California Gov. Gavin Newsom has suspended environmental laws to accelerate the undergrounding and hardening of utility equipment in communities ravaged by the Los Angeles wildfires.
Newsom’s executive order removes requirements under the California Environmental Quality Act and the California Coastal Act in an effort to speed up “the rebuilding of utility and telecommunication infrastructure, including the undergrounding of equipment,” according to a March 27 news release.
A previous executive order similarly suspended the environmental laws and applied to infrastructure damaged in the wildfires. However, that order was limited, and projects to move equipment underground or upgrade existing infrastructure may not qualify under the previous suspension, the most recent order stated.
“We are determined to rebuild Altadena, Malibu and Pacific Palisades stronger and more resilient than before,” Newsom said in a statement. “Speeding up the pace that we rebuild our utility systems will help get survivors back home faster and prevent future fires.”
In a Feb. 27 letter, Newsom urged Southern California Edison and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to develop plans by the end of March on how the utilities can rebuild safer and resilient electric infrastructure, including by placing electric distribution infrastructure underground.
Jeff Monford, a spokesperson for SCE, told RTO Insider the utility appreciates “Gov. Newsom’s action to help expedite permitting so the fire-damaged communities can rebuild stronger. We look forward to continuing our work with federal, state and local officials to shorten permitting times under this executive order.”
SCE already has launched efforts to underground several miles of lines in Altadena and Pacific Palisades, “and some sections of the grid will be completed in a few months,” Monford said.
Monford would not share specific cost information but noted that undergrounding costs significantly more than building the grid with power poles.
“There’s a lot going on in these burn areas, and the expedited permitting, siting and permitting that the governor’s order will allow will certainly help move that along,” he added.
Local utility Pasadena Water and Power, which operates in the Altadena region that was devastated following the Eaton fire, said in an email that “nothing in the orders change any policy direction and capital projects that we have planned.”
The Eaton Fire began shortly after 6 p.m. Jan. 7 and burned more than 14,000 acres and killed 17 people. The deadly fire engulfed parts of the Altadena community, with thousands of structures either damaged or destroyed, according to Cal Fire.
The Pacific Palisades fire burned 23,448 acres, destroyed 6,837 structures and killed 12 people.
SCE faces several lawsuits, alleging the utility’s lines started the Eaton fire. SCE has said it is investigating possible links between its equipment and the fire. (See SCE Probes Link Between Equipment and Eaton Fire.)
The utility previously acknowledged its equipment may have sparked the Hurst Fire, which burned roughly 799 acres and damaged two homes. There were no reports of fatalities or injuries associated with the fire. SCE said it is cooperating with a Los Angeles Fire Department investigation.
