Extreme weather-related power outages have become increasingly frequent in the United States in recent years. Just this year, California experienced one of its most destructive wildfires, the Palisades and Eaton fires, which burned for 24 days, destroying 37,000 acres and killing 29 people. Among the multiple proposed solutions to mitigate these extreme events is the undergrounding of electric infrastructure.
Undergrounding refers to the practice of placing utility lines below the ground, as opposed to the traditional practice of placing power lines on overhead poles. It has been proposed as a solution to extreme weather events because it is the most comprehensive and effective way to reduce damage to power lines. Overhead wires are susceptible to high winds, hurricanes, winter storms, and wildfires due to contact with vegetation and exposure to the elements. Additionally, undergrounding has also been proposed to improve aesthetics as it reduces the number of poles and power lines stretching across communities and neighborhoods.
Given the recent extreme weather events, some states have begun exploring the possibility of undergrounding their power lines. In California, Governor Newsom signed an executive order targeting undergrounding in fire zones to strengthen homes and communities against future wildfires. The order specifically suspends permitting requirements to accelerate rebuilding efforts, including facilitating utility companies’ ability to underground transmission lines. Governor Newsom has previously urged some of the largest utility providers in the state, Southern California Edison (SCE) and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), to underground electric distribution infrastructure for fire-damaged communities. In 2023, the legislature passed SB 884 requiring the California Public Utilities Commission to establish a program to accelerate undergrounding projects in an effort to increase system reliability and reduce wildfire risk. The program allows large electrical corporations in the state to submit a 10-year distribution infrastructure undergrounding plan for review by the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety.
In Virginia, Dominion Energy developed its Strategic Underground Program after decades of increasingly severe weather outages. Since its establishment 11 years ago, Dominion Energy has undergrounded over 2,500 miles of power lines, with 500 miles built in 2023 alone. In Connecticut, undergrounding efforts that were initially met with pushback are gaining momentum as municipal leaders, legislators, and grassroots organizations filed a legal challenge opposing an overhead transmission project by United Illuminating. The Connecticut Siting Council, who originally opposed undergrounding for cost concerns, has since voted in a straw poll to deny the overhead project as it stands. As of the drafting of this article, the Council has not made a final decision.
However, undergrounding comes at a steep cost, which is typically passed on to consumers in the form of higher electricity rates. So despite its growing popularity and improvements in technology, installation alone can cost around 7-10 times more than overhead lines. This is largely due to the complexity of converting existing overhead transmission facilities, including poles, wires, and other equipment, underground or of building completely new service lines. In California, the estimated cost of converting all 147,000 miles of overhead distribution lines is $559 billion and the estimated cost of undergrounding all 34,000 miles of overhead transmission lines is $204 billion. Similarly, in Connecticut, moving the United Illuminating project underground is contended by one industry representative to cost half a billion dollars more to construct, which by such estimate would increase monthly electric bills for Fairfield and Bridgeport customers by an estimated $55-$80. Affordability concerns regarding electricity are prominent in California, with Pacific Gas and Electric Company, for example, attributing undergrounding power lines in high-risk fire areas as a factor in a proposed rate increase.
Nevertheless, proposals to encourage undergrounding electric lines continue. For example, in Colorado, in 2024 the state legislature passed a bill aimed at addressing some of these cost-related challenges by allocating funding to undergrounding projects. SB24-218 requires qualifying utilities to file a plan with the state’s public utility commission by the beginning of 2025 to implement undergrounding plans in nonfranchised areas of the retail utility in the state using 1% of the area’s gross electric revenues from the prior year. While the effects of the proposal remain to be seen, the goal is to increase reliability and resilience of investor-owned utilities in Colorado while addressing the socio-economic discrepancies in the energy industry.
Assessing the balance of burdens and benefits of utility wire undergrounding – safety versus cost – is a challenging task. Based on opposing concerns and proposals raised, it is a debate that we can anticipate will continue for the foreseeable future.
For more information on undergrounding and mitigating outages, please contact Sean Neal.
Article By DWGP Summer Associate Anne Vicari – The George Washington University School of Law, May 2026