California Gov. Newsom signs bill calling for PG&E to expedite burial of electrical lines

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed into law a bill, introduced by state Sen. Mike McGuire, that calls for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to expedite the burial of 10,000 miles of power lines in areas of high fire risk.

Senate Bill 884 uses federal infrastructure funds to underground the lines, a frequent source of ignition in wind-driven fires.

“Year after year, these utility-caused wildfires have become our reality,” McGuire, a Healdsburg Democrat who became Senate Majority Leader in January, said in a statement. “This law will help stop this insanity for the health and safety of all Californians.”

The bill also establishes an independent monitor to oversee PG&E’s efforts, enforcing the projects’ budgets, scope and timelines.

The same day SB 884 was signed, the PG&E Fire Victim Trust reached a $117 million settlement with former executives and directors of the company who were accused of lax oversight prior to the 2017 North Bay and 2018 Camp fires, among California's deadliest wildfires.

McGuire framed the public utility as an obstacle to vital safety upgrades.

“For far too long, America’s largest utility — PG&E — has failed its customers and made California unsafe,” the senator wrote. “The utility has underfunded modernization, line hardening and wildfire safety efforts for decades, which has had devastating impacts in communities throughout the utility’s territory.”

PG&E currently undergrounds only about 100 miles of their electrical lines annually, McGuire’s office said.