California utility spent more than $2 billion on effort it says was ineffective; focus now is on power-line settings
WSJ News Exclusive | Business
Aug. 2, 2023 5:30 am ET
PG&E began the so-called enhanced vegetation management in 2019, establishing 12 feet of clearance between branches and power lines.Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg News
The California utility company PG&E spent about $2.5 billion on a yearslong effort aimed at reducing wildfire risk by cutting or clearing more than a million trees growing alongside power lines.
It now says that work was largely ineffective and is eliminating the program, according to an internal analysis reviewed by The Wall Street Journal and interviews with utility executives.
The strategy shift marks a calculated risk by the utility that new power-line settings will be more effective than the tree-trimming program that was put in place after a series of devastating wildfires. The program, which the company called “enhanced vegetation management,” was meant to supplement routine tree-trimming work required by regulators.