HCS HB 811 -- TREE MAINTENANCE BY UTILITIES

SPONSOR:  Hobbs (Schad)

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass" by the Committee on
Conservation and Natural Resources by a vote of 11 to 0.

This substitute allows public utilities, municipal utilities, and
other electrical service providers to trim, remove, and control
trees that threaten the safe and reliable operation of electrical
service.  Permissible distances from power lines for removing
trees are specified based on the charge of the power line.  Any
tree may be removed with the consent of the owner, and any tree
that actually threatens the power supply may be removed after a
one-week notice to the owner even if it falls outside the
recommended distance guidelines.

FISCAL NOTE:  No impact on state funds in FY 2008, FY 2009, and
FY 2010.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that in order to secure the safe and
reliable operation of utility services, it is imperative that
utility companies be permitted to safely trim vegetation away
from power lines.  The bill clarifies current law and gives clear
guidelines and presumptions that are currently contained in
property easements but are not well known.

Testifying for the bill were Representative Schad; Mike Torres,
Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative; Don Shaw, Central Electric
Power Cooperative; and Missouri Energy Development Association.

OPPONENTS:  There was no opposition voiced to the committee.

OTHERS:  Others testifying on the bill say that one contributing
factor to power outages is the neglect of lines by utility
companies.

Testifying on the bill was Consumers Council of Missouri.

Missouri House of Representatives
94th General Assembly, 1st Regular Session
Last Updated July 25, 2007 at 11:20 am