About
In much of the District, including our oldest neighborhoods and in all new developments, utility wires that provide electricity and communications services are buried underground. This practice reduces power outages due to storms while greatly enhancing the beauty and character of our communities.
Streets free of wires allow street trees to shade yards, sidwalks and streets, encouraging pedestrian circulation and business activity. Beautiful tree lined streets are how the District earned its reputation as the “City of Trees”.
The District’s Comprehensive Plan calls for: “The undergrounding of electric distribution lines throughout the District to provide increased reliability of service and enhanced aesthetics and safety.”
In the aftermath of Hurricane Isabel in 2003, the Public Service Commission (PSC) adopted the Witt report recommendations to “seek opportunities to assist local governments in burying existing utility lines by developing pilot projects for cost sharing”.
Pepco accepted these recommendations and is under order to develop pilot projects in DC to carry them out. Additionally, the Federal Highway Administration allows its funds to be used to underground overhead lines.
Recommendations
In a September 2008 article in the Washington Post, the Office of People’s Counsel called for two important policy initiatives related to trees and utilities.
First, for the District to assure residents that the City has a coherent and comprehensive vegetation management and electric service reliability strategy, that it develop related plans with stakeholders, and that an independent “referee” be appointed to oversee compliance.
Second, that PSC undertake a reliability study of underground lines to help assess whether selective undergrounding would result in safe, reliable service.
Casey Trees supports both of these policy positions.
Working together, community by community, we can fulfill DC’s rich legacy of beautifully line streets.
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