DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Russians are freezing as Soviet-era infrastructure in the country crumbles —and Moscow keeps spending on war
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Heating systems are breaking down in Russia's harsh winter, leaving many people freezing. Much of Russia's Soviet-era infrastructure needs modernizing. AdvertisementHeating systems are breaking down in Russia's harsh winter, leaving many people freezing as Moscow continues to spend on its war in Ukraine. The brutal conditions are made worse because Russia's infrastructure is poorly maintained, with many of its facilitates dating from the Soviet era, according to media reports. About 40% of the communal heating grid in the country needs to be replaced urgently, she added.

Persons: —, Svetlana Razvorotneva, Vladimir Putin, Denis Volkov, ” Organizations: Service, Financial Times, Reuters, “, Levada Center Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Siberia, Soviet, St . Petersburg, The, Russian, Nizhny Novgorod

☆ Premarket stocks: Wall Street is worried about another regional banking crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But while the last crisis was all about interest rate risk, this one revolves around the $20 trillion commercial real estate market. What’s happening: After decades of growth bolstered by low interest rates and easy credit, commercial real estate has hit a wall. The increase was driven partly by expected losses on commercial real estate loans, it said. “As losses from a [commercial real estate] loan portfolio accumulate, they can spill over into the broader financial system,” they wrote. “There’s some smaller and regional banks that have concentrated exposures in these areas that are challenged and we’re working with them,” he said.

Persons: It’s, Goldman Sachs, Anna Cooban, Janet Yellen, Jerome Powell, Gary Gensler, ”, Chip Somodevilla, She’s, Powell, “, ” McDonald’s, McDonald’s, Jordan Valinsky, Samantha Murphy Kelly, “ We’ve Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, New York Community Bancorp, US Regional Bank, Japan’s Aozora Bank, Deutsche Bank, Canadian Public Pension Investment Board, Boston Properties, US Securities and Exchange, Financial, Biden, Senate, CBS, Verizon, Old Telephone Service, landlines, UK, Consumers, CNN, California Public Utilities Commission Locations: New York, Manhattan, Boston, Washington ,, East, United States, California, France, California ”

General Motors' troubled robotaxi service Cruise on Tuesday endured a public lashing from a California judge who compared the company to the devious TV character Eddie Haskell for its behavior following a ghastly collision that wrecked its ambitious expansion plans. After a vehicle driven by a human struck a San Francisco pedestrian in early October, a Cruise robotaxi named “Panini” dragged the person 20 feet (6 meters) while traveling at roughly seven miles per hour (11 kilometers per hour). He also reminded Mason that Cruise could still face other repercussions beyond California, with both the U.S. Justice Department and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission probing the robotaxi service's conduct. But Mason indicated that he is leaning toward letting the case continue through the entire hearing process rather than approving a settlement. Tuesday's hearing came less than two weeks after Cruise released a lengthy report reviewing how the company mishandled things after the pedestrian was hurt.

Persons: Motors, Cruise, Eddie Haskell, Haskell, ”, Robert Mason III, Panini ”, Panini, specter, Mason, Jerry Mathers, ” Mason, Craig Glidden, Glidden, ” Cruise, ” Glidden, didn't, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart, Sullivan, Cruise’s, Kyle Vogt Organizations: Administrative, California Public Utilities Commission, General Motors, Cruise, U.S . Justice Department, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission Locations: California, San Francisco

☆ Still love your landline? Phone service providers are getting closer to phasing it out
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —More people who are still using telephone landlines will soon need to decide if they want to finally hang up on their service. That’s part of a sweeping move by phone service providers to replace older copper wire-based telephone systems lines, also known as Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS), with faster and more advanced technology that doesn’t work with landlines. In the United States, the shift away from copper landlines will most likely impact people over age 65 and small business owners. “Traditional landline telephone service is the most dependable communications tool currently available in rural communities and is vital to reliably accessing 9-1-1,” he said. Because phone service workers will need to be deployed during the removal process, this could extend the completion time.

