SCE Quietly Sending Bill For Noisy Chopper To Ratepayers

Southern California Edison’s helicopter was again hovering over Malibu over the last six days … including the fourth of July holiday.

Numerous people expressed irritation at the noise.

Wait till they get the bill.

Southern California Edison on Friday filed paperwork to charge to charge its ratepayers for the intensive inspections of its dilapidated power line system in the Santa Monica Mountains hi-fire risk areas.

The California Public Utilities Commission has ordered Edison to do whatever it takes to ensure that its powerlines don’t cause another fire.

Faulty Edison powerlines are believed responsible for the Thomas and Woolsey Canyon fires … which together did as much as $3 billion damage and killed 44 people in flames or fire caused floods.

On Friday .. Edison notify the state that it was setting up a separate account for the intensive inspections … and will segregate those costs from its normal public safety obligations.

And that separate account will be billed to the ratepayers … with Southern California Edison and it’s for-profit parent Edison international taking the customary 10% guaranteed profit.

The question … aren’t those costs already being billed to ratepayers?

Why haven’t the power lines been maintained to current safety standards before this?

And are these unusual costs appropriate?

Those questions have not been answered by the state … as it has told Edison to throw money at rebuilding an overhead power system that maybe obsolete the day it is finished.