Why we can’t just bury the power lines or trim back all the trees.
Thousands lost power after a major ice storm in Austin Jan. 31-Feb. 2, primarily due to downed trees on power lines
Though the weather this week has been South By-perfect, with agreeable highs in the 80s and lows in the 50s, just a mere month ago we were under a sharp rain of falling icy tree limbs, resulting in weeklong power outages for the second time in two years. One of the calls to action coming out of Winter Storm Mara – overshadowed by City Manager's storm-related sacking – was to scrutinize the vegetation management practices of the ratepayer-owned city utility,.
As is often the case in Austin, it has something to do with homeowner-led efforts to keep Austin beautiful., AE's vice president of field operations, traces veg management issues back to 2006, whenresidents successfully petitioned Council to reduce customer tree trimming to a 4-foot trim for slow-growing trees and 8 feet for fast-growing trees.
During the flurry of press conferences this February, Richards made clear that the damage Austin trees sustained last month was pretty much inevitable – a half-inch of ice on a branch can weigh 500 pounds."That wasn't a vegetation management issue." As the climate becomes more unpredictable, trees and power lines will encounter more ice. So if we can't help the trees, can we help the lines?for burying all overhead distribution lines.
If we can't bury the power lines, how can we improve climate resilience and avoid massive power outages every winter? Richards says,"I could take all the trees 40 feet away from all the power lines and take them down; then you don't have to worry about a tree ever coming onto a power line. But is that worth giving up the tree? I don't think it is. We get to the standard and reliability will improve, but it will not stop an act of God. There's nothing we can do about that.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Why car prices are still so high — and why they are unlikely to fall anytime soonThe average new vehicle costs nearly $49,000, an almost $10,000 increase from before the pandemic. This is a look at today's deeply weird auto market:
Read more »
Lunchables offered as part of K-12 school lunches next yearTwo new Lunchable products will be available for school lunchrooms next year.
Read more »
Are We Ready for the Next Big Solar Storm?🔄FROM THE ARCHIVE: The biggest geomagnetic storm in recorded history happened more than 150 years ago. Now, we’re entering yet another period of solar maximum.
Read more »
The Soul of the American Teen Can Be Found Next to the SbarroThe word is that the mall is dying. The question I posed to youths across the western seaboard was simple: Is that true?
Read more »
What's next for Hollywood’s hidden Monastery of the Angels?Dominican nuns and friars say they are committed to maintaining nuns' legacy at Hollywood's Monastery of the Angels.
Read more »
Donald Trump Says He Expects to be Arrested Next Week by Manhattan D.A.Donald Trump's luck in sidestepping criminal charges over the years might be running out ... and the former President himself admits it
Read more »