STATE OF NEW YORK PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
CASE 10-E-0155 - Proceeding on Motion of the Commission as to New York State’s Electric Utility Transmission Right-of-Way Management Practices.
NOTICE INVITING COMMENTS
April 20, 2010
This proceeding was instituted to consider New York State electric utility transmission right-of-way (ROW) management practices. In this proceeding, the Commission seeks comment on the implementation of utility ROW management practices and the contribution of ROW management to the safety and reliability of the State’s electric transmission system. In addition, comment is sought on the balancing achieved by these utility practices of the concerns of ratepayers, neighboring property owners, the public, and other interested parties.
More specifically, comments are invited on the following questions:
1. Do the programs used by State utilities for transmission ROW vegetation management conform to industry best practices?
2. At what point, at what height, or under what circumstances should the trees be removed from the transmission ROW in order to protect the safety and reliability of the transmission system?
3. Are alternate or supplemental practices available which would reduce the environmental or aesthetic impacts of transmission ROW vegetation management without compromising transmission system safety or reliability?
4. If supplemental vegetation management practices are preferred by a community through which transmission ROW passes, how should the community preference for such practices be demonstrated? How should the costs of such practices be distributed to or divided among the utility which owns the transmission line, the ratepayers for that utility, the users of the transmission line, the community through which the transmission line passes, and the owners of properties adjacent to the transmission line?
5. In what ways can a utility mitigate the impact of its transmission ROW management practices without sacrificing electric system safety and reliability?
6. Are there cost effective strategies available to utilities to mitigate the aesthetic impacts of transmission ROW management?
7. Is cleanup after utility ROW management activities adequate?
8. What type of notifications regarding vegetation management do utilities currently employ? What type of notification by utilities would be most effective for landowners who live adjacent to a ROW prior to utility transmission ROW vegetation management work (for example: phone call, letter, newspaper, other)? When and how frequently should such notice be provided? Should others, besides adjacent property owners, be notified? What information should be provided in such notices?
9. Apart from such notices, what information should utilities provide to the owners of property adjacent to utility transmission ROW to suggest strategies or practices a landowner may use to protect his or her land from the aesthetic impacts of transmission ROW maintenance, and at what intervals and through what means should this information be provided?
Interested parties are invited to file their comments electronically by June 16, 2010, and these comments will be made available to all interested persons, under the above case number, through the Department’s website at
http://www.dps.state.ny.us/New_Search.html.
Any party wishing to respond or reply to a comment made by another party may do so through reply comments which are to be filed electronically by July 6, 2010. Electronic filing for comments and reply comments may be completed by e-mailing the filing, under the above case number, to secretary@dps.state.ny.us.
Each party submitting comments will be added to the service list for this case. Anyone wishing to be added to the service list may also consent to receive electronic service of all commission issued documents. To do so, you may email a letter to the Secretary at secretary@dps.state.ny.us consenting to receive electronic service of issued documents. Please understand that if you agree to electronic service, you will be sent the issued document(s) immediately and you will not receive paper copies. If you do not consent to electronic service, you will receive paper copies by US Postal Service, 3-5 days after issuance. If an interested party does not intend to submit comments but wishes to be added to the service list, the party should notify the Secretary of this not later than May 19, 2010 and request that the party be added to such list.
JACLYN A. BRILLING
Secretary
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