PG&E ran a TV ad touting its undergrounding work. Now it wants customers to pay for it

Many PG&E customers have likely seen an upbeat commercial promoting the utility’s effort to put 10,000 miles of power lines underground to protect against wildfires. Little did those customers know they would be asked to pay for it.

Pacific Gas & Electric spokesperson Jennifer Robison said in an emailed statement Thursday that PG&E billed customers for the advertisement, called “Undergrounding 10,000 miles of Powerlines for Safety,” in filings to its regulator.

In the 30-second ad, which was shown during a recent Golden State Warriors basketball game and has 1.4 million views on Youtube, CEO Patti Poppe shakes hands with workers while sporting a hard hat.

She says in a voiceover, “we’re transforming your hometown utility from the underground up.“

Robinson said this ad and similar television spots have cost up to $6 million since April 2022. As part of the company’s accounting process with the California Public Utilities Commission, PG&E requested those costs be covered by a ratepayer funded fire risk mitigation account.

PG&E said this particular TV ad falls into the category of safety communications, which are legally allowed to be covered by customers. Promotional advertising, meanwhile, is required to be paid for by shareholders.

The purpose of the

Fire Risk Mitigation Memorandum Account, according to state law, is to record activities including system hardening, event response and vegetation management.

Katy Morsony, an energy attorney for the Utility Reform Network, believes that the ad is a clear example of brand advertising, not safety messaging.

“This ad is a message about a program that they claim has an impact