Edison International (EI) CEO Pablo Pizarro last Thursday (July 29) previewed what could be a prolonged fight with California regulators over recovery of costs by utilities for supporting statewide efforts to curb the impacts of wildfires and climate change.

During a 2Q2021 earnings conference call, Pizarro made it clear that EI utility subsidiary Southern California Edison Co. (SCE) was not going to accept proposed cuts in its fire mitigation plan that are part of a general rate case proposal being reviewed by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).

Pizarro further warned that the same debate over affordability issues in addressing climate change are likely to arise despite the commitment by California officials to take extraordinary steps to become a carbon-free...