INC NEWS - on burying power lines . . . .

Tue Aug 26 16:31:12 EDT 2008

Several years ago (right after the winter ice storm in 2001) several folks spoke of supporting a study commission to at least enter into some discussions with individual stakeholders (see below) regarding undergrounding utilities and start street scaping as a way to mitigate the consequences of bad weather and disasters.

I'm attaching the text of a letter that was distributed after public hearings in the City Council chambers with Duke Power (now Duke Energy).

Discussions like this are taking place on several different individual neighborhood listserves,  but to find a common ground on what options are out there (it has been 7 years!) NOW is the time to take action and involve as many constitutes in a comprehensive study so everyone can start off on the same page for what's best for Durham.

Mike Shiflett

Recommendation to form a study commission to research the possibilities, options and funding sources for Durham to underground overhead utilities

Respectfully submitted by Mike Shiflett December 2002 

Shortly after the winter ice storm of 2001

Reasons:

Recent natural disasters (ice storm/hurricanes) have demonstrated the vulnerability of overhead utilities to damage by falling tree branches and whole trees.  Despite the Herculean prophylactic efforts of the utility companies in tree trimming to prevent this from occurring, utility lines are still coming down.  Recent estimates from the recent ice storm damage done in North Carolina range from $115 to close to $200 million, but I believe this is but a small fraction of the final impact this last catastrophe will cost us.  

Utility companies spend tremendous amounts of money to repair and replace these lines, not to mention the phenomenal inconveniences to the public in general who have to live through the experience each time.  The impact on the handicap, the infirmed and the poor are exaggerated when these 'events' occur.   Fran was just six years ago.   When are we going to through this again?  What can we do to help reduce the next events' big impact?

The costs, coupled with the lost revenues from missed retail sales, disruption of work and closed businesses along with their related tax collections, also creates an environment where people are exposed to unsafe practices (improper use of heating sources) and transportation (more car wrecks), not to mention the additional work hazards that repair personnel are exposed to under these extreme conditions.

These are local issues.  We can't always depend on Federal assistance (FEMA) to cover them.  And let's not forget about the insurance claims that have been submitted over the last month.  These losses are not going to be forgotten.   We eventually have to pay for these through higher premiums all across the board.

The environmental impact of continued 'power line clearance' trimming of urban street trees is disastrous.   Not only does constant trimming decrease the filtering ability of our tree canopy's biomass, but improper techniques of unbalanced tree branch trimming causes even more trees to fall into the street (or worse, onto homes and businesses).  The Triangle is about to reach "noncompliant status" in EPA air quality standards in 2004.   Why would we continue to promote a program that will continually diminish the cleansing affect our trees have, particularly in our urban core where most of it is generated?

With these conditions still fresh in our minds, we propose that a citizen led study be convened to look into the possible long-term solutions of burying utilities.   Composed of a number of different shareholders that would work together through a team effort in cooperation with representatives from the community, Durham City and County departments, industry and the educational sector can thoroughly investigate the possibilities and potential costs vs benefits to our community..   

Recommendation to form a study commission to research the possibilities, options and funding sources for Durham to underground overhead utilities

Page 2

Subjects to investigate:

#1- Current state of the art and techniques for burying underground utilities, what options are available?  What are the related costs for each of these?   Which ones are applicable to Durham's topography?

            Overhead transmission lines run at 72,000 volts transformers and are taken down to 220 service lines on most electrical grids in the city/county.

#2- What other Southern cities with populations similar to Durham are looking into this  (or attempting it right now)

            What leverage does a municipality have over a utility with their renewable Franchise Agreements to implement a study or start implementing a plan?

3#- How can enabling legislation to create 'Utility Districts' facilitate a funding mechanism to help mitigate costs?

            One suggestion might be to access a $1 to 5 fee for customers/commercial users in the areas to be improved to help mitigate or share in these costs 

#4- What are the ongoing costs for maintaining the status quo?

         Periodic maintenance of lines

         Preventive 'clearance' by tree trimming

         Repair costs after disasters

         Repair costs after minor damage (car wrecks, negligence, other accidents)

#5- Incorporating Streetscaping into the urban fabric using removable sidewalk pads, curb and gutter ditch conduits, tree replenishment techniques at the same time

#6- What CDBG funding sources are available?

#7- Can undergrounding utilities be 'phased in' by targeting the more sensitive areas like hospitals, emergency response and public works infrastructures first along with nursing homes and prisons,  then residential neighborhoods?

Below are some organizations and groups that might initially be considered and invited to participate;

Duke School/UNC School for the Environment

Duke Energy

CP&L

Public Works- Chris Boyer/Katie Kalb

Planning- Jane Korrest (Natural Resource Ordinance)
Sierra Club

local Arbor Day Society

Appearance Commission- George Stanziale

                                                                                                InterNeighborhood Council
Partners Against Crime/DBAC- CPTED principles

Budget Departments

DDI

Parks/Recreation

City & NC Dept of Transportation

Representation from experienced CDC's (Trinity Heights, Homeowners Association, planned communities)

Durham Public Schools-impact of lost school days

Durham County Extension Office- Paul McKenzie

Durham cable and phone companies

NC Arboretum/NC Nursery Association

Others?

