Featured letter: NB Power needs to be more proactive

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Let’s say each NB Power employee or similar contractor employee who removes downed trees and reinstates power is in receipt of $100K per year for salary plus travel and living expenses, and is provided another $100K per year in support of chainsaw and other equipment. Then, for $30 million (the cost of recent power outages due to windstorms) there could be 150 such workers active in the field year-round proactively ensuring that power lines are not susceptible to outages by felling or breaking trees during windstorms.

But, despite decades of windstorm outages and repeated cries to manage differently, it seems NB Power continues to favor a kneejerk policy of waiting for the storm and then reacting. Such a policy demonstrates disregard for the health and financial welfare of NB Power customers and could be interpreted as incompetence at the higher levels of NB Power management.

During the most recent storm where the ground was frozen, trunks having solid wood entirely free of decay were snapped a meter or two above ground level. Amazing, as it takes much greater force to break a solid tree trunk than to uplift the root system from soft soil and topple a whole tree. This may be an indication future storms are likely to pack a much greater punch than those in the past.

It is time for NB Power to anticipate and ensure that trees cannot fall on power lines, to manage its finances more intelligently and show real concern for its customers.

Rodney Arthur Savidge

Fredericton