States Plan Tree Trimming to Avoid Another Year of Blackouts

A Chicago state panel has recently developed a 10-year blueprint for making the state's energy network less susceptible to disasters. The plan suggests adoption of a state tree trimming law that would require utility companies to maintain specific clearances between overhead power lines and vegetation.

Michigan's investor-owned utilities now must file reports on their tree and vegetation trimming practices around the transmission and distribution lines used to serve their customers. The Michigan Public Service Commission and the U.S./Canada Power System Outage Task Force both reported that the Aug. 2003 blackout partially resulted from power line contacts with trees.