Commission Creates Guidelines Aimed at Electrical Corporations
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Commission Creates Guidelines Aimed at Electrical Corporations

Date: October 2, 2007
By: Carly Robertson
State Capitol Bureau

Intro:  The Missouri Public Service Commission has imposed tougher tree-trimming requirements on utilities.

Carly Robertson attended the meeting and has more.  

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OutCue: SOC

The utility-regulating commission's action comes after recent storms cost power to tens of thousands of St. Louis area residents.

The Public Service Commission's rules impose specific requirements on utilities to keep trees trimmed

PCS Chairman Jeff Davis says it is the first time Missouri has imposed any type of tree trimming regulation on utility providers.

 

Actuality:  DAVIS1.WAV
Run Time: 00:13
Description: "I think it should improve reliability and it should lessen the likelihood that they're are going to have outages in the future which is one thing we heard loud and clear in the last couple of years is that people want better reliability."

The new rules require an electric company hire a full-time vegetation manager and that the company conduct regular inspections of its power lines.

The ruling also calls on the electrical companies to seek out landowners' permission to cut trees that are outside of the mandated 10 to 15 feet regulated circumference.

From the state Capitol, I'm Carly Robertson.


Intro: For the first time in its history, Missouri's Public Service Commission is imposing tree-trimming requirements on electric utilities.

Carly Robertson was at the meeting and has more.

RunTime:
OutCue: SOC 

Under the new rules, electrical corporations will  be required to visibly inspect electrical lines to ensure vegetation near lines is being properly managed

The commission's chairman is Jeff Davis. He says new rules impose requirements on utilities even for vegetation beyond the power-line easements:

   

Actuality:  DAVIS3.WAV
Run Time: 00:15
Description: "Utilities have an affirmative duty to go out and find landowners and try to get permission from those landowners to cut trees that are outside of their right-away or easement that potential threaten the power line."

 
The PSC's new rules come in response to those recent storms that knocked out power to thousands of Missourians in the St. Louis region and southwest Missouri.
 
Davis warns it could take as long as two to three years for the new tree-trimming standards to take full effect.
 
From the state Capitol, I'm Carly Robertson.