Garden Club of New Haven
  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • Club History
    • 2013 Tree Project
    • Phelps Triangle Park
    • Community Awards
    • Conservation >
      • GCA National Affairs and Legislation and Conservation
    • Holiday Arrangements for Area Nursing Homes
    • Horticulture
    • Leeway
    • New Haven's Green and Its Elms >
      • Walking Tour and DVD of The New Haven Green: Heart of a City
      • Slide Show - GCNH & New Haven's Elms
  • Trees and Power
    • The Benefits and Care of Street Trees >
      • The Benefits of Trees
      • Selection of Trees
      • Use or Disposal of Removed Trees
      • Tree Ordinances and Commissions
    • Utility tree pruning and removal >
      • How to Protect Street/Roadside Trees >
        • Protect Trees On or Abutting Your Property
        • Protect Street/Roadside Trees In Your Community >
          • Diagram for Local Action
          • Brochures and Flyers
      • Connecticut Law on Utility Vegetation Management and Protection of Trees >
        • Damages and Penalties for Unauthorized Tree Pruning and Removal
        • How to Appeal to PURA
      • Standards for Utility Vegetation Management
      • Frequently Asked Questions About Utility Pruning and Removal
      • Historical Records >
        • GCNH Comments, Briefs and Statements
        • Background and Detail: Utility Pruning and Removal >
          • The Benefits of Street (Roadside) Trees
          • Background and News Coverage March 5 and 6 PURA Meetings
          • Slide show on Trees and Power
          • PAST INFORMATION, NOTICES AND NEWS
          • Utility Vegetation Management Plans
          • PHOTOS
          • Support for GCNH Vegetation Management Positons
          • INFORMATION ON PURA DOCKET NO.12-01-10, TREE TRIMMING
          • Legislative Actions
          • List of Documents
          • News Coverage
          • Petitions, Meetings on Utility Tree Removal and Pruning
    • Undergrounding of Wires -- A long term solution
    • Administrative, Legislative and PURA Proceedings >
      • Administrative Proceedings
      • Legislative Proceedings
      • PURA Proceedings >
        • CURRENT PURA PROCEEDINGS
        • FINAL PURA DECISIONS >
          • PURA Enforcement of 16-234 AND 23-65(f) C.G.S. >
            • PURA 18-12-25
            • PURA 14-07-18
            • PURA 12-01-10
          • PURA Reviews of EDC Performance
  • Flowers, Plants & Gardens
    • Garden History and Design
    • Partners for Plants
  • Members
    • Centennial
    • Index
    • News
    • President's Monthly Letter
    • Board Meeting Minutes
    • General Meeting Minutes
    • 2021-2022 Directory
    • Complete calendar and listing of monthly program
    • Articles of Association and Bylaws >
      • Club Project Proposal Form
      • Membership Requirements
      • Dues
      • Board
      • Endowed Funds
      • Past Presidents
      • Strategic Plan
    • Committees A-L >
      • Archives
      • Awards
      • Civic
      • Communications
      • Conservation
      • Finance
      • Floral Design
      • Garden History & Design
      • Horticulture
      • Hospitality
    • Committees M-Z >
      • Membership
      • New Member Education
      • Nominating
      • Phelps Triangle
      • Photography
      • Scholarship
      • Trees and Power
      • Visiting Gardens >
        • Past Garden Visits
        • Members Gardens
      • Ways and Means
    • Photos Premiere-The New Haven Green: Heart of a City
    • Annual Meeting Photos >
      • 2012 Annual Meeting
      • 2013 Annual Meeting
      • 2015 Annual meeting
      • 2016 Annual Meeting
      • 2017 Annual Meeting
      • 2018 Annual Meeting
    • GCA News >
      • GCA contact info
      • GCA Founders Fund
      • The Redwoods and GCA
    • The Federated Garden Clubs of America

