies play the same game. They get money to run high speed rural internet but use the funds in urban areas while telling legislators otherwise.

[@bt.c.1829]

Hi Calaveras County Neighbor!👋👋It's a shame & a sham that our supervisors do NOTHING!!😢

[@ValenceFlux]

I used to work in electrical. They would tell us in class that the entire country needed to do this some day. I can't believe we thought we would be doing projects like this and many got delayed like turbine projects. I ended up putting more things up into ceilings then I ever put in the ground.

[@ValenceFlux]

I used to work in electrical. They would tell us in class that the entire country needed to do this some day. I can't believe we thought we would be doing projects like this and many got delayed like turbine projects. I ended up putting more things up into ceilings then I ever put in the ground.

[@ShooterMcNut]

Patti used to be the ceo at consumers energy here in Michigan, the only thing she accomplished was raising rate and failing to maintain the utility. I hate her guts.

[@Sylvestersaurusrex]

Thanks for the info

[@ShooterMcNut]

Since I've written this comment, I've had three power outages.

[@Shadow_banned_again]

In CA she has raised rates, pushed woke agenda, and increased amount of useless management. Board of directors are a problem and Newsom is dirty too.

[@ShooterMcNut]

Had a fourth one today. I need an alternative.

[@roadrash999]

They've successfully deluded you into thinking you that the CEO of a company is like some elected official.

[@x706x]

Remember this folks, 83million for one person yet they need tax cuts to create jobs…

[@dzymslizzy3641]

Yeah! What a crock of steaming nitrogenous waste material!

[@Troutstar]

PG&E burned down communities, forced insurance providers out of our state, and continue turning a profit. 😂

[@cleaterose5914]

most of the time they lose money. Forced to spend money on solar.

[@lemontea128]

@@cleaterose5914then explain the 2.2 billion profit that was reported which was said to be a 25% increase from the year before.

[@jabreck1934]

Meanwhile the death toll in Texas and other states continues to climb!🤣👍

[@richardskaff1]

@@cleaterose5914 your statement is NOT correct. Check the facts!

[@snort455]

What is the PUC role in all this?

[@scottc3165]

Not only are electric rates raised, but have you seen fire insurance for your home? It's untenable.

[@tjts1]

Mine fire insurance is dirt cheap but I didn't buy a house in a wild fire zone. What happened to personal responsibility??

[@PerfectoKiss]

And the Gov is not doing anything to help. In fact, he is a liability.

[@PerfectoKiss]

@@tjts1dude, insurance rates are going up in non wildfire areas too. U should check the facts before making your comments. Insurance companies have been capped here and they want to increase rates due to the high cost of doing business in CA.

[@tjts1]

@@PerfectoKiss I just paid my insurance last week. Same as last year. Don't live in a a wildfire area. Don't have this problem.

[@highn00n]

​@@tjts1*What happened to your grammar?*

[@matburn88]

PG&E still charges customers on days where power is out. It's a big scam for them to recoup money from recent lawsuits, including the paradise incident.

[@bondobilly9369]

How can they charge if there is no usage?

[@314simplebtich]

We were smoked out for months during those fires. Not only that but during the blackouts I lost three freezers full of food. Insurance didn't pay cause I didn't have receipts one didn't lose 5K worth of food. State Farm sucks

[@314simplebtich]

KZbin will not print my reply

[@lechatbotte.]

That’s true of most utility companies.

[@LoanwordEggcorn]

PG&E got a sweethart, super cheap settlement deal AFTER they gave millions of dollars to Gavin Newsom.

[@Crismodin]

"We stopped that whole idea because we realized it was expensive and we'd rather keep the money up top than to have it trickle down into the grid you pay for" - PG&E

[@mordsythe]

Sounds like the Texas grid

[@hotmess9640]

@@mordsythebut freedom? Who wants the government to meddle in your corruption and demand a cut? Let’s keep the big guy out of the cookie jar. Were the good ones-local government

[@stvrob6320]

More likely, some upper manager with no engineering experience thought it would be a great idea and agreed to it without any clue how difficult and expensive it would really be.

[@Crismodin]

@@stvrob6320 "Here at P&GE we value your grid, that's why with our corporate profit increases of 5-20% year-over-year the last 5 years we're sending a message to you, our consumers, to GFYS, also we're increasing your rates once more, pray that we do not increase it further" - PG&E unofficial but official response

[@katiekane5247]

​@@stvrob6320after paying for the advertising, they were short on funds 😕

[@vwfanatic2390]

“84 felony counts of manslaughter” had any human committed even one count that would carry a prison sentence. ALL top level officers of PG&E should be spending the rest of their lives in prison AND PG&E should cease to exist, with a all new utility company be established with not one former PG&E person in its employment. This should be the standard of all large corporations. We need a way to make the as accountable for their actions as any individual human citizen would be.

[@chendo650]

83 million dollars the criminal ceo can atleast cool everyone in california. Man, we really are the peasants...ain't we ?

