Southern California Edison on Monday submitted a proposal to the California Public Utilities Commission to carry out a $582 million Grid Safety and Resiliency Program meant to harden its equipment against the threat of wildfires and prevent overhead power lines from sparking new blazes. Edison said it will replace nearly 3,400 miles of lines with insulated wire, do more robust tree pruning, install new composite poles, and put in 850 advance-warning weather stations. If the program is approved, the average monthly bill for a residential customer would increase by about $1.20.
