PG&E is simply responding the only way they are permitted to, by the California state government. They have been hit with ENORMOUS fines for causing blazes to happen in in the vicinity of their lines, when the fire was supposed to have been started by an overloaded transformer or line break and resulting sparking. The excessive regulation, regarding the maintenance of the transmission lines ROW and brush clearing, have tied the hands of the PG&E management, and the utility is forced to limit from where and how they are supposed to get the power to even begin distributing it.
California is a failed state in SO many ways.
“The excessive regulation, regarding the maintenance of the transmission lines ROW and brush clearing, have tied the hands of the PG&E management,”
Wonder if PG&E would come out better (and the citizens of CA) if management just ignored the regulations and did the maintenance? Maybe the fines would be less expensive in the long run? Maybe not, I sure don’t know the details about it all.