Bill > HR254

This resolution directs the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a comprehensive study on the potential for placing electrical and utility lines underground across Pennsylvania. The study comes in response to increasing extreme weather events that have caused significant power outages, with the state ranking fifth nationally for weather-related electrical disruptions. The resolution requires the commission to examine multiple aspects of underground electrical lines, including cost, geographic and topographic feasibility, right-of-way and land usage challenges, and overall viability. The commission is mandated to collaborate with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission during the study and must submit a detailed report to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the House Consumer Protection, Technology and Utilities Committee within one year. The background for this study highlights that while underground lines are more expensive to install initially, they are less prone to damage from storms, and Pennsylvania's electrical infrastructure, much of which was built in the 1960s and 1970s, is struggling to meet modern electricity needs and withstand increasingly frequent extreme weather events.

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https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2025&sind=0&body=H&type=R&bn=254