After a late July tempest plunged roughly 35,000 Arlington residents into darkness, ARLnow posed a pressing question to Virginia's largest electric utility: Why not move all power lines underground? The short answer is red tape and price. Local elected officials have been interested in burying power lines since the 1980s, as doing so can reduce power After a severe storm left nearly 35,000 customers in Arlington (83,000 across Northern Virginia) without power in late July, some county residents are once again asking about the feasibility of burying overhead power lines.