Grid operators and utilities have a double exposure to the increasingly fire-prone environment: grid assets can cause fires and be damaged by them, says columnist Dej Knuckey.

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.

Fire agencies are investigating whether Southern California Edison’s equipment ignited one of the fires currently ravaging Los Angeles, the utility said in a news release.