Lala. Electricity. State Inquiy?

[MyManao]

I hope everyone realizes that on the other side of the island,, the developers put all of that stuff underground.
Same with water.

We missed the boat on that because these are all tax mining subdivisions .

Yep, and in most cases HELCO even got the lot owners, with the SSPP program, to pay to put the poles in.

But hey, as Edge says, it's life on da cheap.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

From the HECO website:

How Hawaiian Electric Trims Trees
Trees that require pruning are those that currently, or will within a year, encroach on high-voltage power lines. Tree inspectors assess the location of trees and their growth rate. In addition, we take into consideration limb configuration and potential wind conditions. If you believe that a tree poses a danger to lines, please contact us to arrange an inspection.
https://www.hawaiianelectric.com/safety-...ing-safety

It seems vague.
What exactly does “encroach on …” mean? Is it only trees that are in the easement? Or any tree that could measurably reach the lines? The single line that knocked out power for a week was by an untried tree that had not been pruned. Is the problem a combination of Asplundh and HECO?


HPP recently cut to the ground miles of tress along Kaloli Drive. Not under the power lines. The reason they provided was “ This proactive work helps improve roadway safety, visibility, and overall tree health throughout the community.”
Does anyone know who determines this, and how?

[Durian Fiend]

Everyone is ignoring the biggest problem in Puna and the entire east side.

There is a very vocal opposition to tree cutting. It took a hurricane to clear the trees on Kapoho road past Lava Tree.
I lost count of how many times I was nearly crushed by a large tree branch, it got so bad I carried my chainsaw in my truck to clear the road to get through.
Every time the county tried to trim those trees there was a huge outcry about destroying the beautiful tree canopy.
Pohoiki Road has taken 8 years to be restored because  they wanted to move it away from the giant mangos and there was a huge outcry about that...

People love their big trees and I can relate, but I also believe that every albizia on the east side should be eliminated, along with the gunpowder trees.  Not only are they the worst in strong winds, albizias quickly displace ohia forests.

For large trees, keep the old mangoes and monkeypods and maybe plant more of them.  Also Jackfruit are fast growing, tall and do fairly well in strong winds.

[Punatang]

Edge:  It seems vague. What exactly does “encroach on …” mean?....   Does anyone know who determines this, and how?


These things will all be absolutely clear and fair when the county government takes over policing trees and people with trees, under The Edge Plan, and begins foreclosing on folks for tree crime tax penalty punishment.  

Once your new surveillance and taxation scheme are up and running, the vagueness and concerns about definitions and determination will all go away.  

The future is here, now.
 

   

[HiloJulie]

Of all the ironic things to see happening just mere minutes ago from me making this post, but none other than HEI's duly authorized subcontractor Asplundh trimming the treetops near the power lines in the area of 6 Road and E Road here in the lowest of lowest ghetto slums in the Acres.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Asplundh trimming the treetops near the power lines

Can you run over there? Wave your arms in the air? Shout over the sound of the chipper:
“WHATS THE SETBACK? THE EASEMENT? THE RIGHT OF WAY? WHY DONT YOU OR CANT YOU CUT TO THE GROUND?”

[Punatang]

If nothing else Edge, you've white-boarded a perfect Progressive Insurance Commercial.  Reach out to them and get paid.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

I spent a few hours yesterday following up on the county surveyor.  Sent an email a few days ago, and left a phone message. No response.  So I found someone in county IT who was very helpful, checked names, phone numbers, did some cross referencing.  Also I found my notes from six years ago when I last spoke with the surveyor on another issue. The outcome?  Most likely the former county surveyor has retired, and hasn’t been replaced.   

The surveyor handles setbacks, roadway easements, right of ways, etc.  The person you call when you want to make certain asphalt, concrete and steel are in the right place.  We may not have one.

Need to track down who in HPPOA authorizes tree trimming next to our private roads.

Looked into the connection between HECO & PUC.  How does their relationship function?

Anyone who would like to help on any of these components in the overall legal requirements for power line tree trimming let me know.

[BlackAkita]

It's a gnarly mess out there. In a capitalist country, there will be some people who realize their life situation cannot be made safe or affordable. These realists will bail. In the battle between nature (i.e., jungle) and human inhabitants, I would say the jungle was triumphant.



Nature is inexorable. Maybe in the next few decades, the machines will take over the job of tree trimming. But nature will not give up easily. Nature evolves. It will fight back.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

I spoke with several people at HPPOA a few days ago about their criteria for tree trimming along the roads.

If you live in HPP:
* Setbacks and easements on main arteries, Shower, Kaloli, Paradise, Maku’u are 20 feet
* Setbacks and easements on side roads are 10 feet
* If you see a tree in the setback/easement that could reach and fall on power lines across the road call the HPP office.  They will send someone to check, and then dispatch a crew to cut if necessary.

The setback along Maku’u will be trimmed in the near future.