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 provide safe, reliable, and affordable power, and vegetation management is a big part of that,” Mazur said. He told members Thumb Electric serves about 12,000 members over more than 2,000 miles of line and described tree-trimming as the utility’s most-cited corrective action for poor-performing circuits.

Mazur described three reasons the co-op favors the proposal: public safety (fallen branches during ice storms and the risk of fire from contact with energized lines), system reliability (Michigan’s comparatively high outage rates and long restoration times), and cost efficiency (shorter trimming cycles reduce overtime and storm restoration costs). He said industry practice and existing regulatory language have typically interpreted a reasonable clearance as “roughly 15 feet.”

Committee members asked how trimming decisions are made and whether homeowners have any say. Mazur described a multi-step process in which the utility or a contractor first inspects, marks trees for trimming or removal, and obtains a homeowner’s agreement. Still, he described “the ultimate say” about final authority on tree removal as “a big gray area” due to a mix of prescriptive easements and vague standards that use terms such as “safe, reliable, practicable.” He said many easements reference 30-foot strips (about 15 feet on each side of the conductor).

On compensation, Mazur said there is often no payment to homeowners for tree removal, explaining Thumb Electric is a non-profit cooperative and compensation typically would shift costs to other members; when compensation occurs it is frequently in the form of replacement plantings at a different location.

Supporters and members of the committee framed the proposal as giving utilities a clear statutory standard to cite when explaining trimming practices to landowners; Representative Brixley said he expected the rulemaking that follows would not change everyday utility practice but would provide an “education” tool. Representative Preston asked whether a vegetation-management cycle was part of the bill; Mazur said establishing the 15-foot clearance would tend to reduce the need for more frequent cycles by resolving recurring conflict areas.

No formal action on the bill was taken at the hearing; the record reflects testimony and member questions only.