Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 6, March 18, 2024
(a) Each EDC shall ensure that:
1. Qualified OSHA and ANSI Z133 line clearance employees or contractors perform vegetation management for the EDC;
2. All such employees or contractors are trained in the proper care of trees and other woody plants in order to provide safe, reliable electric service; and
3. All such employees or contractors are knowledgeable regarding safety practices and line clearance techniques.
(b) Each EDC shall ensure that records are kept of all persons used by a contractor or the EDC to perform vegetation management on behalf of the EDC, including the dates and types of training that each such person has received.
(c) The EDC shall monitor and document all vegetation management and related activities. Documentation shall be retained for five years and shall include, but shall not be limited to:
1. The municipality in which the work was performed;
2. Identification of the circuit and substation where vegetation management activities were performed;
3. The type of vegetation management performed including removal, trimming and spraying and methods used;
4. The crew size and supervisor's name;
5. The date of activity;
6. Any safety hazards encountered;
7. Any unexpected occurrence or accident resulting in death, life-threatening or serious injury to a person assigned to perform vegetation management activities or the public; and
8. Vegetation management activities planned for the following year.
(d) Each EDC shall include a summary of the information required in (c) above about its vegetation management work during the past year, and planned activities for the following year in the Annual System Performance Report to be filed with the Board by May 31 of each year. The information provided under this requirement shall include:
1. At a minimum, the name of each municipality in which the EDC conducted vegetation management during the reporting year, and all circuits subject to such vegetation management; and
2. A listing of distribution circuits by municipality indicating the number of hazard trees for which permission to remove was denied.
(e) To track the completion of each vegetation management cycle for inspection and trimming required by this subchapter, each EDC shall include the following tables in the Annual System Performance Report to be filed with the Board by May 31 of each year:
1. A table that includes the following columns:
i. Percentage of electric overhead transmission corridor mileage inspected (and trimmed as necessary) for each of the three years prior to the reporting year of the Annual System Performance Report (three columns);
ii. Percentage of electric overhead transmission corridor mileage inspected for the reporting year of the Annual System Performance Report (one column); and
iii. Projected percentage of electric overhead transmission corridor mileage to be inspected for each of the three years following the reporting year of the Annual System Performance Report (three columns); and
2. A table that includes the following columns:
i. Percentage of distribution circuit length inspected (and trimmed as necessary) for each of the three years prior to the reporting year of the Annual System Performance Report (three columns);
ii. Percentage of distribution circuit length inspected (and trimmed as necessary) for the reporting year of the Annual System Performance Report (one column); and
iii. Projected percentage of distribution circuit length to be inspected (and trimmed as necessary) for each of the three years following the reporting year of the Annual System Performance Report (three columns).
