PG&E Warns New CA Regulations Will Reduce Undergrounding Of Power Lines

Published Nov 12, 2026 10:08 am

Photo by: BJ Hansen

Sacramento, CA — A California Public Utilities Commission proposal would affect planned utility work in Tuolumne, Calaveras, Amador, and Mariposa counties.

The CPUC is planning to vote on new guidelines (SPD-37 Joint IOU Application) on November 19. It would set stricter rules, evaluation formulas, audit standards, and cost-recovery conditions that utilities must meet to build long-term underground power-line networks.

PG&E notes that it would slow down projects and eliminate some altogether

PG&E had been planning to underground 5,000 miles of power lines from 2028 through 2037, with the goal of reducing wildfire risk and outages.

However, if the new regulations are approved, the company states that the planned work would drop from 5,000 miles to around 1,100. The Mother Lode would see notable reductions.

• Calaveras County: 221 planned miles could fall to zero, a 100% reduction.
• Amador County: 446 planned miles could fall to 10 miles, a 98% reduction.
• Tuolumne County: 116 planned miles could fall to 3 miles, a 97% reduction.
• Mariposa County: 74 planned miles could fall to 2 miles, a 97% reduction.
• Stanislaus County: 14 planned miles could fall to zero, a 100% reduction.

PG&E is concerned about eliminating the planned work in areas facing high wildfire risk. Under SPD-37 guidelines, utilities must also rigorously prove that undergrounding is superior to cheaper alternative fixes (like overhead hardening or remote grid switches) in terms of safety and cost-efficiency.

The November 19 meeting will start at 11 am inside the California State Personnel Board’s Auditorium in Sacramento.