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Melissa Rooney 
  To: inc-list at durhaminc.org 
  Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 3:37 PM
  Subject: Re: INC NEWS - on burying power lines . . . .

        Thanks, Kelly, for that article. Buried utilities have come up in many of my discussions regarding ways to protect our natural areas, in addition to improving power delivery efficiency. A good point made my Cheryl Shifflet, is that we need to get utilities/power/cable/etc to work together so that they can bury all these utilities in one 'trench' (so to speak), thereby reducing the required tunneling through a development and saving trees and their root systems.

        I just wanted to say that :)
        Melissa

        Melissa Rooney
        mmr121570 at yahoo.com

        --- On Tue, 8/26/08, Kelly Jarrett, DISC <kjj1 at duke.edu> wrote:

          From: Kelly Jarrett, DISC <kjj1 at duke.edu>
          Subject: INC NEWS - on burying power lines . . . .
          To: inc-list at durhaminc.org
          Date: Tuesday, August 26, 2008, 1:33 PM

          Greenville mayor open to outside negotiator on buried power lines
          Studies show burying power lines reduces outages

          Published: Friday, February 15, 2008 - 12:48 pm 

          By Ben Szobody
          STAFF WRITER
          bszobody at greenville news.com

          Mayor Knox White and some City Council members told GreenvilleOnline. com they’re open to using an outside negotiator to make sure city taxpayers get the best deal out of a plan to bury power lines currently being hammered out between city and Duke Energy officials.

          The Greenville News reported this week that burial experts say it's crucial for the city to get an outside expert to negotiate the groundbreaking agreement because utilities can be loath to share information and resistant to change.

          Ken Scarlett, a consultant with experience negotiating burials and a recent city task force member on the issue, said the agreement on the table may not address vital obstacles to widespread, affordable conversion.

          City Manager Jim Bourey and an assistant are currently handling a new utility franchise agreement that would cost residents another $1 a month on their power bills to pay for a plan to gradually bury power lines in some of the areas hardest hit by a string of deadly ice storms.

          White said today that he’s open to using an outsider with deep knowledge of the utility business, but has yet to talk to Bourey about it. He said the city has already consulted some outside experts during negotiations, though "whether there will be one person, I don’t know." 

          City Councilwoman Diane Smock said hiring a negotiator is something she wants to take a "good, hard look at," since converting overhead wires to underground lines is not a particular area of expertise for the city. 

          Councilwoman Amy Ryberg Doyle said she wanted to talk to colleagues about the idea. 

          Jerry Chapman, Duke's general manager of construction and maintenance, has said the company is "anxious" to begin burying Greenville lines in cooperation with the city. 

          Outages decline dramatically when lines are underground, although they don't entirely disappear, industry studies show. The most recent Upstate ice storm in December 2005  the seventh major incident in 10 years  cost six lives and plunged more than half a million local residents into cold and darkness. 

          Following reports by The News, Duke agreed for the first time last year to put half a percent of its local revenues  about $364,000 a year  into a local fund to bury power lines, to be matched by the city. The specifics will be in the city’s new franchise agreement. 

          White said the city has used a negotiator on past franchise agreements, but that in this case Duke’s financial cooperation has been negotiated "at the top" with Ellen Ruff, CEO of Duke Energy Carolinas. 

          The biggest challenge now is to figure out the contsruction process, White said, though Scarlett and other experts have said the burial plan could cost city residents nothing if Duke first shored up an aging system of overhead wires that he said loses as much as twice the electric current of the industry average in some areas. 

          Chapman said the company typically doesn't look at line losses to justify system improvements, though that could change. 

          Among the vital parts of any agreement is a long-term goal to convert all power lines, unfettered city access to utility information and the utility's commitment to help citizens bury the service lines on their property, according to Scarlett and Nathan Bruner, underground program manager for San Diego. 

          Bourey has disagreed on setting an ultimate burial date, but said the city has received any information it asked for and is exploring how to bury service lines. 

          Bruner also said utilities are not allowed to install new overhead wires in San Diego except under extraordinary circumstances and that an agreement should specify that buried lines go in the public right of way instead of through private property. 

          Bourey has declined to comment on freezing overhead utility infrastructure and said city rights of way are too cramped in some cases. 

          White said today he agreed that lines should go in the right of way "when feasible" and that the city has talked about limiting the new poles Duke can erect. 

          Overall, White said he’s satisfied that the vital specifics of a burial plan will be included in the new franchise agreement but that "there’s a hesitancy on the manager’s part to negotiate in the newspaper."

          Ellen M. Dagenhart, ABR, e-Pro, GRI, SRES
          MailTo:dagnhrt@ mindspring. com
          Marie Austin Realty, Durham, NC
          1204 Broad Street, Durham, NC 27705
          http://www.marieaus tin.com
          Office  919-286-5611  FAX  919-286-2252  Cell 919-475-1719 

          Check it out! http://www.durham- nc.com/www. wheregreatthings happen.com

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-- Dr. Kelly Jarrett		Sr. Program CoordinatorDuke Islamic Studies Center124 Franklin Center, Box 904022204 Erwin RoadDurham, NC  27708Phone: 919-668-2143	FAX: 919-684-8749			http://www.jhfc.duke.edu/disc/_______________________________________________INC-list mailing listINC-list at rtpnet.orghttp://rtpnet.org/mailman/listinfo/inc-list 

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