California utilities plan to insulate power lines, increase inspections and build new weather stations in areas at high risk for wildfires in an effort to combat increasingly destructive blazes.
Southern California Edison told legislative employees Monday it wants to spend $582 million to cover some of its power lines and deploy new cameras to cover 90 percent of high-risk areas. Pacific Gas & Electric Co., meanwhile, announced it will inspect 5,500 additional miles of power lines and build 1,300 new weather stations for better forecasting.
"Our practices have to change because the environment is changing," said Don Daigler, director of business resiliency at Southern California Edison.
In the past two years, California has experienced its deadliest and largest wildfires and utilities have faced increasing scrutiny for their equipment's role in sparking blazes. Last month, the Camp fire destroyed the town of Paradise, killing more than 80 people, while the Woolsey Fire ripped through Los Angeles and Ventura counties.