SDG&E Wants To Nearly Quadruple Its Minimum Charge To Customers

[Elemental101]

It's not that simple. I think it was 'The Energy Gang' I was listening to where they discussed the fire issue which is getting exponentially worse as hot/dry events get worse and more common. PG&E does a good job maintaining their easement but that's not sufficient anymore. The wind can send debris from trees outside their easement and conditions are now favorable to that causing a problem. Not only does that vastly increase the amount of area they need to maintain but they often don't have the legal right to do anything. A crew can't simply go onto private property to trim trees they think could pose a threat.

I agree, fire prevention is a tough one.
Still, when you look at the track record of this state in particular, they don't do much very well.
Look at the 120 year old water pipes in LA. No excuse for that type of neglect.
I just suspect this state to be lax in everything infrastructure and it's not because it can't be done.
If it walks like a duck......

[J.P.M.]

Interesting.
I had thought smoking to be way up on the list but yeah, this state and its lack of doing ANY maintenance on just about every part of infrastructure is abysmal.

That number of fires started by smokers might well be higher except for the (perhaps) reliable number (2017 data) that only 11 % of the teen and adult population of CA smoke tobacco products.

Anecdotally, I see very few smokers anymore in my day/day activities which leads me to suspect the numbers might make some sense.

[J.P.M.]

I agree, fire prevention is a tough one.
Still, when you look at the track record of this state in particular, they don't do much very well.
Look at the 120 year old water pipes in LA. No excuse for that type of neglect.
I just suspect this state to be lax in everything infrastructure and it's not because it can't be done.
If it walks like a duck......

I'm not sure of the numbers here, so don't take this to the bank, but I seem to remember reading a piece last year that stated the amount of federally controlled forested land in CA is ~ 19 million acres of the ~ 33 million total pacres or ~ 57 % of the total. By inference (?), does that mean that the fed. gov. is responsible for 57 % of the fires ?. Or 57 % of the maintenance I'd expect maint. of that acreage might fall under federal jurisdiction.

There's 120 year old or older infrastructure in most cities. Seems like lack of infrastructure maint. from municipal services to state road maint. to fed. responsibilities might be a problem at most bureaucratic levels.

If I look to point blaming fingers I start at a mirror for letting things get to this point with my lackadaisical neglect of good citizenship. We're collectively turning into a nation of little more than self centered ignoramuses and we're all to blame, me included, for allowing it to happen.

[Elemental101]

I'm not sure of the numbers here, so don't take this to the bank, but I seem to remember reading a piece last year that stated the amount of federally controlled forested land in CA is ~ 19 million acres of the ~ 33 million total pacres or ~ 57 % of the total. By inference (?), does that mean that the fed. gov. is responsible for 57 % of the fires ?. Or 57 % of the maintenance I'd expect maint. of that acreage might fall under federal jurisdiction.

There's 120 year old or older infrastructure in most cities. Seems like lack of infrastructure maint. from municipal services to state road maint. to fed. responsibilities might be a problem at most bureaucratic levels.

If I look to point blaming fingers I start at a mirror for letting things get to this point with my lackadaisical neglect of good citizenship. We're collectively turning into a nation of little more than self centered ignoramuses and we're all to blame, me included, for allowing it to happen.

Well, unlike the Amazon, Ca's fires are usually near a human source of combustion I would guess.

[inetdog]

Well, unlike the Amazon, Ca's fires are usually near a human source of combustion I would guess.

I believe that the vast majority of the Amazon fires were deliberately set to clear land for farming. After a few years, without the forest ecology, the cleared land stops producing and another burn in a new location is needed. The forest does not regenerated directly in cleared areas but has to slowly grow back at the edges.