Scenic America strongly supports Southern California Edison’s announcement to expand undergrounding of power lines in California’s most fire-prone regions. This long-overdue shift toward placing wires underground—starting with 120 miles in the Eaton and Palisades burn zones—is a necessary step to protect lives, landscapes, and communities from devastating wildfires.

For years, Scenic America has championed the removal of overhead wires and other visual blight—not only for aesthetic and environmental reasons but also because of the increasing fire risks posed by aging above-ground infrastructure. With underground lines posing virtually zero wildfire ignition risk, this new direction from Edison is a welcome and essential change in policy.

“Too often, utilities have rebuilt above-ground infrastructure after fires, citing cost and speed as justification,” said Scenic America President Mark Falzone. “But these choices have repeatedly exposed Californians to more risk, more destruction, and more preventable costs. It’s time to stop applying short-term fixes to a long-term problem.”

While we recognize the role that covered conductor technology has played as a transitional solution, we believe undergrounding must be the ultimate goal in all high-risk fire areas. Undergrounding costs more up front—but the price of inaction is far greater.

We stand with residents, local leaders, and forward-thinking utilities in calling for permanent, preventive infrastructure that protects both people and the scenic beauty of our communities.