UNDERGROUNDING OF WIRES
​ --​A LONG TERM SOLUTION

    Undergrounding of electric and communication distribution wires is a long term solution that would achieve greater electric grid reliability and resilience, at the same time preserving the numerous benefits of existing large trees within public rights-of-way and allowing for the planting of similar large trees where none exist or where a tree has become hazardous or diseased and must be removed.  Such preservation and planting of large trees is important to reducing carbon emissions for mitigation of climate change and for adaptation and resilience to cope with the effects of climate change.  Earlier studies of the costs and benefits of undergrounding of electric distribution wires have not focused on climate change, nor have they addressed all of the benefits from and costs avoided by undergrounding of wires.  In recent years, utilities in other states have begun to do strategic undergrounding and are pleased with the increase in resilience and reliability and the lower operating and management costs.  GCNH favors statewide strategic planning for and implementation of undergrounding of overhead electric and communication wires.*    ​
 Bookmark this page to check for updates regarding this issue. Latest update:  May 12, 2022

OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON PURA STRAW PROPOSAL REGARDING EDC RELIABILITY AND RESILIENCE

PURA issued a straw proposal and requested comments prior to 12 noon on May 20.  The virtual hearing is scheduled for May 26, 27 and 31.  Only formal participants should file the pre-filed testimony.  Comments should reference Docket No. 17-12-03RE08 and be sent via email to  PURA.ExecutiveSecretary@ct.gov.  GCNH comments will be posted below after filing.  

Current GCNH Efforts to Support Undergrounding

Correspondence submitted to PURA Docket No. 17-12-03RE08 on April 18, 2022, making comments pertaining to the presentations made by the electric distribution systems companies at the March 28/29, 2022 Technical Meetings.
Correspondence submitted to PURA Docket No. 2021-05-15 on March 25, 2022, suggesting a metric to measure the resilience of the electric distribution system (its ability to withstand and recover from high impact events such as tropical storms, hurricanes and tornadoes), and its relationship to undergrounding.  Current industry metrics focus on day to day reliability in normal weather, and exclude major weather events.  
Correspondence submitted to PURA Docket No. 17-12-08 on March 3, 2022, commenting on responses by Participants to PURA to questions regarding their reliability and resiliency planning.  A copy was also submitted to DEEP on March 3 for consideration in preparing its 2022 Comprehensive Energy Strategy.   NOTE:  A correction in the correspondence was communicated to PURA and DEEP,  and has been made in the document on the website.
See January 26, 2022  GCNH letter to Governor Lamont with copies to DEEP, the General Assembly Energy & Technology and Environment Committees and PURA, attaching GCNH Memorandum in Support of a Statewide Strategy for Undergrounding of Electric and Communication Wires and Cables, entered in PURA for Docket No. 17-12-03RE08, PURA's investigation focused on electric distribution companies' planning for distribution resilience and reliability, their standards and programs.

Opportunities for the Public to Support Undergrounding

Written comments in support of an undergrounding strategy may be filed in PURA's Docket No. 17-12-03RE08 on distribution resilience and reliability.  Comments should be sent by email to PURA.ExecutiveSecretary@ct.gov and should reference Docket No. 17-12-03RE08 in the Subject Line. 

Other Statements in Favor of Undergrounding
Studies of Undergrounding and Technical Issues
Articles on Undergrounding

*For information about the current electric distribution company infrastructure and to consider undergrounding in the context of other infrastructure options for reliability and resilience, see "Options Beyond Vegetation Management for Electric Distribution Reliability and Resiliency to Reduce the Frequency and Duration of Power Outages" (published July, 2021).  It does not address financing or analyze costs and benefits.  ​
For TECHNICAL ISSUES ABOUT THE WEBSITE only, contact gardenclubnh2@gmail.com .
Any discussion of law on this site is for informational purposes only, and does not constitute legal advice. For legal advice regarding particular facts and circumstances, please consult an attorney. 
Click here to install Adobe Reader for free, in order to read PDF files.
Updated March 26, 2022