Political Quotes

“This amendment simply authorizes the voluntary--and I stress voluntary--vegetation management within 150 feet of the exterior boundary of the right-of-way near structures on U.S. Forest Service land. As a former energy regulator and a utility commissioner, I know there are many threats to power lines running across this country. Most of the time, this comes down to vegetation, as odd as it might seem, but especially in areas where there are a lot of trees and that are remote areas hard to get to. Off-right-of-way vegetation management on these lands are the responsibility of the United States Forest Service. But for any number of reasons, they aren't conducting this critical work to ensure the reliability of our electricity. Utility companies don't want to do the work off their right-of-way due to the lack of clarity in their legal liability or a strict liability standard. This amendment provides that legal certainty and holds utilities accountable for gross negligence or criminal misconduct. Lastly, Madam Chair, it is important to note that this amendment demonstrates that this is not--and I stress is not--a backdoor to logging and prevents the sale of the vegetation by the utility and clarifies it shall be the property of the United States. Madam Chair, I would also emphasize that the Edison Electric Institute and the American Public Power Association support this amendment.”