SCE uses sulfur hexaflouride (SF₆) as a very effective insulator.  SF₆, however, is also a powerful greenhouse gas.  This means that we must carefully manage our use of SF₆. 

In 1997, SCE established an SF₆ Gas Resource Team to address issues such as SF₆'s environmental impact, pricing, safety, transportation, training, equipment and recycling across the corporation.  The team developed new testing, handling and recycling procedures designed to safeguard the environment from exposure to SF₆, while allowing its use as a valuable insulating material.
 
Also, the team is developing a program for rapid location and repair of leaking SF₆ equipment.  SCE currently operates a program that replaces obsolete and high-maintenance circuit breakers with the most current switchgear technology. In 2000, our parent corporation, Edison International, signed the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency's voluntary SF₆ management program, committing SCE and Edison Mission Energy, another Edison International subsidiary, to join the national effort to minimize emissions of this greenhouse gas.