[@in4cer457]

PG&E has a Boeing syndrome. They care more about their share price than their customers. Sad.

[@georgeburns7251]

What do you think a corporation is? Like Donald Trump with share holders.

[@racerx4152]

@@georgeburns7251 do you really think the dems are innocent? they have done the same thing.

[@scoobiesnatches]

100% not to mention PG&E has been trying to hire contractors for corporate roles at below market value for years in the Bay Area. Profit over people will destroy these companies and this country.

[@shauny2285]

PG&E is a regulated public utility. Their rates require public comment and approval from the state. I'm sure our Governors appointed the CPUC commissioners.

[@No_nuns_no_nuns_none]

Gav Newsom looking out for Californians

[@pjbikerful]

Back in the 70's PG&E restrung all their 12 and 21 kV wires in the San Lorenzo Valley area Between Felton and Boulder Creek with Tree Wire", which is an insulated wire. That put an end to tree/wire contacts power outages and fires. Trees would fall on the wireing and nothing happened. Tree crews would just come out and remove the tree laying on the wires and the power never went out. Thats what they should be doing now. It's a lot faster and cheaper than doing it underground. PG&E just doesn't want to spend the money because it would take away their profits.. Just search for tree wire and you will see what I'm talking about.

[@MrBirdnose]

SCE has been stringing insulated cable where I live. I sometimes think PG&E exists to make SCE look competent. ;)

[@Kas-tle]

One of the issues with this is the cost and maintenance overhead over time can be quite high since the insulation is always in the sun and generally needs to be replaced on a fairly regular basis (every few years). So which is better will depend on the trenching costs for the area versus the weather. They definitely need to do some form of mitigation though.

[@adrianthoroughgood1191]

Insulated wire gets hotter because the insulation keeps the heat in. So larger or more wires are needed to carry the same current. It's obviously better than causing fires, but it's not without cost. The 2 factors need to be balanced. But if the company isn't forced to pay for the damage then they aren't going to balance the decision correctly.

[@JamesVanGriff]

PGE has been doing tree wire for years, all the fire wrapped poles in this video have brand new tree wire on them, not bare conductor. Maybe they should look and learn before talking about something they know nothing about.

[@sbreheny]

@@JamesVanGriff In the video at 03:00 they show a new fire-wrapped pole with what certainly looks like uninsulated wire on it.

[@davidcarmack5074]

PG&E just asked the PUC for another rate hike and it will be granted because the PUC and PG&E are in bed together. When is enough enough?

[@persistentwind]

I wish the fbi would look at members on the different states PUC boards. I imagine what they find will be pretty alarming.

[@yelnatsch517]

Do you understand how the rates are approved?

[@charles9571]

2A

[@HammerStudioGames]

When the people stop electing Republicans :)

[@TheGuruStud]

Yeah, govt takes their bribes, bam, it's approved ​@@yelnatsch517

[@ghazman6141]

PG&E Owns the California PUC, and can do whatever they want. Sometimes the CPUC "fines" them to make it look like they are tough on them, which just gets passed on to their customers. They never lose.

[@tbarnum6315]

Patti: "We are committed, to bury, 10000 customers............uh, lines, yeah that's it lines

[@spikespa5208]

Oh no no no! Not "burying". *"Undergrounding"!*

[@TXnine7nine]

⁠@@spikespa5208 and their incompetence won’t make people “homeless” but “unhoused”.

[@CookingwithSyreetta]

I’m so over PG&E! They are the cause of so much devastation and they are passing down their negligence to the customers with absurd rates!🤬

[@joeythompson95]

Part of that is that every customer is paying an additional fee for the million in penalties the state charged pg&e for causing the devastating wildfires. Also anyone who doesn’t have solar is paying the difference in lost revenue from the people who went to solar power. So your bill is only going to go up and up. The solution: get solar and batteries and cancel your service. They won’t shed the message until the money stops flowing in. They know you need them so they could care less.

[@Maribeth01]

What makes this all so much worse is ins cos are leaving CA due to expense from fires. Even the back up plan (CAFairPlan) is struggling. And may end soon, or become even more unaffordable. Leaving all rural homes uninsurable. Areas are having zoning changed to be included in this madness. The ones "in charge" are profitting from failing the communities they reportedly represent. People will continue to ignore this though.

[@Maribeth01]

​@@joeythompson95In our part of CA the solar must be tied into you utility meter. No escape allowed.

[@EBTROUBLE]

@@joeythompson95 better do some extensive research before buying solar. The CPUC just enacted a fixed rate charging system that is going to change the way CA utility companies bill their customers…. I don’t claim to be an expert on the matter, but from what I can tell, people who minimize their utility usage by using solar or just not using a lot of power are going to get screwed…. Like I said, I’m not an expert but you should become an expert prior to investing in solar

[@Mike__B]

@@EBTROUBLE You're right, PG&E pushed solar so they can use up all those carbon credits, then eventually turned on all solar saying "we have too much power when it's not needed" which if they couldn't predict based on how much solar was being installed they should be thrown in jail. That said, if you completely cut off your electrical service you will be free of any plans by PG&E.

