PG&E Wants to Remind Loggers to Look Up and Practice Safe Tree Removal
This is a press release from PG&E:
UKIAH, Calif.—Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) urges its residential and commercial customers to practice safe tree trimming and removal this spring and summer in Mendocino and Humboldt counties. The reminder comes as the energy company participates in the Redwood Region Logging Conference in Ukiah. Four times last year in Humboldt County, logging crews cut down trees that fell on transmission power lines, creating a safety hazard and potentially causing customer outages. Fortunately, nobody was injured in the incidents.
“The safety of our customers and our community is our top priority, so whether you’re a licensed logger, harvest plan owner, land owner or you just need to cut down a tree, if there’s a power line nearby we encourage you to call us. We will ensure it is safe to fell a tree in that area or we may even be able to cut it down for you. It is unlawful to work within 10 feet of a distribution or a transmission line, so please call us at 1-800-743-5000 as soon as the work is scheduled,” said Carl Schoenhofer, Senior Manager for PG&E’s Humboldt Division.
If a tree or limb contacts the power line, get away from it and immediately call 911 and then PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. Do not attempt to remove the tree or limb from the line.
PG&E follows all applicable federal and state vegetation clearance requirements by performing regular trimming and removal of approximately 1.4 million trees annually along its 100,000 miles of electric lines. That includes inspecting and monitoring every PG&E overhead electric transmission and distribution line each year, with some locations patrolled multiple times.
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PGE’s reliance on minimum wage foresters killed 50 people and burned 8000 buildings last fall. That last paragraph sounds like fake news.
I watch the travel channel a lot and I’ve noticed that in all the countries that I’ve seen there isn’t a single telephone pole anywhere. They have electricity but no lines leading into the different buildings. Are the lines buried underground and if so why doesn’t PG&E do that here?
That’s an additional cost, one that many users would complain to no end about…. Like many things…..
Of course they have utility poles. And lots of them. Not usually in travel shows unless they show involves train travel. The railroad right of ways are heavily used for them. They just have lots more train right of ways to use. Beside the prices they pay for services would curl your hair.
Besides, you can travel miles on 101 without seeing a telephone pole too.
Looking for a full time job? Become an apologist for PG&E. They’ve killed more people in gas explosions than most California residents are aware of.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Bruno_pipeline_explosion
Sharpen, do you think the users would rather take the chance that their homes don’t burn down? I know I would rather pay more and know that my grand children would be safer. But than that’s just me.
Cutting tree limbs around and near power lines is proven to reduce incidents that cause serious fires. Know what doesn’t help reduce accidents? Cutting trees down to stumps near their gas transmission power lines and leaving the roots in place. PG&E is wasting $500 Million as part of their pipeline initiative, just so they can look reactive to San Bruno and also make aerial surveying of their lines faster/cheaper. $500 Million for tree cutting is a waste since no trees have EVER damaged an underground gas pipeline. $500 Million is a lot of money to put into tree trimming on electrical lines, or to upgrade underground pipeline infrastructure. Or maybe even stop raising customer rates? Just a thought. If you agree with me, please join our petition to save our trees in our community: https://www.change.org/p/protect-our-heritage-trees-and-save-lafayette-s-semi-rural-environment