SCEdison Trimming Cuts Deep Into Malibu Trees
Written by 991KBU on March 11, 2019
Anger and outrage is growing by some people in Malibu … as they discover that Southern California Edison plans to enter their property to cut down mature trees.
Patt Healy … a Malibu environmental activist … says dozens of mature trees are targeted by the utility company as it plans to ostensibly reduce fire dangers.
Healy says property owners can and should refuse to allow Edison to cut down the trees on a homeowners property.
Healy maintains that trees must be carefully pruned … not mutilated … and then they must be maintained.
Edison is raising rates a half billion dollars to harden its overhear power lines … to reduce tree-caused power line fires.
But … power lines only cause ten percent of the wildfires in California.
And trees only cause a small percentage of the power line fires.
One resident of Zuma Canyon says Edison has told her that sycamore trees that were there before poles were installed are going to be cut.
The residents may be powerless to stop Edison’s crews from entering their land.
State law requires trees to be cut if they are within 12 feet of a power line … or in some cases even further.
The power company in most cases has legal easements to enter private land to maintain the safety and integrity of lines on public streets.
And Edison has the right to turn off power to houses where homeowers refuse to cooperate.
Undergrounding power lines may be an alternative … but that takes years to achieve … and homeowners are jointly responsible for the cost.
And there’s no way to appeal to an authority … to make Edison move its poles to save the trees.
In recent years … power lines have failed … and small fires caused … in recent years on Bonsall Drive … when tree branches have hit power lines.