Persons: CNN —, “ We’ve, “, ”, Lisa Pierce, Patrick Blacklock, ” Pierce, Will McKeon, White, ” McKeon Organizations: CNN, Verizon, Old Telephone Service, landlines, UK, Consumers, California Public Utilities Commission, Gartner, California, Federal Communications Commission, Forrester Research Locations: California, France, California ”, United States, Pennsylvania, Rural County

Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesThe action brings the state's total of preliminarily approved offshore wind projects to three — the same level it was at before Danish wind developer Orsted scrapped its two wind farms proposed for the state's southern coast in October. (Phil) Murphy are back on our front foot in terms of offshore wind,” he said. “New Jersey’s selection of an American-led project is a tremendous step forward for the growth of the domestic offshore wind industry,” the companies said in a statement. “Today’s NJBPU award brings the reality of offshore wind off the Jersey Shore one step closer, and it will build a future where wind can power our state’s economy and help us to transition off fossil fuels,” said Doug O'Malley, director of Environment New Jersey. The state plans to solicit another round of wind farm proposals in the first half of this year.

Persons: Christine Guhl, Sadovy, Damian Bednarz, ”, Tim Sullivan, Phil, Murphy, Today’s, Doug O'Malley, Anjuli Ramos, William Sproule, “, ___, Wayne Parry Organizations: CITY, of Public Utilities, New, New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Gov, Jersey Shore, Environment, Jersey, New Jersey Sierra Club, Eastern Atlantic States Regional, of Carpenters Locations: N.J, New Jersey, Seaside, , New Jersey, Atlantic Shores, Chicago, New York, Long, “, American, Environment New Jersey, Jersey Shore, New

☆ Millions of Americans will soon be able to turn their roofs into a lucrative side hustle
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-07 | by ( Kartik Menon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

People on the traditional grid could see lower costs, greater grid reliability, and less volatile energy prices. And the rate of residential installation is booming: A record 700,000 homeowners installed arrays in 2022, according to the trade group Solar Energy Industries Association. Henglein and Steets/GettyAnother option for homeowners is peer-to-peer energy trading. Users buy and sell electricity with any counterparty, whether it's a neighbor or the broader electricity market. There are, of course, concerns about the reliability of solar energy.

Persons: Localvolts, Kartik Menon, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Business Insider's, Solar Energy Industries Association, Solar Investment Tax, US Department of Energy, Goldman Locations: Localvolts, editorial.standards@insider.com, California , Texas, Florida, California, Arcadia, Washington, DC, Australia, Texas

☆ GM’s Cruise Ordered by California Regulator to Testify About October Incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Meghan Bobrowsky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A California regulator said Cruise omitted critical information about the safety of its vehicles regarding an October incident involving a pedestrian. Photo: John G. Mabanglo/Zuma PressGeneral Motors ’ Cruise has been ordered to testify before the California Public Utilities Commission over allegedly misleading comments it gave to regulators about an incident in October in which a pedestrian was hit. The CPUC said the self-driving car firm omitted critical information about the safety of its vehicles regarding the incident. A woman was hit by a human-driven car and thrown into the path of a driverless Cruise vehicle, which collided with the pedestrian and dragged the person about 20 feet. Cruise could face a fine of up to $1.5 million, the latest blow to the company’s operations in recent months after the company lost its driverless permits in California and CEO Kyle Vogt resigned.