[@KarenNakamura1]

We need an independent Public Utilities Commission with sharp pencils that they aren't afraid to use. Not the CPUC we have that is full of Newsome cronies.

[@72marshflower15]

Blame Newsom. Ignore capitalism.

[@72marshflower15]

@@tigran914 Are you gonna tell me that North Korea is a democratic republic as well? 🤣🤣🤣

[@curiouspenguin6887]

Aren't CPUC members former utility CO execs?

[@RJ6AV6]

They tried doing that down here with SDGE but of course it didn't pass, wonder why......

[@garcjr]

That's why it's important to pay attention to who you're voting for in your states Corporation Commission (that's what we call it here in Arizona). A lot of people skip over this without putting much thought in.

[@lesleyjuchau3639]

we the people are nothing but tax payers.

[@Powderlover1]

Don’t be silly, taxes go to the government and to the public good. This is a for-profit, privately owned company.

[@teri03]

@@Powderlover1 The public good? WAHAHHAAHA!!! You're dense. Didn't you know ole Gav's help in all of this?

[@No_nuns_no_nuns_none]

@@Powderlover1don’t you mean we send most of it to other countries and then we get some left overs for Americans

[@Powderlover1]

@@No_nuns_no_nuns_none lol. No. I do not. The percentage of spending that goes overseas is very, very small. Ignoring military spending on overseas bases, we spend the least on foreign aid, as a percentage of GDP, than any other western power. Fun fact, when your politicians say we need to stop spending on foreign aid in order to spend it on Americans, they are lying to you. The influence we *buy* is worth far more than it costs, that is if you enjoy living in the most powerful, richest, and influential country in history.

[@dean._.0.0]

utility companies are privatized.

[@iansigman1651]

How can the CEO even spend that 82 million? Gross greed. Maybe she can live on, I don't know, 2 million a YEAR!!?? GTFOuta here with raising rates on customers with that salary!

[@Willtellthetruth]

Ah. So are you saying that if she reduces her salary it will be okay to raise rates?

[@chefdsal1]

@@Willtellthetruth excellent Strawman

[@Snowchris1]

do you vote democrat ? well there you go

[@Horace1993]

Maybe he has pge electric too

[@Horace1993]

​@@Snowchris1capitalism is not a political difference

[@kirkholmes9316]

So ridiculous, pg&e doesn't pay for anything! Damage repair=additional charge. New lines, above or underground=additional charge. Fines for criminal mischief and negligence=additional fees. And so on. They're lime the Boeing of energy transmission

[@davidhimmelsbach557]

It's a UTILITY. It's not really a profit making company. It has been captured by Gavin -- entirely. Its board are Gavin's boys.

[@rosemont83]

Energy and utilities should not be shareholder owned. Period. The monopoly on energy has to come down. It is the only way.

[@SunnyMacDuffeeMota-tw9vl]

I live in a fire prone area of California I have seen no undergrounding being done by PGE And yet their stock holders have received profits from their stock holdings And now I hear that PGE is asking for a raise so that they can do the undergrounding ?????????

[@RT-qd8yl]

Why do you still willingly live there?

[@stvrob6320]

Its more expensive than they anticipated. Makes you wonder how much thought they really put into the idea.

[@davidhimmelsbach557]

PG&E stockholders = pension funds. Undergrounding is going to take years. It's a BIG job. Utility 'profits' are actually just money rent -- paid to pension funds. No-one invests in utilities. There is NO upside possible.

[@mikejones8866]

After PG&E lost the Camp Fire lawsuit, they raised rates, and then instituted the Public Safety Power Shut-off's (PSPS) as a retaliatory measure. During PSPS events, they ONLY shut down low voltage distribution lines, but keep high voltage transmission lines online. During a PSPS event, one of their high voltage transmission lines started a MAJOR wildfire (I can't remember if it was the Zogg fire or the Dixie fire) that burned over a million acres, destroyed 1,000's of homes and businesses and countless animals (including both wild animals as well as livestock.). Not a single penny was missed by their executives and/or shareholders. *_PG&E is the LARGEST ARSONIST IN CALIFORNIA._*

[@eh3477]

Think that was Zogg.

[@davidliskey3553]

Don't forget they also have to contribute to Newsom's campaign

[@davidhimmelsbach557]

ALL PG&E policies -- these days -- are decided by Gavin. He has replaced the ENTIRE board of directors with his buddies.

[@Spaghettaboutit]

This is a level of journalism that I’m not used to seeing from the local/tv news. Keep at it and do more of this!

[@js990rv]

The CEO quietly resigned right after the Camp Fire in Paradise

[@amandasmith7212]

The new one got paid over $50 million last year

[@krabysniper]

If at least the top 50 percent of PG&E execs are not in prison, they ARE in COLLUSION with the state to steal from the 🐑 in that state.

