Residents of one Napa Co. community fighting to have AT&T, Comcast underground their power lines

"NAPA, Calif. (KGO) -- PG&E is rushing to bury power lines in rural Napa, an area where wildfire danger is never far from mind. Residents are turning their attention now to the power poles that are left behind that still carry other utilities. Two major players, AT&T and Comcast aren't budging. As you drive up the Mount Veeder area in Napa, you quickly grasp the challenges of undergrounding power lines."

"It's a terrain of green hills that turn dangerously dry in the warmer months. High winds in those conditions could knock down wires, starting a wildfire. PG&E will spend about $3 million per mile to put their power lines in the ground, a distance of 57 miles. Do that math: $171 million. We found a PG&E team explaining their plan to neighbors here, including Daniel McLoughlin."

"But McLoughlin's positive attitude has diminished because he's been told those old wooden poles aren't going anywhere even after the work is done. MORE: Undergrounding all utilities in SF is nearly impossible, according to officials: Here's why In wildfires, those poles often come down and end up blocking access to roads for firefighters and evacuees. "That's what has gotten me a little riled up because it does seem kind of, well... it just seems it's a common sense in a regulatory gap, something is missing in the picture," added McLoughlin. Missing are AT&T and Comcast which share the poles with PG&E but according to McLoughlin, they refuse to underground their wires even though PG&E is already doing much of expensive heavy lifting."

PG&E is burying 57 miles of power lines in rural Napa, spending about $3 million per mile for a total near $171 million. The work targets hilly Mount Veeder terrain where green hills become dangerously dry and high winds can knock down wires, potentially starting wildfires. Many wooden poles from the 1940s and 1950s will remain because other companies continue to use them to carry communications lines. Residents express concern that leftover poles can fall in wildfires and block roads, impeding firefighters and evacuation. AT&T and Comcast share the poles with PG&E and reportedly refuse to underground their wires despite PG&E already performing much of the heavy, costly work.

Read at ABC7 San Francisco