Max Smith, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – Montgomery County Council President Roger Berliner says he will rework a tree-trimming bill that initially targeted Pepco. The decision to change the bill came after a county attorney said the measure would only work if the new rules applied to all companies.
“His view is that we can achieve all of the objectives that we seek to achieve if we just reframe the bill, so I’m sitting down with our lawyers and doing precisely that,” Berliner says.
Residents have complained about Pepco’s aggressive tree-trimming program that has picked up as new reliability requirements kicked in.
“Unfortunately, trees in their view become collateral damage. We can’t allow that to happen,” Berliner says.
“This is a false choice between reliable power and proper tree trimming,” he says.
Berliner is still working with county lawyers on the new wording of the bill, but it could mean homeowners have more hoops through which to jump before having certain tree work done on their properties.
“It is not my intention at this moment in time to impose a burden on homeowners. My intention is to make sure that homeowners know what Pepco’s responsibility is if they want to walk onto their property.”
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