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What happens if PG&E’s drastic tactic to prevent wildfires doesn’t work? The poor could inherit the mess.
A man uses a garden hose to protect his girlfriend's home as a wildfire approaches in Simi Valley, Calif., on Oct. 30
#CALIFORNIA 'S LARGEST utility has shut off power to millions of people in past weeks, most recently leaving tens of thousands of homes powerless into Thursday in an effort to avoid starting more of the wildfires that are devastating the state.
The shut-offs continued for the Sierra Foothills in the north central part of the state and the North Bay area outside San Francisco, with Pacific Gas & Electric Co. planning to restore power after it inspects its equipment for wind damage.
PG&E says the so-called "public safety power shut-offs" that began last month could continue for another 10 years as the company updates its infrastructure to be more resilient to strong winds, leaving stakeholders concerned that the approach could end up exacerbating economic inequalities as the state faces the effects of climate change.
The power outages, they worry, could drive people to adopt an "everyone for themselves" mentality. Those who are able and willing to relocate or adapt, will. Those who can't, won't.
Wealthy communities could choose to ditch PG&E in favor of going off the grid and creating their own more reliable power source. Those with money can fire-proof their homes or hire private firefighters to protect their belongings. Leftover customers living far from city centers in less-wealthy neighborhoods would shoulder any financial burden PG&E passes down to them while it tries to pay for expensive upgrades to its infrastructure.
But Alex Jackson, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council working on climate law and policy in California, says this kind of dystopian thinking is problematic and it should not stall the systemic changes that are needed.
"We have to resist that temptation because that's the path that's going to leave the Californians most at risk of carrying the burden and the danger moving forward," Jackson says.
California has one of the country's highest poverty rates. Its income inequality is on the rise. According to a recent analysis, millions in the state can't afford basic necessities, while its wealthiest residents get richer.
When mandatory evacuations were recently ordered in the midst of spreading wildfires, those trends were on display in real life.
Housekeepers and gardeners who were worried about missing a day's salary went to work during evacuation orders over the Getty Fire in Southern California, according to The Los Angeles Times. The shut-offs have also been problematic for people whose medicine requires refrigeration and who can't afford a backup generator.
"It's really a land of two Californias at the moment, and this is an issue that could highlight that disparity," Jackson says. "Equity has to be front and center. I hope and expect that it will be."
Daniel Aldrich, the director of the Security and Resilience Program at Northeastern University, suggests a shift in thinking about the problem from an individual level to a community level. Instead of securing batteries or water for one house, communities should band together to make sure the most vulnerable have what they need, he says.
"We shouldn't think about if you are individually prepared for this. Many families are struggling economically, and we can't put this on them," Aldrich says.
He adds that better connected communities often report a more positive recovery process after disasters.
Complicating things further is that PG&E's extremely low-tech solution to the problem might not be fully working.
The utility has been linked to at least five fires since the shut-offs started. PG&E told state regulators that its equipment may not have been fully shut down near the same place and time wildfires started in late October. And while it could take months to know for sure what caused the fires, Californians are questioning whether the power outages are helping, and state regulators are investigating whether the shut-offs broke any rules.
To find a long-term solution to the system's vulnerability, California must undo years of lax regulations, including poor forest and land management, which are now made more problematic by climate change.
Jackson says that all Californians should demand better, but he encourages the state to approach the problem with a collective spirit.
If California were considered its own country, its economy would be the world's fifth largest. The state's economic development has been heavily clustered around its biggest cities, which lack enough housing to keep up with growing demand. Living in these cities is extremely expensive, so people have been forced to live farther away and in higher fire risk zones.
The state needs to address the influx of people building homes in forested areas, perhaps by building more affordable housing in cities, experts say.
While burying power lines may seem like a good idea, PG&E says it would cost $3 million a mile. That cost would have to be passed down to its customers through higher rates.
Some people have suggested the state buy PG&E, but others say that won't solve the root problem and puts a large financial burden on the state, given that the utility filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, claiming it couldn't afford damages related to last year's Camp Fire. That fire was the deadliest and most costly wildfire in the state's history and 2018's most expensive natural disaster in the world.
Climate change is an undeniable force multiplier for the flames, according to Jackson. And this year has been mild so far in terms of wildfires for the state, which in 2018 and 2017 faced record blazes. Scientists say climate change contributes to the increasing size and intensity of Western wildfires by creating drier conditions.
"This is the future for California and maybe most of the country," Aldrich says. "We need to ask how will we respond as a nation and as a society given this isn't a one time occurence."