Here's HowBerkshire Hathaway Energy, or BHE, Buffett’s $100 billion energy arm, operates a vast power grid that stretches across the West. Across the West, BHE-owned utilities and their lobbyists are now trying to replicate that success, securing laws that both cap wildfire damages and shift costs onto customers. “They’re not doing a good job at maintaining their power lines. Other resilience measures, such as trimming branches that grow over power lines and inspecting equipment in rural areas, are also expensive. In July, Idaho also enacted a similar law, shielding utilities from negligence if they prove they adhered to their wildfire plan.