FEC Needs to Re-Examine Tree-Trimming Policy

To the Editor:

Open Letter to Fayette Electric Cooperative (FEC) Management and Board of Directors (BOD)

Since the Valentines Week Ice Storm and all the associated power outages are fresh on everyone’s minds, I’d like to discuss it briefly. First and foremost, all of your FEC linemen and your Contract Linemen crews performed admirably by doing an outstanding job working under extreme weather conditions to restore our lost power. They deserve nothing but praise for their efforts. Now saying that, I wonder out loud what steps you (Mgmt. and BOD) are taking to ensure that your power reliability rating is much better for the next ice storm that we have?

I am aware that you have a current tree trimming program, however your current program was proven to be sorely inad equate by all the outages caused by tree limbs falling on and bringing down your power lines. I am advocating to you that you replace your current “trimming” program with a more aggressive “brush and tree removal” program. Specifically, go into all of your Right of Ways and Easements with chainsaws and bulldozers and clean out any brush or trees that would be a threat to bring down your power lines again in the future. Now I realize this would be no small undertaking and would be costly. But, after all wouldn’t the cost and effort more than pay for itself by keeping your electricity flowing to your customers and also accomplish your main goal of course which is selling electricity? I believe even the most adamant brush and tree lovers would trade a nice warm home with running water for the trees that could cause them to lose power.

Now some people with public voices have tried to blame all our recent power loss issues on the rolling power blackouts that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) initiated. That’s simply not the case. Admittedly they were unpleasant, and not shared equally by everyone. But they were nothing compared to the FEC outages that were suffered and lasted anywhere from 24 to 48 hours. The ERCOT blackouts pale in comparison to the lengthy outages caused by tree limbs falling on FEC power distribution lines.

So, not to beleaguer the point, your current tree trimming program is simply not effective and was proven not to work. You have lawful Right of Ways and Easements for a purpose. Use your lawful authority to go into those Right of Ways and Easements and remove all the brush and trees that will cause future outages. As the only electricity provider to the rural areas in our region, you are being paid for and have the responsibility for keeping your customers electricity flowing.

The challenge to FEC management and its BOD is to implement an effective brush and tree removal program. The costs involved would be more than balanced out by you not having to pay all the overtime dollars you will pay your employees and your contract restoration crews for this past outage and any future ones. Granted, this storm was extreme, but we will have ice again that will cause limbs to fall on power lines again if trees are allowed to remain adjacent to power lines.

David R Noak

Rutersville