Persons: John G, Mabanglo, Motors ’, CPUC, Kyle Vogt Organizations: Zuma Press, Motors, California Public Utilities Commission Locations: California

Barra said at a media event an ongoing outside external safety review will guide the company's path forward and is expected to be completed in early 2024. "We'll work through the challenges we have right now at Cruise," Barra said. She declined to offer an opinion on whether she thought regulators have treated Cruise more harshly than Tesla Autopilot. She also declined to say how much money GM is willing to spend on Cruise going forward until it completes its assessments and has a plan to move ahead. Reporting by Joseph White and David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mary Barra, Barra, Cruise, Joseph White, David Shepardson, Leslie Adler, Stephen Coates Organizations: General Motors, DETROIT, Detroit, California Public Utilities Commission, Thomson Locations: Cruise, United States, California

The potential penalty facing GM's Cruise service could be around $1.5 million, based on documents filed late last week by the California Public Utilities Commission. Three weeks after Cruise's Oct. 2 accident, the California Department of Motor Vehicles effectively shut down robotaxi service by suspending its license to operate in the state. “Cruise is committed to rebuilding trust with our regulators and will respond in a timely manner" to the Public Utilities Commission, the company said in a Monday statement. The San Francisco-based company has already hired an outside law firm to scrutinize its response to the Oct. 2 accident. The cover-up spanned 15 days, according to the PUC, exposing Cruise and GM to potential fines of $100,000 per day, or $1.5 million.

Persons: specter, Cruise, Kyle Vogt, “ Cruise, Panini, Cruise didn't Organizations: General Motors, California Public Utilities Commission, Public Utilities Commission, California Department of Motor Vehicles, Cruise, GM, PUC Locations: California, San Francisco

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s former top utility regulator surrendered Monday in connection with a $60 million bribery scheme related to a legislative bailout for two Ohio nuclear power plants that has already resulted in a 20-year prison sentence for a former state House speaker. Sam Randazzo, former chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, self-surrendered at U.S. District Court in Cincinnati after being charged in an 11-count indictment that was returned on Nov. 29, the U.S. Attorney's office said. Randazzo, 74, resigned in November 2020 after FBI agents searched his Columbus townhome and FirstEnergy revealed in security filings that it had paid him $4.3 million for his future help at the commission a month before Republican Gov. Mike DeWine nominated him as Ohio’s top utility regulator. The long-awaited indictment marks the latest development in what has been labeled the largest corruption case in Ohio history.

Persons: —, Sam Randazzo, Columbus, FirstEnergy, Mike DeWine Organizations: Public Utilities Commission, Ohio, U.S, FBI, Republican Gov Locations: COLUMBUS , Ohio, Ohio, Cincinnati, U.S

The San Francisco skyline is seen behind a self-driving GM Bolt EV during a media event where Cruise, GM's autonomous car unit, showed off its self-driving cars in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 28, 2017. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Friday ordered Cruise to appear at a Feb. 6 hearing for "misleading the Commission through omission regarding the extent and seriousness of the accident" and "making misleading public comments regarding its interactions with the commission." Cruise's troubles are also a setback for an industry dependent on public trust and the cooperation of regulators. GM had told investors Cruise and its technology could generate $50 billion a year in revenue by 2030. Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin in San Francisco and David Shepardson in Washington, Additional reporting by Abhirup Roy in San Francisco; Editing by Richard Chang and Nick ZieminskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Elijah Nouvelage, Cruise, Kyle Vogt, Daniel Kan, Jose Alvarado, Ashlyn Kong, Kong, ”, Tim Piechowski, Waymo, John Reynolds, Gavin Newsom, Mary Barra, Hyunjoo Jin, David Shepardson, Abhirup Roy, Richard Chang, Nick Zieminski Organizations: San, GM Bolt, REUTERS, General Motors, GM, California Public Utilities Commission, CPUC, Cruise, Capital Research, California's Department of Motor Vehicles, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, San Francisco , California, U.S, California, United States, Washington

☆ PG&E Wins Approval to Bury More Than 1,200 Miles of Power Lines
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Katherine Blunt | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Workers preparing in September to bury electrical wire underground at a high-risk wildfire area in California. Photo: Preston Gannaway for The Wall Street JournalCalifornia regulators on Thursday gave PG&E approval to bury hundreds of miles of power lines to reduce wildfire risk in coming years, but the amount fell short of the company’s full request. The California Public Utilities Commission voted to allow company to bury 1,230 miles of power lines between 2023 and 2026 in a process known as undergrounding. The company, whose power lines have ignited numerous deadly fires in recent years, had requested permission to bury roughly 2,000 miles over that period to essentially eliminate fire risk on those circuits.

