Captain Quackenbush's
Prevent Fires; Bury Electrical Lines
RECEIVED Thu., Sept. 29, 2011
Dear Editor,
In light of the Bastrop fires and all other fires burned and burning in TX … wake up Texas!
The last tally I saw for the Bastrop fire was $250,000,000 in insurance claims plus an unknown or undisclosed amount to fight the fire plus the loss of Bastrop Park plus the never-to-be-reimbursed losses of every home that burned and all the lives touched. It was "the most expensive fire in Texas history" – according to newscasters.
It would have been far cheaper to have buried the electrical lines in the first place and prevented this fire entirely!
I am sick to death of hearing the lame excuse that it is too expensive to bury electrical lines! That is just plain bull! More expensive than this fire? More expensive than the ongoing, million-dollar, tree trimming paid for with our tax dollars? More expensive than removing trees from power lines and restoring power after windstorms, twisters, and ice storms?
"Too expensive?" Ask the former residents and homeowners of Bastrop.
I suggest two changes:
1) All new homes, developments, or major retrofits must bury their utilities and
2) Reallocate 35% of the tree-trimming budget to burying utilities in the most fire prone service areas – working in toward the city, until eventually, all Texas power lines are fire-, tornado-, and ice-proof and beautifully invisible.
In light of the Bastrop fires and all other fires burned and burning in TX … wake up Texas!
The last tally I saw for the Bastrop fire was $250,000,000 in insurance claims plus an unknown or undisclosed amount to fight the fire plus the loss of Bastrop Park plus the never-to-be-reimbursed losses of every home that burned and all the lives touched. It was "the most expensive fire in Texas history" – according to newscasters.
It would have been far cheaper to have buried the electrical lines in the first place and prevented this fire entirely!
I am sick to death of hearing the lame excuse that it is too expensive to bury electrical lines! That is just plain bull! More expensive than this fire? More expensive than the ongoing, million-dollar, tree trimming paid for with our tax dollars? More expensive than removing trees from power lines and restoring power after windstorms, twisters, and ice storms?
"Too expensive?" Ask the former residents and homeowners of Bastrop.
I suggest two changes:
1) All new homes, developments, or major retrofits must bury their utilities and
2) Reallocate 35% of the tree-trimming budget to burying utilities in the most fire prone service areas – working in toward the city, until eventually, all Texas power lines are fire-, tornado-, and ice-proof and beautifully invisible.
Brenda Cross