[@francescaetc]

ya and sailed off into the sunset on a billion dollar yacht to his private island and personal security service for him and his family.

[@js990rv]

@@francescaetc *her yacht

[@joec8915]

They’ve spent more on ads telling everyone that they’re under grounding lines than they have actually spent doing the work.

[@Walkinfaaaast]

They will do that since it appears nobody is questioning them. They need to be held accountable.

[@____MC____]

They are reducing lineman crews and outsourcing maintenance and line work to 3rd party companies too.

[@MotoProspector-pv6wf]

PG&E stands for (Poke gouge and extort).

[@RetroBerner]

This is why privatizing infrastructure is a terrible idea

[@SuperDrumwolf]

there is nothing private about pg&e, it has been quazi government for decades, that is why it is so poorly managed.

[@TiredAmerican247]

You think government controlled power is better? Yea right! Monopolizing the industry is bad.

[@RetroBerner]

@@TiredAmerican247 I do, capitalism puts profit above all else.

[@TiredAmerican247]

@@RetroBerner what? That’s not true. There’s thousands of civil and environmental laws that’d call you a liar.

[@TiredAmerican247]

@@RetroBerner only lazy people would say that. What part of the current government makes you believe they are competent enough to run the states power supply? The one where they’re forcing everyone to buy electric cars, electric stoves, and electric AC on an undersized power grid? Riiight.

[@mrswjr4061]

They buried just enough to make a commercial and promotional video 🤣

[@bellagirlgirl8827]

The telephone poles in our neighborhood are so old that they look as if they're going to snap in the next windstorm and make good kindling in a fire!

[@amandasmith7212]

Funny that PG&E CEO got paid $59million last year alone.

[@carolynbohannon4602]

My neighbor is 54 and on disability and during this hest wave is afraid to use her ac. So she sits in an apartment thsts probably 100 degress with ice packs. What can we do to get rid of pge

[@chasstiles7611]

Leave California

[@cgschow1971]

Why?

[@Youll_Love_It_At_Levitz]

I don't see any rational reason for someone to subject themselves to that kind of abuse if it's not necessary.

[@wok-onbai538]

We need more of these investigative reporting to expose deceptive corporate ad campaigns along with corrupt politicians who get their donations by colluding with such companies.

[@OpCode90]

I demand a refund from PG&E!

[@Arturo-sm1tb]

best of luck. Monopoly with no citizen power of redress.

[@mattburrito]

that company is corrupt should be sued or protested

[@madbug1965]

Utility regulators should have oversight over PG&E undergrounding lines and make sure goals are met.

[@3beltwesty]

Then everyone's monthly bill will be 100 to 200 more a month to pay for the undergrounding

[@OfficialTechMinute]

Corporate GREED NEEDS to STOP.

[@christopherbradley5575]

I left California 30 years ago and it was the best decision I've ever made. I just feel so bad for all the people still stuck there.

[@donwyoming1936]

Out here on the east coast, the power companies wanted to bury lines to protect them during hurricanes. They stopped soon after they started, as it cost them $1000 per foot to bury the lines. Digging up roads and yards got very expensive very quickly.

[@TheMissPoovey]

The pull them. They don’t need to dig up everything. Our city is doing it. They have diggers that go under in two spots, and they just pull them thru. No need to destroy every yard or street. They’re lying about costs.

[@jamesphillips2285]

@@TheMissPoovey I don't think horizontal drilling is particularly cheap. Possibly cheaper than digging a trench and redoing landscaping and paving though.

[@TheMissPoovey]

@@jamesphillips2285 it’s their equipment, they already own it and use it everyday. New subdivision builds are even using it. It’s sleight of hand, watch this hand have to work hard, while the other hand does the same thing easier, it justifies the expense if you only notice the hard work, even if that isn’t how they actually work daily.

[@joaquinjr2570]

@@TheMissPooveynew subdivision are new, that’s why they have it. There’s know cost of getting rid and replacing the power lines already that are above ground, not only that you have to connect it to the homes that are already established. The labor of just doing this would be expensive and we haven’t gotten to the repaving the roads and putting the wires underneath, as a civil engineer this is really expensive.

[@3beltwesty]

Yeah but California does not understand financial stuff..lol

[@skaskaska9005]

Corporations will always get the best of us. Our politicians on both sides don’t care. Nothing will change.

[@MrNoobed]

50 years ago you could trim the trees around the lines to keep them clear. Whoops dead trees fall on power lines.

[@cleaterose5914]

Above ground lines are used everywhere around the world. The problem is they never cleared the trees and brush around and under the lines. Until that happens, the fires will continue.