Persons: Preston Gannaway Organizations: Wall Street Journal, California Public Utilities Commission Locations: California, Wall Street Journal California

☆ California regulator allows PG&E rate hike for wildfire mitigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The state's biggest utility, PG&E, serves more than 16 million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. The APD set the 2023 revenue requirement at $13.52 billion, reflecting an 11% increase from 2022. According to the regulator, customers would see an increase of $32.62 on their bills, compared with PG&E's request of $38.73. One of the main wildfire mitigation efforts PG&E has been undertaking is undergrounding, or burying power lines. This lessens the need for public safety power shutoffs — a last resort during dry, windy conditions to reduce the risk of sparking a wildfire.

Persons: Seher, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: California Public Utilities Commission, Pacific Gas, E, Thomson Locations: Northern, Central California, powerlines, Bengaluru

But consumer advocacy groups complained, arguing PG&E could save ratepayers money and still reduce wildfire risk by putting a protective covering over the power lines instead of burying them. Commissioners decided to let PG&E bury 1,230 miles (1,979 kilometers) of power lines, which would be $1.7 billion cheaper than PG&E's proposal. For low-income customers who qualify for discounted rates, PG&E said typical monthly bills will increase by $21.50 next year, followed by a $3 per month increase in 2025 before decreasing by $5.50 per month in 2026. The turning point for PG&E came in 2018 when a windstorm knocked down one of its power lines in the Sierra Nevada foothills that started a wildfire. The company has pledged to bury 10,000 miles (16,093 kilometers) of power lines over the next decade.

Persons: ”, John Reynolds, Patti Poppe, undergrounding powerlines, Gavin Newsom, ratepayers, Darcie Houck, Cheryl Maynard Organizations: Pacific Gas & Electric, California Public Utilities Commission, Reform Network, E, Democratic Gov, & $ Locations: SACRAMENTO, Calif, California, Sierra Nevada

☆ Maine votes to keep investor-owned electricity companies in charge of the energy grid
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

It is not the first time that Mainers' push for a publicly owned energy grid has failed. In 1973, voters struck down the creation of a Maine Power Authority, which would have put the power supply in the state's hands. Janet Mills vetoed a bill from the state legislature to establish Pine Tree Power. In New York, the Long Island Power Authority has run the power grid of Long Island since 1986. Despite having a roughly 70-year-old public power grid, Nebraska still relies heavily on coal.

Persons: Janet Mills, Willy Ritch, Judy Long, Lucy Hochschartner Organizations: Carver, Voters, Maine Power Authority, Democratic Gov, Central Maine Power, Public, Maine Affordable Energy, Versant, CNBC, Pine, Power Authority, Cooperative, Hawaiian, Publicly, London Economic, Maine's Public Utilities Commission Locations: South Shore, Plymouth, Avangrid, Maine, . Nebraska, Los Angeles, Seattle, Kauai, New York, Long, Nebraska, Pine

☆ Mississippi Governor Election Results
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Tate Reeves, a Republican, is seeking a second term, but the easy victory that many had expected has been complicated by an upstart challenge from Brandon Presley, a Democrat and elected public utilities commissioner whose campaign has gained momentum.

Persons: Tate Reeves, Brandon Presley Organizations: Republican

☆ Mississippi Election Results
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

GovernorGov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, is seeking a second term, but the easy victory that many had expected has been complicated by an upstart challenge from Brandon Presley, a Democrat and elected public utilities commissioner whose campaign has gained momentum.

