The Oklahoma Corporation Commission this morning praised utility companies for their efforts to restore power, but added it intends to undertake an evaluation of whether it would be beneficial to require electrical lines to be buried.
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"We have had two storms of the century already this calendar year," Commissioner Jeff Cloud says. "Everybody is busy by doing what they need to do, and they are doing a great job in extremely difficult conditions.
"But we cannot be the only state with above-ground lines that faces ice storms, so we are going to get together and start comparing notes about how other states do this.
"This is about starting a discussion and doing some serious analysis about what the costs are, and what the positives are. One question we definitely will ask is whether burying lines would help us in storms like we are experiencing now."
Cloud said he has friends in areas where lines are buried who only marginally have been inconvenienced by this storm, and others in historic areas of the city who suffered through outages lasting 24 hours and longer.
"This is not meant to be a distraction. This is something we are looking at long term to hopefully address a major problem," he said.
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All of our utilities are underground where I live in MWC but it's a tree down further on Reno at a rent house that has knocked out our power. There's no one there to even call it in. OG&E was there a couple of days ago but so far to no avail...... I wish FEMA would quit giving money out to folks who can afford generators and give generators to the ones who can't. They can have our FEMA assistance money to help someone who really needs it and can't afford to be off work......
Just leave everything alone like it is, it is fun to have an ice storm and for the power to be knocked out for a while lets people get back to reality and slow there lives down. plus you get some time off work also. So stop knocking it folks enjoy it. I cant wait for the next ice storm to come through hopefully we will have more next year.
Stephanie (MWC), unless you do it your self brnach by branch, you're going to have to hire a pro to remove it. Otherwise, you take risk of having it crash onto your house if it doesn't kill you first. Man, that would be some really nice wood for fireplace or smoking a brisket.
Mike.. you're totally right. I forgot about gas stoves since I haven't had one in so many years. They can keep the kitchen pretty warm although last time I slept in the kitchen was during my college years and it was the closest room to the front door to pass out in. I only brought it up because it tickled me when Margaret said something about having a gas heater and made me think of my wonderful mother in law who always provides loads of interesting conversations.
Oh.. btw... anyone can have buried electric lines ... from the service poll to their meter. You can did the ditch, and O.G. and E. will drop the lines.. and (a contractor can hook them up). Not expensive, but only takes care of your house and not the transmission lines themselves.
I sure didn't want to say anything.. blah.blah..blah.. but Jan, bless your heart, you can't think outside the box. My kitchen can stay pretty darn warm..I have a gas stove and oven. But, I'm not even sure why you even brought it up. This isn't about substitute heating sources. Maybe it should be, but wind turbines, and solar panels etc. etc. oh well.. I guess we always tend to do what's easiest.. not best.
Lori, no one is claiming it would be "simple," but it can be done. And has been. When I was in the Air Force all the power lines on our base were buried underground. Despite being stationed in a country that has five hundred times more snow and ice every year than Oklahoma could ever dream of - Germany - we never experienced a "power outage" even ONCE anywhere on my base. Funny thing, neither did the surrounding German cities, towns, and villages: their power lines were buried underground, too. Now, I live in an Edmond neighborhood that has all its utility lines buried underground, and I haven't lost power throughout this ice storm. Call me a simple-minded observer of the world around me, but it's a funny thing that...hmmm, stationed while in the service in one of the most snow and ice-prone countries in the world where they bury all the electric lines - and never lost power while living there. And, a further Hmmmm...living in Edmond where most of the power lines are buried underground, and have yet to lose power in this ice storm. Somehow, I'll take my experiences over your silly rants to the contrary, and continue to advocate that power companies do the right thing and bury their utility lines. Thanks.
Troy, generally I'm pretty reserved with my statements but KISS MY BUTT. Gas will not allow you to have a heat source other than hot water. Tell me, how much heat did that gas fireplace produce without any kind of system to force the heat out? Very very very little. I wasn't putting Margaret down rather I got tickled thinking about having to explain to my mother in law why her gas heat was not going to prevent her water pipes from freezing or keep her house warm. You should really get a life. It doesn't take that much common sense to know that your heat is useless when it's gas without an ELECTRIC fan. My sister too has a gas fireplace and she wasn't able to stay in their homes because it was just too cold if you were more than 12 inches away from the fireplace. They have been without power for 4 days and cannot go home because of the lack of electricity. I also grew up with a gas heating system AND a gas fireplace and without electricity again, you're just SOL. The hot water is a good thing but still doesn't help keep your entire body warm although if you happen to have enough old Douche Bags laying around you might can pack them around your body.
First of all, let me tell you, I know for a fact that the CEO of OGE lost power during this storm. We have the LOWEST electricity prices in the nation, but everytime OGE has asked for any price increase, customers pitch a fit about prices. Do you truly think that all it would take is to dig ditches and trenches in order bury the lines..if it was that simple, don't you think that it would be done by now! I say -- hats off to the tireless line workers who are working in these cold conditions in order to get our power restored. Thank you very much!
