In the city of Lexington, the power company is trying to remove many trees that endanger their power lines. Kentucky Utilities (called KU by many) has undertaken a project in which they will clear-cut trees across the city.
Lexington city council members are meeting with Kentucky Utilities leaders to address their constituents’ concerns about their beloved trees being taken down in the name of safety.
Homeowners have begun registering their complaints with the Public Service Commission, and are going directly to Kentucky Utilities with their concerns and hesitations.
The Public Service Commission regulates all utilities across the commonwealth of Kentucky. In earlier years, KU followed a “just-in-time” approach, in which the inspected power lines every quarter and selected for removal those trees that were interfering with lines.
Now, KU has updated their approach to include “removal of hazard trees, cycle based clearing of transmission line corridors, and widening of maintained areas around targeted lines,” as the company declared in their filing with the Public Service Commission.
The company’s new place is a cycle of line clearing that would repeat every five years. Their goal is to make their power lines safer and more reliable.
While KU’s new tree removal program is more expensive than the previous “just-in-time” clearing, this cost increase is reportedly due to the fact that “line clearing for the cycled lines will involve a significant amount of tree removal.”
The tree trimming cost is certainly less than that of full tree removal, but many residents are upset not only at the increased energy rates, but at the unforeseen absence of older trees from their respective properties.
One Lexington resident, Adam Gray, told WKYT News that, “It’s going to be like a tornado went through our backyard and just destroyed everything.” KU had told Gray that he was about to lose two trees from his yard.
The Public Response
Lexington homeowners are starting to organize. Some are banding together as neighborhoods, and others are going directly to KU to voice their opposition to the new plans.
Might the clear-cutting plans be too aggressive? Might there be easier ways to maintain a safe power grid without the full removal of trees on private property?
Could Lexington tree companies be mobilized to trim back tree growth, without necessarily removing entire trees in the process?
We continue to follow this story closely. If such plans succeed in Lexington, Cincinnati may be next – after all, we are only 60 miles north.
