Dive Summary:
- The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is facing a federal lawsuit as a result of the utility's new policy regarding tree removal.
- Although the first complaints came last April, the TVA began removing trees in Alabama, which angered both residents and public officials.
- Two online petitions have been started to oppose the tree-cutting policy and support the federal lawsuit.
From the article:
In a briefing with Huntsville media on Jan. 24, TVA said it maintains about 16,000 miles of easements across its seven-state coverage area in the Southeast. Controlling vegetation is critical to maintaining the flow of electricity along transmission lines and trees growing too close to those lines can create a safety hazard.
But TVA is going overboard in clear-cutting trees, Huntsville officials said. ...