Persons: Tate Reeves, Brandon Presley Organizations: Gov, Republican

OCEAN CITY, N.J. (AP) — Offshore wind power company Orsted is trying to get out of a $300 million guarantee it agreed to pay New Jersey in the event it failed to build its first wind farm off the state's coast. Last Tuesday, the Danish firm scrapped its Ocean Wind I and II projects in southern New Jersey, saying the projects were no longer financially feasible. It also was obligated to pay an additional $200 million toward the development of the offshore wind industry in New Jersey. Orsted wrote off $4 billion last week, due largely to costs associated with the cancellation of its two New Jersey projects. New Jersey still has several other offshore wind projects in various stages of development, with four new proposals submitted in August alone.

Persons: Orsted, ” Orsted, Phil Murphy, Alexandra Altman, Murphy, Wayne Parry Organizations: CITY, New, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, Gov, Republican, Shell, EDF Renewables, Twitter Locations: N.J, New Jersey, Danish, ”, . New Jersey, Atlantic Shores, EDF Renewables North America, www.twitter.com

(AP) — As the United States injects hundreds of billions of dollars into clean energy through its signature climate law, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, criticism is growing louder about where, how and whether new development should be allowed. MIT is offering a first-of-its-kind course that trains students to be mediators in conflicts over clean energy projects. Students get academic credit and hands-on experience addressing real-world dilemmas, while the community and developer get free help resolving conflict. In one recent Friday afternoon class, students debated everything from environmental justice concerns to misinformation to oil companies. He hopes to create a similar national consortium of universities serving communities and projects in their respective regions regarding clean energy.

Persons: ”, Larry Susskind, Susskind, stokes, ” Susskind, ” Leyla Uysal, “ It’s, “ We’re, ” It’s, Abraham Silverman, he’s “, Silverman, Larry, Patrick Field, ” Chaudhuri, Sarah Mills Organizations: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, Cipher News, Associated Press, Washington D.C, Cell, MIT Renewable Energy Clinic, Harvard University, Power, Google, Columbia University, New, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, Consensus, “, ”, University of Michigan, AP Locations: CAMBRIDGE, United States, Washington, New York, California, Chicago, Michigan, New Jersey, Cambridge, loggerheads

Cruise, the autonomous vehicle startup owned by General Motors, has paused all of its driverless operations after collisions led to investigations, a disagreement with state regulators, and a suspension of its licenses in California earlier this week. The autonomous vehicle maker, founded by CEO Kyle Vogt in 2013, had previously initiated driverless operations in San Francisco, Austin, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas and Miami. According to DMV records obtained by CNBC, the Cruise autonomous vehicle came to a complete stop and "subsequently attempted to perform a pullover maneuver while the pedestrian was underneath the vehicle." The move comes two days after GM CEO Mary Barra said several times that the automaker believes Cruise vehicles are safer than human drivers. Cruise will keep running its autonomous vehicles with human safety drivers behind the wheel, supervising the drives, the company also said on Thursday.

Persons: Cruise, Kyle Vogt, Mary Barra, Barra Organizations: General Motors, GM, California Department of Motor Vehicles, DMV, The, The California Public Utilities, CNBC, Cruise, Barra, Honda Locations: California, San Francisco, Austin, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, Miami, The California

☆ California revokes Cruise's robo-taxi permit, calling them 'an unreasonable risk to public safety'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

California has revoked the license of Cruise, an autonomous robo-taxi service owned by General Motors. California regulators have revoked the license of a robotaxi service owned by General Motors after determining its driverless cars that recently began transporting passengers throughout San Francisco are a dangerous menace. In a statement, Cruise confirmed it has ceased its robotaxi operations in San Francisco. AdvertisementAdvertisementWhile Cruise has been sidelined in San Francisco, another robotaxi operated by Waymo is continuing to give rides throughout the city. Waymo, which began as as secret project within Google more than a decade ago, has been running another robotaxi service in Phoenix for the past three years.