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

Right?! I live in a rural area of the Ozarks in northern Arkansas. We have trees on trees on trees, and TONS of overhead. We have tornadoes and straightline wind damage and our lines don't cause fires. I also have had less outages in the two years in my current house, than that lady had in a month. That ish runs through the trees and straight onto my property overhead. I actually have 3 poles on my property. Overhead can be reliable, our electric coop comes at least 2-3 times per year and trim EVERYTHING back significantly, especially in fall before winter weather comes in. We got a major storm for our area last winter. I was only without power for 36 hours if even. It was due to failed equipment in the cold, not down lines.

[@EastyUK]

Its pretty common in the UK, I believe 90,000 miles is underground. I don't remember power cuts in the area I grew up fro 25yrs. Now I live 30miles from Silicon valley in California, some may say its one of the worlds epicenters for technology, the area has several many power outages, little cell reception and communications often cease soon after power has gone, these outages can last days. People are resorting to be less sufficient on local utilities(off grid solar/batteries/solar), one should then wonder why pay taxes for the governing bodies that seem to only support high cost for less service.

[@EastyUK]

@StringerNews1 Its a bit a false economy, these company leaders now live by the stock price of today and laden the company with an impossible future with little strategy or forward thinking. If they had any capability in evaluating the cost of maintaining lines running through forests, the break even on undergrounding would be in the near term and they would have invested in a more robust and reduced maintenance infrastructure for the future. They are also not just a money making business, utility companies get billions in grants from DOE and Local gov, they should be held with the responsibility or introduce competition, USA is meant to be a leading developed country, this is not a high bar to expect.

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

@@aarons3695 I couldn't be happier to be part of it, honestly. We have more reliable service out here than we did living in the middle of the nearby college town. During winter storms, outages were on average nearly twice as long. We also have fiber interwebs through them, it's also pretty awesome haha.

[@3beltwesty]

​@@goosenotmaverick1156in Arkansas you have less crazies protesting and blocking clear land or cutting trees.. California mindest is a popcorn tree takes 1000 years to grow. Lol😊

[@No_nuns_no_nuns_none]

PGE needs to be federally investigated this is beyond out of control!

[@mikhellen3267]

If you are actually convicted of manslaughter, someone does jail time, who is in jail for that?

[@LegoBeto]

And THIS is what happens when the media reports on stuff that they know absolutely nothing about. I literally work in that industry. I have created designs for underground conversions. The issue with burying all the lines is that it is actually about 5 times more expensive than putting them overhead. Another thing. In some areas the risk is way lower than other's. California has a very rocky terrain and in some cases, it is not easy at all having to break up so many rocks just to bury a cable. I don't think they would have lied and implied that they were going to bury all of the lines. Another thing, in some cases they do have to come back up and leave the conductor overhead because some people actually don't want stuff buried in their property. They will not provide the easement for it.

[@wallyballou7417]

Stop! You’re letting facts to get in the way of a good outrage!

[@JohnDoe-ud2cc]

Im a Northern California El Dorado county resident and stuck in PG&E’s Monopoly. Thanks to PG&E and their fires, I pay 10x the national average for power and most of us now can’t insure our homes. If you do have homeowners insurance it’s a $1000 a month. Our power is so expensive that our 1300sf home has an average monthly power bill over $500. Thats conserving energy too with only cooling our home to 85 in summer and warming it to 68 in the winter. We pay so much as a consumer but yet have horrible Service. We get forced power outages all the time (public safety outages) for days, we are stuck with no alternatives. California is already the most expensive state with the highest taxes and cost of living. We cannot afford to be paying an extra $1500 month because of PGE. They screwed us in so many ways and we are stuck in their monopoly.

[@MelissaR784]

$500 electic bill? Ouch! Have you ever looked into buying solar panels, a converter and batteries to store your own electric? Know California keeps offering "free" solar panels, but theirs feeds back into the electric grid while you keep paying a slightly less electric bill. Not worth it.

[@JohnDoe-ud2cc]

@@MelissaR784 nothing is free. If I’m not paying PGE I’m paying a solar company. So is it worth financing a $60k solar system to not pay PGE. We are stuck in this monopoly. The people that are putting solar on aren’t looking at the whole picture. They aren’t considering their roof maintenance and how it’s going to cost an extra 10k to have their roof replaced when needed because of the panels, Or when they sell the house who owes the solar company their money. Also PGE wants you to put solar on. PGE makes money off of your roof and your panels. They have to by law use at least 40% renewable energy. They can’t afford to buy the land and the devises to create this much power. So they want you to use your roof and your money in panel to make their power. They literally harvest your power during they day and pay you pennies on the dollar for each kilowatt, then turn around and sell it back to you for 10x as much at night.

[@MelissaR784]

@@JohnDoe-ud2cc They have solar kits if you're a do it yourself kind of person, that range from $1k to $6k. Might not get you totally off the grid, but will help reduce your electric bill. The panels don't need to be mounted on your roof. Just saying.

[@JohnDoe-ud2cc]

@@MelissaR784 I’ve looked into those before, it’s definitely something I have considered.

[@Celexanomnom]

When are people gonna get it through their heads? YOU👏DON’T👏MATTER👏! The ONLY thing that matters is shareholder profits. Period full stop.

