[Rumplemeyer]

In 1882 or 1884 New York City had a massive snow storm and frigid temperatures, all the telephone, telegraph and electric wires and poles were destroyed, it took weeks to get the systems up and running. The Mayor at the time told the Utility Companies put everything underground to avoid the happening again, they refused...said it would cost too much...the Mayor told them, do it or I pull you fanchises to operate in the City. Notice that there a no telephone poles in NYC.
Grow some balls and call their bluff, it would put a lot of people to work...

[NVDave]

You might want to consider the cost to ratepayers. Here’s a report on recent estimates to do just what you’re suggesting:

http://www.newhampshire.com/article/20111106/NEWS02/711069975

Since all these estimates for public works projects ALWAYS end up being on the low side, let me ask you this: If you were offered to have your lines buried, would you put, oh, $75K+ where your mouth is? Would your neighbors? Because it’s an “all or nothing” proposition.

Yea, I thought not. Americans are too goddamn cheap to buy consumer products under $20 that were made in the US, preferring some piece of crap made in China, and you’re going to tell me with a straight face that your neighbors are going to pony up 50+ large to bury their power lines?

And then let’s assume you put only the local distribution underground - you still have higher voltage regional transmission lines to put underground, otherwise you end up with power outages from upstream failures. OK, so what’s involved in burying higher voltage transmission lines?

http://sonoran.org/images/stories/PowerLine/Resource-Library/psc_wind_underground_electric_transmission_lines.pdf

Furthermore, if you think repairing above-ground transmission lines is expensive... heh. If you’ve not seen the complexity of repairing a below-ground transmission line, then you might want to check into it before hopping on the “bury the lines” bandwagon.

[Anvilhead]

Lol! Now that you mention it...I did NOT notice there were no/extremely few of them in NYC. We have them all over here in VA, hence the weather problems. They happen more then I'd like.

[ArrogantBustard]

Grow some balls and call their bluff, it would put a lot of people to work...

And put a lot of people OUT of work ...

Come out here to West Virginia and try to sell your New York Snake Oil ...