danlb_2000 said: Yes, it's much more expensive to bury them and when there are problems it costs more and takes more time to fix them. Putting them underground will protect them from wind and falling trees, but it also makes them susceptible to water damage. Click to expand...

I think most areas here in Germany have underground power lines. Losing power is such a rare occurrence that people are in big shock when it happens. I remember when I was a kid there were power lines on poles and now and then we would lose power for a couple of hours in thunderstorms. I can't even tell you when I last lost power, it must be over 10 years ago. And while we don't get hurricanes, a typical winter storm blowing in from the North Atlantic brings plenty of damage with it, too. So, from personal experience I would say that the other issues burying brings with it are far outweighed by the increase in reliability! And considering Germany was able to pay for it, there ought to be no reason that the US could not afford it. I am no talking about remote rural areas, but densely populated metropolitan areas.