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Twombls t1_j3u7jt2 wrote

By that logic why doesn't California bury its transmission lines?

Its incredibly incredibly incredibly expensive and would be a massive undertaking.

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happyriverone t1_j3u98tr wrote

Yes, PG&E in CA started finally burying the lines after they burnt down so many towns, killed people and animals and had so many lawsuits.

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sad0panda t1_j3u9ru1 wrote

Keyword: started. Major utility in the most populated state in the USA has just begun burying their utilities and we are supposed to be surprised the 49th most populated state hasn't done it yet?

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happyriverone t1_j3uai06 wrote

It would be interesting to see the cost/ROI over time of not burying vs burying. Perhaps someone can figure out a better and cheaper way in the future.

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PuddleCrank t1_j3utegm wrote

For any rural lines, If you do a good job of cutting all the trees near the powerlines it's much cheaper and minimizes customer down time. There really isn't anything else you can do. The cost of burying the lines per household is too high if you have to go 20 miles down a dirt road to farmer Fred. Like a million a household high.

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vDorothyv t1_j3vvq2z wrote

It's difficult to trend, you aren't as susceptible to certain kinds of failure but it makes maintenance and repair much more difficult. Linemen can visually confirm hazards and sources in the air and change out broken or old equipment quickly. Underground requires a heavy amount of planning and engineering. I'm still a bigger fan of underground but it's not an easy swap.

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Twombls t1_j3u9jbc wrote

Thats good that they are finally doing it.

It looks like its a 15 billion dollar undertaking though which is why it hasn't been considered for vt.

If forest fires become a consideration here we should probably look into it.

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Corey307 t1_j3ue4t4 wrote

Vermont doesn’t seem to have a lot of forest fires because our forests are still green, West Coast forests are tinder boxes and have been browning for decades so fires are a constant problem. Another issue is the massive development in areas that are naturally prone to wildfires and where things are worsened by people being there.

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