Persons: —, San Francisco —, Cruise's robotaxis, robotaxi, Cruise, Panini, Waymo Organizations: General Motors, Service, California Department of Motor Vehicles, Public Utilities Commission, Google Locations: California, San Francisco, U.S, Waymo, Phoenix

☆ These utilities can withstand the pain as higher interest rates weigh on the sector, says Bank of America
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Darla Mercado | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Utilities, beloved for their dividend payments, are under pressure in today's high rate environment, but a few gems stand out in the tarnished sector, according to Bank of America. The sector has suffered through 2023, shedding 16%, as the Federal Reserve continues to roll out its policy-tightening campaign. But there are a few opportunities in the sector, even as Bank of America says utilities aren't particularly compelling now. Both are also deemed top buys by Bank of America. PG & E has a California rate case development coming on Nov. 2, when the California Public Utilities Commission will be meeting.

Persons: Julien Dumoulin, Smith, ConEd, Michael Bloom Organizations: Bank of America, Federal Reserve, Consolidated Edison, E Corporation, PPL Corporation, California Public Utilities Commission, Kentucky Public Service Commission, PPL Locations: California, Kentucky

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California regulators have revoked the license of a robotaxi service owned by General Motors after determining its driverless cars that recently began transporting passengers throughout San Francisco are a dangerous menace. Political Cartoons View All 1215 ImagesIn a statement, Cruise confirmed it has ceased its robotaxi operations in San Francisco. Waymo, which began as as secret project within Google more than a decade ago, has been running another robotaxi service in Phoenix for the past three years. Cruise also is testing a robotaxi service in Los Angeles, where protests against it already have been percolating, as well as Phoenix and Austin, Texas. The DMV initially asked Cruise to cut its driverless fleet in San Francisco in half, a request accepted by the company.

Persons: San Francisco —, Cruise's robotaxis, robotaxi, Cruise, Panini, ”, Waymo, haven't, Mary Barra, ” Barra Organizations: FRANCISCO, —, General Motors, California Department of Motor Vehicles, Public Utilities Commission, Google, GM, Cruise, Detroit, DMV Locations: — California, San Francisco, U.S, Waymo, Phoenix, California, Los Angeles, Austin , Texas

☆ California DMV suspends Cruise's self-driving car permits, effective immediately
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"When there is an unreasonable risk to public safety, the DMV can immediately suspend or revoke permits," the California DMV said in a statement. The California Department of Motor Vehicles on Tuesday suspended Cruise's deployment and testing permits for its autonomous vehicles, effective immediately. A Cruise self-driving car, which is owned by General Motors Corp, is seen outside the company's headquarters in San Francisco. "We learned today at 10:30 am PT of the California DMV's suspension of our driverless permits," Cruise spokesperson Hannah Lindow told CNBC in a statement. The probe, spearheaded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, was prompted by multiple reports involving pedestrian injuries and Cruise vehicles in recent months, and it concerns an estimated 594 self-driving Cruise vehicles, according to the filing.

Persons: Hannah Lindow, Cruise, Philip Koopman, that's, Koopman, Kyle Vogt, — CNBC's Lora Kolodny Organizations: DMV, California DMV, Cruise, General Motors, The California Department of Motor Vehicles, General Motors Corp, CNBC, National, Traffic Safety Administration, Carnegie Mellon University, California's Public Utilities Commission, Google, LinkedIn Locations: California, San Francisco, U.S

☆ Why burying power lines is an effective, but very expensive way to prevent wildfires
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Katie Brigham | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Five years ago, PG&E's equipment sparked the deadly Camp Fire, which destroyed the town of Paradise, California, and killed 85 people. But just a year later, in the same county, PG&E's equipment started another catastrophic fire, prompting the utility to announce its extensive undergrounding plan. The utility has undergrounded 350 miles of power lines so far this year, and more than 600 miles since 2021. While Martin says moving power lines underground reduces ignition risk by 98%, it comes at a steep cost. The bill would be footed by PG&E's customers, who already face some of the highest rates in the nation.

Persons: Jamie Martin, Martin, Katy Morsony, Morsony, Daniel Kirschen, Kirschen Organizations: Pacific Gas and, undergrounding, California Public Utilities Commission, Reform, University of Washington Locations: California, Maui, Paradise , California

Search resuls for: "Public Utilities"

25 mentions found