Save Our Trees: Locals Speak Out Against Clearcutting

Residents from around Westchester converged in Greenburgh Public Library on Tuesday to take New York's Public Service Commission to task regarding its current regulations for the clearing of trees near power transmission lines.

Amy Kupfberg, a Hartsdale resident, stood before about forty concerned citizens and a hearing officer for the commission and said:  "My mantra used to be 'I love shoes.' But now everything I do is about saving trees."

Many, like Kupfberg, described similar experiences:  They were told by Con Edison—the major electric company providing power to the Hudson Valley and New York City—that trees on or near their properties would be "trimmed." But instead, they awoke to massive clear-cutting, or total razing of the forestland that once served as buffers between their homes and major highways. 

And worst of all, they said, the Public Service Commission—supposedly a non-biased agency advocating for the rights of citizens against major utility companies—said Con Edison's actions were acceptable. 

In 2005, the Public Service Commission told power companies to do more to clear trees along power lines as a result of a major regional blackout in 2003, which could be traced back to an incident in which a line was damaged by a fallen limb.

But opponents of the law said Con Edison had taken the mandate too far, clearing trees so far from the power line that there would be no possible way for them to disrupt the flow of electricity.

"No reasonable human being would say it was necessary to cut down a three-foot bush 100-feet away from an electrical tower half-way up a hill," Peter Scherer, mayor of Pleasantville said.  "And yet they did."

Among the grievances locals expressed were: loss of privacy, devaluation of their homes, increased noise, flooding, erosion and destruction of wildlife.

"I now have birds of prey living in my backyard," said Lynn Greene Stratyner, a Yorktown resident.

Mark Gilliland, an Irvington resident and chairperson of Greenburgh Environmental Forum's LORAX Working Group, focused his address mainly on the injustices committed against "constituents who don't have a voice."

"Invasive plants are growing successfully in these disturbed areas," Gilliland said, holding up a photograph of a tree-less expanse covered in vertically growing invasive mullein. "Mullein is a beautiful plant, but it takes over everything. Con Edison doesn't have the expertise or staff to understand the environmental catastrophe they've caused."

Under the new PSC rules, utilities are required to keep power lines clear of trees:

    •      Trees planted 30-60 feet from transmission line right-of-ways should not exceed 15 feet in height.

    •      Trees planted 60-90 feet from transmission line right-of-ways should not exceed 25 feet in height.

    •      Trees planted 90-120 feet from transmission line right-of-ways should not exceed 60 feet in height.

But Gilliland and others are not convinced these rules are necessary, or even followed properly.

"It's an urban myth that a fallen tree alone caused the blackout years ago," he said. "It may have been a trigger but it would not have been sufficient to cause the whole chain of events."

Until the tougher tree clearing standards, local officials say utilities such as Con Edison would merely trim trees along power light rights-of-way. However, officials say the new PSC rules lead to widespread removal of thousands of trees that for years had shielded homes and parks from power lines. The outcry over implementation of the rules led to the unusual move by the PSC to open a special series of public input sessions on its regulations.

"The PSC must use the hammer at its disposal to regulate the utility company's actions," State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins said. "Lawmakers will be able to forgo legislation and fines if you would just regulate."

County legislator Tom Abinanti was also present at the hearing, also expressing his extreme dissatisfaction over the clearcutting.

"Con Edison should really stand for Concerted Environmental Destruction," Abinanti said. He then urged public service commissioners to walk the length of Con Edison's power line—"a spine through Westchester County"—and observe the grave scene for themselves. 

Tuesday's hearing in Greenburgh was presided over by PSC hearing officer Richard Gifford. It was the third of six such hearings throughout the state. The two remaining hearings are in early September, with one in Syracuse and the other in Albany.

Besides demanding that the PSC further regulate utility companies in the future, residents whose homes and qualities of life have been devalued since the clear-cutting began also asked for restitution for past injustices.

"I see Con Edison as the BP of Westchester," Andrew Collins, a Hartsdale resident, said. And facing the hearing officer directly asked: "What will be done to rectify this?"