[@standingbear998]

power lines not being buried is one of the dumbest things ever. it would prevent so many problems. fires, outages from storms, no people dying from collisions with power powers. less eye soar and other benefits. they don't want things better.

[@peterburkhalter6344]

Everything thing Gavin touches does not turn to gold. What has he turned the golden state into?

[@michaelmichael1716]

PG&E is the biggest lying company around. They tried suing my company and me personally twice but I pointed out to the judge how that line that I hit with a backhoe wasn’t even supposed to be there. It was supposed to move 10 years earlier. It was part of the lawsuit where they made a movie called “Erin Brockovich”. Totally backfired on them. The judge turned it into the appropriate authorities, and made them move the line that year, literally costing them millions. I call that instant Karma.

[@John-du2mq]

Patti DEI her way to 83 million dollar salary. Meanwhile we live paycheck to paycheck.

[@archangelrevelations9532]

FPL here in Florida Moved our lines underground. I will let you know if it worked after this hurricane season.

[@AliSakurai]

Why am I not surprised that newsom won't do a thing like always?

[@EQRuges]

When you sue your power company, when you penalize your power company, when you fine your power company, when you make your power company hire lawyers, when you make your power company accountable, your the one paying for it. Its not some charity.

[@albertramirez797]

Wow they're paying that lady way too much and I bet she never worked on the field

[@IceLynne]

I went through this last year with SCE. They replaced all the poles in our mountain community one at a time and shut us off with each one. It was a terrible experience but I must say that now we have no power outages at all because of the new equipment.

[@MrBirdnose]

They did the same thing where I live, and also strung insulated wire.

[@RachelSitea-mn2qk]

There have been no fires in the areas that SCE worked on, it’s been very successful. TURN cited this in their flyers when attempting to stop the Wall Street funded undergrounding that PGE customers will have to pay interest on (for only 10 % of grid). It’s very telling that CPUC and Newsom ignored everything laid out by TURN, re: cost, efficiency & safety of overhead insulated wires.

[@michellet6227]

And now we have an home insurace crisis ! And extreme rates!

[@Starfish2145]

All their profit goes to their shareholders. Public utilities should be nonprofits. Governor Newsom protects PG&E.

[@Marzen216]

Anyone remember when California used to practice forest management to reduce wild fires?

[@life_of_riley88]

Yes. It's just a tinderbox now.

[@davidhimmelsbach557]

That was before the Green movement.

[@jameswoffinden9215]

Electricity rates in California are out of control. Greed, greed, greed.

[@davidkey4272]

Whenever you hear “PG&E,” think “California Government.” They are the same thing

[@davidhimmelsbach557]

Yup. Its government run -- ie Gavin replaced its entire board with his buddies.

[@David0lyle]

Mean while the “grid tied” inverters that give you a pittance don’t work when the power is out regardless of how many panels you have on your roof.

[@murlthomas2243]

They spent so much money on the commercials, they didn’t have any left for the work.

[@Msmorningsunrise]

in Northern Calif, it sometimes gets very humid and there are bugs and all kinds of reasons why the poles get rotten and fall apart. The need to replace half the poles in some places. They actually did increase the prices enormously claiming that it was because they wanted to put the lines underground

[@EazySteve]

Would it be better if PG&E was a not-for-profit utility company like some other local electric companies? If so, can we force that on PG&E?

[@davidhimmelsbach557]

SMUD came from PG&E, its mother. PG&E hasn't really made a profit in years -- all in all. It's run by Gavin RIGHT NOW. His crew runs the company.

[@daviddeflyer8671]

PG&E needs to be nationalized (stateized?) and the CPUC needs to be replaced with an organization that actually works for the betterment of California instead of the companies that it claims to "regulate" (they basically rubber stamp what the power companies want).

[@davidhimmelsbach557]

It's been DONE. PG&E is run by Gavin Newsom and his cronies -- didn't you know?

[@Jackdawfool]

Charging me 300 + dollars a month for a fridge and and ac

[@Lightning613]

Yes that’s bad, but even worse when San Diego Gas & Electric tacks on an additional $500 to $900 per month for “electrical generation fee.” - when they don’t even generate any electricity, but buy it all from out of state.

[@davidhimmelsbach557]

Blame Gavin. You're paying for solar power. It ain't cheap.

[@fromalandfarfaraway4192]

Undergrounding takes time, in Germany small village with 300 souls, we got underground residential supply of electricity and communication lines in the 1980s. On the other hand we are still waiting for fiber optic internet.

[@stephaniejames4940]

I'm surprised the insurance companies didn't sue sine the power company was responsible vs making who were not at fault pay higher premiums homeowners hence higher mortgage payments because of claims?

[@hectorpalomar4533]

PG&E has 16,000,000 customers if the average bill is 100 dollars they are making 1.6 billion annually on power alone

[@CharlesVanNoland]

Welcome to the future: Government Incorporated. The corporations own the government, instead of the people owning the government.