OK, Kelly. How much money do you think this storm is going to cost everybody? How much did it cost us in 2002? Let's see - repeat this disaster every seven years... Kinda adds up on this end. Bury the damn lines.
Our neighborhood power is underground direct to the substation. We lost power for a total of 5 minutes these past couple of days. Many european countries do it. Many states do it. It's time to formalize long term planning into a robust infrastructure. Or we can just sit on our keesters and ignore it until the next big one.
Jan, Idiots should not be putting down Margaret. Gas power will allow you to still have hot water, and my parents have a gas fireplace which gave them some heat. Quit talking about what you know nothing about.
Are you kidding, we can't even get our city streets repaired correctly, and you want them to attempt to dig a bunch of holes around and across roads! Wait..maybe they will put in some more of those pretty brick walking paths between the potholes they have patched 20 times already!!
Cmon OG&E, someone come on here and explain why we have had several ice storms in the past few years, yet not once do you trim trees back from lines during the summer/fall. You'd save a lot of time and heartache if you did this. Admit you dropped the ball..you had several days advance notice of this storm, yet no one from OG&E was out in the days before this storm doing ANYTHING. I love it how Gary Englund predicts a major storm but the forces that be sit on their hands and don't do squat until after the fact.
Bill, you may indeed be right and I might be all wet as regards these matters. Still, I wonder what kind of neighborhood the OG&E execs and VP's live in: one like mine, where the power lines are buried and the lights are still on, or one like the vast majority of their customers who are currently without power? I think it would be a very interesting--and telling--anecdotal survey.
Jason,
I do not think the OG&E distribution system is not poorly designed. I also do not think that regulated utilities are interested in short term gain. They are here to get us the power as economically and as reliably as possible - and the corporation commission is there to make sure they do.
c, you put your finger on part of the problem: OG&E doesn't give a fig what it costs THE STATE, meaning the taxpayers, or their customers when the entire grid collapses under the weight of a poorly designed system; they would care very much what it would cost THEM to install a proper system, even if it would be a one-time expense that would work out better for everyone in the long run. Monopolies are by their very nature much more interested in short-term gain than long-term planning, which is why they're monopolies in the first place. Just ask TR.
Economic damage? Tell that to all the motels, restaurants, hardware stores, tree trimmers, etc. It's rarely as clear cut as you indicate. Some get hurt and others prosper. The other thing is that OG&E is NOT making a dime if the meters aren't turning. They want the power to stay on as badly as us. I'm not sure I understand the logic of your last statement. It's likely that the trees were not a problem when the lines were built. They grow up there. In any case, I'm not advocating NO underground - just a bit of common sense and the application of some sound engineering economics.
And by the way, the lines in my yard are already buried because I don't want them hanging through my backyard. Many people in the center of town are already for OGE to do what we did decades ago.
Bill, don't try to tell me that the cost of burying the lines is any more extraordinary than the cost we are paying right this minute! The economic damage to the state is year alone would have buried the lines in most of urban OKC. And OGE should quit blaming the trees - the problem is the lines are in the trees, not the other way around!
It's all a matter of money. Overhead has its advantages and so does underground. Underground is much more expensive to install, maintain, and troubleshoot. Every house with an overhead service would have to be re-wired for an underground meter base. Underground does prevent ice storm and other severe weather damage. It looks better, but there are boxes on the ground that would require a bigger foot print than a pole.
Now, that said, it's the TREES that are failing under the ice load - not the pole lines. If folks would let us trim the trees back where they need to be, we'd be a lot better off.
Personally, I think the best, most economical solution is a combination of several distribution types.
I respectfully suggest that Commissioner Cloud is in a "reactionary" mode at the moment. This issue is long debated and the price tag for a wholsale overhead to underground conversion is extraordinary.
Margaret.. Your comment about having a gas heater tickled me. I spent about an hour explaining to my mother in law why her heater was not working even though it was gas. She didn't comprehend that she has to have electricity to make the fan blow the hot air. She finally got it and realized that she was stuck until OEC got her electricity back on.
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I do not think the OG&E distribution system is not poorly designed. I also do not think that regulated utilities are interested in short term gain. They are here to get us the power as economically and as reliably as possible - and the corporation commission is there to make sure they do.
Now, that said, it's the TREES that are failing under the ice load - not the pole lines. If folks would let us trim the trees back where they need to be, we'd be a lot better off.
Personally, I think the best, most economical solution is a combination of several distribution types.
I respectfully suggest that Commissioner Cloud is in a "reactionary" mode at the moment. This issue is long debated and the price tag for a wholsale overhead to underground conversion is extraordinary.