Brookland residents ask for underground utility lines

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Some Brookland residents are asking the city to convert the northeast Washington neighborhood's utility poles to underground utility lines.

About a 100 residents marched along the area's main strip on 12th Street recently, demanding the city divert $10.5 million allocated for a streetscape improvement project toward burying utility lines.

Residents say trees in the area are cut in odd ways to make room for the aboveground wires. They say the disfigured trees are eyesores and fail to provide shade, creating a lack of vibrancy.

Pepco officials say they must prune trees to power homes and businesses. They say converting to underground cables can cost up to $8 million a mile, or six to 10 times the cost of aboveground wiring.

The District Department of Transportation says the money already budgeted for the improvement project will upgrade sidewalks, curbs and other infrastructure — but not bury electrical wires.

Related News

power plant operations

IAEA - COVID-19 and Low Carbon Electricity Lessons for the Future

LONDON - The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the operation of power systems across the globe and offered a glimpse of a future electricity mix dominated by low carbon sources.

The performance of nuclear power, in particular, demonstrates how it can support the transition to a resilient, clean energy system well beyond the COVID-19 recovery phase.

Restrictions on economic and social activity during the COVID-19 outbreak have led to an unprecedented and sustained decline in demand for electricity in many countries, in the order of 10% or more relative to 2019 levels over a period of a few months, thereby creating challenging conditions…

READ MORE

Town of Gander forgives $250K debt from local curling club

READ MORE

UK low-carbon electricity generation stalls in 2019

READ MORE

bitcoin energy use

How Bitcoin's vast energy use could burst its bubble

READ MORE

teck mining

B.C. politicians must focus more on phasing out fossil fuels, report says

READ MORE