Better safe than sorry: Southern California Edison rate increase proposed for fire protection activities

Electricity distribution reliability. In the DC area, the PEPCO electricity utility is in the midst of a $1 billion infrastructure upgrade program in DC and Maryland aimed to reduce the number of outages.

DC proper has two different types of electricity distribution infrastructure. In the core of the city it's underground to not have "unsightly" wires.  In the outer city, it's above-ground.  The program is focused on addressing primary vulnerabilities in the system.

2.  Protecting watersheds from fire. Flagstaff, Arizona is one of a few jurisdictions to look at management of the potential for wildfires as an element of watershed and water quality management. In 2012, they passed a bond issue to pay for mitigation. It was particularly noteworthy because much of the watershed lies outside of the city borders.  Santa Fe does this too ("Got water? Thank (and save) a forest," Santa Fe New Mexican).

-- Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project: Home

But 8 years later Flagstaff has discovered that $10 million turns out to not be enough, even though other property owners are matching this with funds of their own ("Flagstaff watershed protection reason to celebrate," Arizona Daily Sun).

3.  California changes locality master planning requirements to include protection from wildfires.

-- Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) | Planning For Hazards
-- Wildland Urban Interface toolkit: planning, FEMA
-- Preparing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan

4.  Electric utility wildfire hazard mitigation requirements.  At least 10% of wildfires are caused by contact with electric lines.  Uninsulated lines are particularly susceptible.

Separately,  utility companies fearing lawsuits from wildfires caused by electricity line problems have been seeking liability protection from lawsuits from the California Legislature, which so far has not agreed ("The Dueling California Wildfire Bills That Could Decide PG&E’s Financial Fate," GreenTech Media).

So it makes sense to me that because it has been determined that electricity line problems have contributed to the development of wildfires in California, SCE should aim to address the problem ("Southern California Edison Proposes Grid Safety and Resiliency Program to Address the Growing Risk of Wildfires," press release).

All of the state's other utilities are now required to so based on new legislation passed last month ("There's a better way to pay for California's wildfire costs," Los Angeles Times).

Because these kinds of programs typically are funded by customers, through rate increases, that seems like a logical way to go.