Pacific Gas and Electric is not very popular with environmental groups, and others have claimed that the company failed to pay it's taxes and put huge sums instead into lobbying. The damage could easily have been caused by eco-terrorists, or disgruntled employees who have issues with the company.

Just as media and gov't types of late attribute every forest and brush fire to 'hunters', they are quick to finger foreign terrorists as the culprit here, and expanded gov't as the only remedy.

Substations are no more vulnerable than our transportation systems, oil and gas pipelines, wind generators, or water supply. A bullet is just a little metal pellet, not an explosive device. Private business can better design substations, and easily place cheap concrete and metal shielding around critical components in existing vulnerable substations. The use of surveillance systems, and fault detection systems already in place could be improved without too much effort.