It is no surprise to any utility that customers frequently take issue with the need to keep their trees away from power lines. PG&E designates these locations as “refusals,” and they challenge our work in a number of ways. From comments like “But my trees aren't in the wires” to “Hey, I'm just shootin' at crows. If one of your guys gets in the way, oh well…” be prepared to spend a little extra time getting these trees pruned.

Education is our biggest ally in resolving customer concerns. Many customers simply aren't aware that trees are good conductors of high-voltage electricity, and pose a considerable safety and reliability concern if not managed properly. Also, providing literature on the California regulations seems to quell many of their concerns.

Some customers are bothered by our annual visit and would prefer to see the tree go. We negotiate with these customers in good faith and oftentimes end up removing trees, replacing them with ones that will be more compatible with nearby power lines, rather than pruning them. This is a great solution, and we wish it worked out this way more often. Unfortunately, many customers demand things we simply cannot do. The bottom line: Clearance is absolutely required to ensure our facilities comply with the laws and regulations. When a situation reaches an impasse, we research our easement rights and force the trimming. These situations can be extremely contentious and can easily escalate. In fact, we occasionally require support from the local law enforcement.

This whole process, known as the refusal process, has been in effect since 1999. Since then, we have had more than 10,000 refusals. Only two customers have sought restraining orders to prevent the trimming work. In both cases, we successfully defended our easements and completed the public-safety trimming work.

One of the most challenging aspects of trimming a refusal location is getting these trees trimmed in a timely manner. Since we are operating within annual specification, it is vital to get these trees trimmed quickly; we have set the bar at 90 days. From the day we recognize a refusal customer to the day the tree gets pruned, it is our goal to have the situation resolved and the lines clear within 90 days. There are always exceptions, but by and large, we do it. We closely track and document every location at each step of the process. Given the litigious nature of some citizens, PG&E offers this advice: Keep good records.

Working the process is not easy. These locations take extra time, energy and work to get trimmed. But, at the end of the day, our customers still expect their lights to come on when they flip the switch.