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Rep. Phil Green, utilities back bill to codify 15-foot vegetation clearance around power lines
Summary
A House Energy Committee hearing featured testimony supporting House Bill 4,361 to allow utilities clearer statutory authority to trim and remove vegetation up to 15 feet from conductors to improve reliability and safety, with questions from lawmakers about homeowner consent and compensation.
Representative Phil Green introduced House Bill 4,361 to the House Energy Committee, saying the bill would amend “the act that created our public service commission” to add a provision allowing utilities to maintain vegetation “for up to 15 feet from the outermost portion of the wire that conducts electricity.”
The bill’s sponsor, Representative Phil Green, said the proposal targets recurring outage causes such as dead branches and trees falling on lines after storms and insect-borne tree disease. He cited recent ice storms in Northern Michigan and said those events made the issue “really real.”
Kevin Mazur, legal and compliance engineer for Thumb Electric Cooperative, told the committee the co-op supports codifying a 15-foot standard. “Our goal is to…
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