CONSIDERING INSTEAD. IT GOES PRETTY FAST. ONCE YOU GET A DITCH OPENED UP IN PLACE, IT GOES PRETTY QUICK. IT’S ALL PART OF THE PROCESS TO GET THESE POWER LINES OVERHEAD UNDERGROUND. PARTICULARLY IN HIGH FIRE DANGER AREAS. SINCE PG&E EQUIPMENT HAS BEEN LINKED TO A SERIES OF DESTRUCTIVE WILDFIRES, MOST RECENTLY THE DIXIE FIRE, THE SECOND LARGEST IN THE STATE, WHICH SPARKED AFTER A TREE FELL ON THE COMPANY’S ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION LINES. PG&E MADE A PROMISE TO MAKE THE SYSTEM SAFE. I MADE A PROMISE TO MAKE OUR SYSTEM SAFE, A PROMISE TO EVENTUALLY PUT 10,000 MILES OF POWER LINES UNDERGROUND AND STARTING WITH 2000 BY 2026, CERTAIN POWER LINES ARE SAFER UNDERGROUND. BUT RECENTLY, PG&E HAS HIT A SNAG IN THIS AMBITIOUS PLAN. THE REGULATORY AGENCY THAT OVERSEES THEM, THE CALIFORNIA PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION, SAYS THERE ARE OTHER MORE AFFORDABLE WAYS TO MITIGATE WILDFIRE RISK. AND THE CONSUMER ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION ACTION, KNOWN AS TURNE, AGREES. WE’RE TRYING TO BALANCE GETTING THE SAFEST, GREENEST ELECTRICITY AND GAS THAT WE CAN GET TO OUR CALIFORNIA CUSTOMERS AT THE LOWEST POSSIBLE PRICE. THE CPUC IS CONSIDERING TWO ALTERNATIVES. INSTEAD OF BURYING 2000 MILES OF THE ELECTRIC GRID, ONE SCALED BACK PROPOSAL WOULD ALLOW THE COMPANY TO BURY 973 MILES OF LINES. ANOTHER WOULD ALLOW FOR 200, AND THEN THEY RECOMMEND INSULATING THE REST OF THE LINES, SAYING IT’S FASTER AND MORE AFFORDABLE, INSULATED LINES ARE BASICALLY TAKING THE TYPICAL WIRE THAT’S UP ON OUR POLES THAT YOU SEE THROUGHOUT THE STATE AND WRAPPING THEM WITH DIFFERENT LAYERS OF PROTECTION. THE UNDERGROUNDING INVESTMENT PG&E PROPOSE WOULD ADD ABOUT $3.40 TO A TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL BILL EACH MONTH THROUGH 2026. STILL, POPPY SAYS IT WILL ACTUALLY SAVE MONEY IN THE LONG RUN. HERE IN PG&E SERVICE AREA, THE COST TO DO VEGETATION MANAGEMENT IS FAR MORE THAN THE COST TO ULTIMATELY PUT A PERMANENT SOLUTI