Editor,
(Editor’s note: The following letter from Central Maine Power is in response to a column last week by Tommy Gleason and Lane Hiltunen concerning CMP’s use of herbicide.)
Central Maine Power’s mission is to provide the safest and most reliable power delivery possible. Because trees and vegetation near power lines are the single greatest cause of electrical outages, a top priority for us is to keep trees trimmed and vegetation under control. Our foresters work with trained and licensed arborists to ensure the work is done according to applicable laws and industry guidelines.
CMP contractors use an herbicide that is non-toxic to mammals and birds. It is applied sparingly with low-pressure backpack sprayers. We are careful not to spray close to wells and water supplies, and are sensitive to landowners’ concerns, even skipping over properties if it’s feasible.
About 200 miles of distribution lines and 8,000 acres of transmission lines are treated every year to ensure continued reliability of the power-delivery system. CMP is not the only organization to treat vegetation along right-of-ways. The Maine Department of Transportation also treats vegetation along state highways – an estimated 3,500 centerline miles (or 7,000 shoulder miles) are treated each year to ensure motorists’ safety.
CMP notifies customers about vegetation management activities every year with inserts in its bills. Customers can sign up to receive a notice when tree trimming is happening in their area. They can also enter into a landowner maintenance agreement, whereby property owners do their own vegetation management.
Finally, CMP is proud that its program is overseen by someone who is well-respected in the industry and has been involved in various nationwide initiatives on vegetation management and power reliability. He has served on the board of directors for the Utility Arborist Association, and was a member of the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) team which developed new vegetation management standards for transmission lines that will apply to utilities across the country.
CMP’s Vegetation Management program continues to be a key part of our mission to provide safe, reliable power delivery to nearly 591,000 homes and businesses across our 11,000-square-mile service territory in central and southern Maine.
Central Maine Power
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