[@mattburrito]

it shouldn’t be that way & its all about money hungry politicians & wealth their responsible for polluting the environment & destroying climates

[@rebeccamartin2399]

Been saying that for years, ever since the Citizens United ruling from supreme court.

[@couchpoet1]

Tech companies will be the new version of government and people will receive universal basic income.

[@CharlesVanNoland]

@@couchpoet1 Except tech companies don't actually produce stuff society needs to survive, like housing, clothing, food, electricity, fuel, etc... UBI just drives up the costs of the things that actually cost to be produced. You can't get resources and turn them into things for free. If everyone is getting free money without doing anyting (providing goods/services, things that are inherently valuable) then the money everyone receives will become worthless as the cost of tangible goods skyrockets to reflect the fact that the people producing them can't spend everyone's monopoly money to get the stuff done that they need to keep producing the goods EVERYONE needs.

[@davidhimmelsbach557]

You have it backwards. Gavin runs PG&E. He replaced its entire board with his cronies -- loads of attorneys I'm sure.

[@LindaBourell]

The Camp Fire was caused by old equipment (specifically a hook holding up a power line) that they knew was going to fail. They had documentation stating that the parts would fail between 80 and 100 years and it was older than 80 years. After the lawsuits, Gavin Newsom (and his friend and now political appointee, Laphonza Butler, and his lawyer friends) helped PG&E skirt the requirements to upgrade their equipment. They created a new agency that issues certificates stating that the company is in compliance. PG&E got a cetificate even though they didn't upgrade the equipment because the language created by the Newsom people states that as long as you have "a plan" to do so, you are in compliance. Because PG&E received thisncertificate, they became eligible to receive money from a fund created by the Newsom people to help pay for some of the lawsuits by the families who lost their homes or family members. Oh yeah, and guess where the money for this fund comes from? PG&E customers via fees/increased rates, etc. Gavin Newsom is a psychopath.

[@TheMadmatt7]

Gee, I wonder how much governor Nuisance got in kickbacks, eh?

[@user-gj8ms7jd8v]

Meanwhile, we're paying for them monthly before even using 1 kw.

[@LtDualla]

the CEO makes 82 million a year yet they can't afford bury the power lines.

[@VoidHalo]

I used to wish I lived in California. It had beautiful cities and nature. Beautiful houses. It was so ideallic. Now I'm grateful that I don't even live in the US.

[@johnthompson7548]

It’s to Jack up prices. PGE should be dissolved

[@robertgallagher7734]

Work for a large utility, not PG&E. Undergrounging is incredibly expensive & requires tons of government permits. Also, California's geography works against it, especially in hill country. There is a shortage of qualified workers as well. Line clearing, like power companies do in other states, is cheaper, more reliable & provides additional fire roads/breaks. But here in Cali God forbid you have to cut a tree, even for public safety. Even that takes a permit.

[@MichaelMoore-rc7ch]

I don't see how they can justify paying 82 million dollars a year for a ceo

[@MichaelMoore-rc7ch]

Can't still no power. ​@veryslyfox

[@MichaelMoore-rc7ch]

@veryslyfox can't no power

[@bobbyhamblen2338]

@@MichaelMoore-rc7ch LOL.

[@david3g8856]

This is outrageous. The state needs to do its job and finally start regulating PGE. In a world of a fast changing climate, we need to take PGE public to make sure they are acting in our interest.

[@MotoProspector-pv6wf]

Did I see that right 83.2 million for the CEOs annual wage? whoa I need to get a job at PG&E.

[@natehunter2961]

No her pay is about a million. She got bonuses and stock to make the rest up. It was mostly stock. Still ridiculously high compensation

[@JonnoPlays]

California still trusts PG&E. That's cute, glad I took my life and safety elsewhere.

[@js990rv]

They are not burying transmission lines -only distribution level lines. Most of the major fires in recent years that were caused by PG&E were at the transmission so the whole process is BS

[@Jack-ng3df]

?? The camp fire in paradise was started by High transmission lines.

[@homeFall1]

@@Jack-ng3df Right, js990rv is saying they are NOT doing any transmission lines in this undergrounding campaign but only local distribution lines. They are also saying that the big recent fires were started by the transmission lines they aren't even trying to move...

[@davidhimmelsbach557]

You have it backwards.

[@js990rv]

@@davidhimmelsbach557 as I understand it, the Camp fire was started by transmission lines-PG&E was shutting off power at the distribution level for the “PSPS”. There were several other fires also started by transmission lines and at that level in the system there is no easy way to de-energize the lines . Point being that most of what PG&E has done and is doing has minimal impact on future fires.

[@SeamourButtts]

AT&T will make that pole transfer in about 7 more years

[@theoriginalnewtboy]

The state should absolutely take over PG&E.

[@Denniss7420]

It should go public the same way Alameda and SMUD in Sacramento are.

