Norco city officials are renewing their push for underground electrical transmission lines within the city, following a recent lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice against Southern California Edison (SCE). The lawsuit, submitted on September 4 in the U.S. District Court’s Central branch, alleges that SCE’s negligence led to the Fairview fire in September 2022.
The Fairview fire burned nearly 14,000 acres in the San Bernardino National Forest near Norco, resulting in two deaths and three injuries. According to the lawsuit, the fire started when a sagging SCE power line came into contact with a Frontier Communications cable, producing sparks that ignited nearby vegetation. The blaze also destroyed Red Mountain Lookout, a historic wooden cabin used for spotting fires.
The Department of Justice claims SCE was aware of risks posed by high winds to its transmission lines but failed to act. The government is seeking $37 million in damages on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service, including about $20 million for firefighting costs.
On the day the lawsuit was filed, Norco Mayor Greg Newton released a statement urging SCE to “heed the warning” from federal authorities and take responsibility for the 2022 fire. Newton also referenced another incident—the Eaton fire in January—which he said was caused by faulty SCE infrastructure and resulted in 18 deaths, damage to 44 buildings, and nearly 8,000 acres burned in Los Angeles County’s Angeles National Forest. The Justice Department has filed a separate lawsuit related to that event.
“We continue to see that above-ground transmission lines lead to destructive and deadly wildfires in communities just like Norco,” Newton stated.
Norco has opposed the Riverside Transmission Reliability Project since it was proposed by SCE and Riverside Public Utilities in 2015. Approved by state regulators in 2020, this project will create a new 230,000-volt transmission line spanning roughly ten miles as Riverside’s second connection to California’s power grid—a move supported by Norco.
Plans indicate some sections of this line will be underground; however, SCE intends for overhead lines through Norco itself—a rural community known as “Horse town USA.” These would cross areas vulnerable to high winds and fires as well as residential neighborhoods.
Mayor Newton argues that while burying power lines is more expensive upfront, it could prevent costly disasters: “By our own estimate, which is an educated guess, it would cost the average rate payer (in Norco) less than dollar a year to put the transmission line underground,” he said during an interview. “Compare that to billions of dollars of destruction. Yes, it’s more expensive, but look at the tradeoff.”
Newton criticized SCE’s reluctance: “It is the definition of insanity to repeat the errors of the past and expect a different outcome.” He noted that while some parts of Jurupa Valley will have underground lines under current plans, no cost estimate has been provided for doing so through Norco despite repeated requests from city officials.
Norco’s opposition dates back years; its city council voted against overhead lines near Santa Ana River or neighboring communities as early as 2017. In October 2023, Norco again asked state regulators to reconsider undergrounding these lines—an appeal denied four months later.
Responding to questions about whether plans might change given federal involvement and ongoing lawsuits over catastrophic fires linked to utility equipment failures elsewhere in Southern California—including those detailed at https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-09-06/fairview-fire-lawsuit-southern-california-edison—SCE spokesperson Diane Castro said: “We are reviewing the lawsuits, and will respond through the appropriate legal channels. We continue our work to reduce the likelihood of Southern California Edison’s equipment starting a wildfire, and we are committed to wildfire mitigation through grid hardening, situational awareness and enhanced operational practices.”
Castro declined further comment on pending litigation.
Federal lawsuits often take years before resolution. Mayor Newton remains cautious about whether legal action will influence decisions regarding local infrastructure: “From the city’s perspective the lawsuit can’t hurt us, and it might help, but we’re approaching this from the local level,” he said. “It’s our most important issue because the top job of a city government is to protect its residents.”
