By Strange Sounds -Apr 2, 2020
Remember wildfires? With the pandemic sucking up all the oxygen in the news cycle, it’s easy to forget that there are other threats to public safety out there.
The state’s power companies have not forgotten, however.
They are under the gun to make to their power lines safer and less likely to spark before the next fire season rolls around — or face dire financial consequences. Sparking power lines are a common cause of wildfires.
But Southern California Edison officials say that the County of Los Angeles and a handful of communities in high-fire-risk areas are standing in their way, suspending or denying permits needed to initiate work if it involves power outages for local residents.
Government officials counter that they are open to exploring ways to do wildfire safety work that’s less disruptive for residents stuck at home during the pandemic.
But power outages in the middle of an emergency like this one are a bad idea, they say.
They add that Edison officials haven’t been flexible or particularly communicative, and as a result they have had little choice but to say no.
More:
https://strangesounds.org/2020/04/california-wildfire-coronavirus.html