[@NeilGaede1]

Yeah, because the Government is good at spending money efficiently...

[@rclaughlin]

But it won't. The politicians would rather point angry fingers at PG&E than personally take the blame for anything that might go wrong.

[@BillyBJohnson]

@@NeilGaede1It works out well in cities like Palo Alto or Riverside. It’s sad how brainwashed you’ve been by corporate propaganda to side with a ceo who makes 80 million dollars a year while hiking our rates

[@onlinesavant]

​@@NeilGaede1Yes, it is.

[@jeffbroders9781]

Remember everyone that PG&E is raising their rates to cover their failures to do proper maintenance of the grid. And also upgrade the grid to charge all of those EV'S that you don't own! I don't want to pay more for electricity so someone who can afford a more expensive EV can charge their car!

[@joelaichner3025]

Guilty of 84 counts of Manslaughter , how much probation & community service hours did they get , and who gets the money from the fines ?

[@TrevorJones-n9l]

42 days of power outages in Sant Cruz Mountains last year no notices. Zero under grounding seen. Had active fire in the lines called PG&E and they said call fire department and took 4 hours to send someone out to de-energize lines before the fire department could do anything.

[@billvan5219]

"Don't sue us" that's all it is 👿

[@Milosz_Ostrow]

Putting high voltage lines underground is NOT a solution. The insulation breaks down as it ages and then the underground line burns up. Although it doesn't start a wildfire, it results in an expensive repair that can literally take days, where it would take at most a few hours for an overhead line.

[@tomlaurent8520]

You could not direct bury the lines. How about a conduit the lines can be slid through?

[@Milosz_Ostrow]

@@tomlaurent8520 There would still be problems. When the insulation fails, it would cause arcing that could melt holes in plastic conduit or cause the conductor to weld to the inside of a steel conduit. The repair would involve digging up the line and replacing at least a section of the conduit.

[@Mike__B]

Never thought this was going to go anywhere, except to pad PG&E's bottom line as they raised rates for everyone for this. Electricity was supposed to be undergrounded in San Francisco long ago, but PG&E very quickly ran out of money (big shocker), and they still charge customers for the process (yes even those without undergrounded lines). The fact they're saying it could cost billions per mile to underground wires just shows the level of criminality to this whole thing. If I were that lady I would invest in solar, with a battery back up system, and just rid myself of PG&E once and for all.

[@davidhimmelsbach557]

PG&E is a UTILITY run by Gavin Newsom. The insane expense can't be borne by PG&E, anyway. Its so-called profits are just money rents paid to pension funds. No-one else 'invests' in power utilities.

[@veneno6388]

It all comes down to profits . It has nothing to do with customers getting power.

[@lutzfilor8253]

pG&E this salaries are 82 million- I do her job for a million and get the job done. This is a crime on two levels.

[@3beltwesty]

82 million is 82000 thousand. So that would pay for maybe 50000 to 82000 ft of buried wire. Let's say 52800 ft to get easy math That is 10 miles to maybe 15 miles total So of the ceo pay for 10 years went to underground you would do 100 miles So really to place all California's wires underground you just get governor useless to: Make each meter cost 100 to 500 more each month Or jack up sales taxes. Add 3 percent extra until all is underground in 50 years

[@danbrit9848]

Yall need a story on how PGandE is a monopoly...it needs to be dispanded and split up

[@JoeyMiller-kv6yy]

If you voted Newsom stop complaining, you got what you voted for.

[@robbiexiong3508]

Thats not new. This scenario known, and is well known that the reason is because pge is allowed to monopolize the market here in the west

[@wickedkool705]

PG&E has to be the worst utility

[@persiancucumber9255]

Why am I not surprised. It’s the same here in Nevada county, fiberglass poles next to old wooden polls. Remember none of them ever went to jail for all those criminal charges. The only positive thing I can say about PGE is they have excellent response time here in the county.

[@scotfield3950]

The fires were not because the lines were above ground but poor to no maitainance

[@davidhimmelsbach557]

The Green movement stopped tree cutting. You see the result.

[@87fubar]

fun fact pg&e only owns the bit of ground around each pole an would need to buy the land or get permission to acquire the land needed to bury the line side note thingy alot of fires wouldn't have been if property owners would let pg&e do tree maintenance

[@harrybenson9983]

Burying power lines underground is great until there is a fault then troubleshooting where that fault is becomes problematic. Above ground lines are more cost effective and easier to maintain. The problem is committing to maintaining them especially tree pruning or removal. Those buried power cables also present a hazard to folks that don't call 811 before digging.

[@rf159a]

Another thing is they use a smaller gauge wire over head to carry more amperage. To bury lines you need a thicker gauge wire to carry the same amount of amperage. Thicker gauge wire costs more.

[@davidhimmelsbach557]

No. Finding a fault is a SNAP for PG&E... wherever it is.

[@SheenaRM]

Love having our power turned off many times during the summer. They sure are a reliable company. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