SACRAMENTO, Calif. — About 16 million individuals in California will see their electrical and gas costs go up by an average of more than $32 per month over next year in part so that one of the country’s biggest energy business can bury more of its power line s to decrease the opportunities of beginning wildfires.
Pacific Gas & Electric had atfirst asked state regulators for approval to raise rates by more than $38 per month so it might bury 2,100 miles (3,380 kilometers) of power lines in locations that are at high danger for wildfires. But customer advocacy groups grumbled, arguing PG&E might conserve ratepayers cash and still lower wildfire danger by putting a protective covering over the power lines rather of burying them.
Thursday’s choice by the California Public Utilities Commission lookedfor to discover a middle ground. Commissioners chose to let PG&E bury 1,230 miles (1,979 kilometers) of power lines, which would be $1.7 billion moreaffordable than PG&E’s proposition.
The commission turneddown a proposition by a set of administrative law judges that would have just enabled PG&E to bury 200 miles (322 kilometers) of power lines while settingup protective covering on 1,800 miles (2,897 kilometers) of power lines.
“We as a commission have hadahardtime strongly with the extra difficulty these increases will produce for households,” stated Commissioner John Reynolds, who composed the proposition regulators authorized. “I can state that I am positive that you are getting something out of this financialinvestment.”
PG&E stated 85% of