From geknapp at davesworld.net Wed Aug 1 20:14:11 2001 From: geknapp at davesworld.net (Gretchen E. Knapp) Date: Sun Feb 8 04:14:31 2004 Subject: [Trees] Ryan to sign HB 1776!!! Message-ID: <4.1.20010801201346.00a9c640@mail.davesworld.net> Howdy Concerned Citizens! Great news: Gov. Ryan will sign HB 1776, the utility tree-trimming bill, Thursday August 2 at 3:30 p.m. outside the governor's mansion in Springfield. Invited representatives from the C-U and B-N IPCUTSOT groups will be present along with the media. We hope that Peoria CARes (CILCO Area Residents) for Trees will be there, too. Congratulations to each of you for your continuing hard work and support, and the flood of letters and e-mail you sent to Gov. Ryan's office, the ICC, and the Citizens Utility Board. Citizen action makes a difference! YOU have made a difference in our communities. Save Our Trees! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.cu.groogroo.com/mailman/archive/trees/attachments/20010801/76087538/attachment.htm From geknapp at davesworld.net Thu Aug 2 08:22:42 2001 From: geknapp at davesworld.net (Gretchen E. Knapp) Date: Sun Feb 8 04:14:31 2004 Subject: [Trees] Thanks! Message-ID: <4.1.20010802081913.00a64d40@mail.davesworld.net> Hi Donna - Thanks for your quick reply. Everything came up so fast. The executive mansion is just southeast of the courthouse complex, and the visitor's center is on Ninth St. near Jackson (just follow the signs). We're bringing more leaflets to distribute so anyone is welcome to take them back to Peoria. I'll be wearing a hat (it's going to be HOT) and a "Save Our Trees" button. We'll send updates. Could you please post the HB 1776 signing notice on the yahoo listserv? I'm still having trouble with that. Thanks, G. From alice_redqueen at hotmail.com Sat Aug 4 17:50:10 2001 From: alice_redqueen at hotmail.com (Pauline Bartolone) Date: Sun Feb 8 04:14:31 2004 Subject: [Trees] Media coverage about HB1776 Message-ID: Fellow tree huggers. I think there should be more media coverage about the signing of HB1776. This is a true victory. I am an environmental editor of the new alternative newspaper in town, the public i, and we would really like this story to be covered. Can anyone volunteer to write something up about it? Even if it is very short? An article could be created using the information and updates that Gretchen Knapp is providing. We are trying to get articles in for the Sept. issue asap, the absolute latest is by August 15th. What do you say? (Jerry are you out there?) Thanks and I hope everyone is having a great summer. -Pauline Bartolone _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp From alice_redqueen at hotmail.com Mon Aug 6 18:03:51 2001 From: alice_redqueen at hotmail.com (Pauline Bartolone) Date: Sun Feb 8 04:14:32 2004 Subject: [Trees] Fwd: HB 1776 signed!! Message-ID: > >> Date: Fri, 03 Aug 2001 11:31:12 -0500 > >> To: geknapp@davesworld.net > >> From: "Gretchen E. Knapp" > >> Subject: HB 1776 signed!! > >> Bcc: save our trees > >> > >> Howdy concerned citizens! > >> > >> Get out the party hats and start celebrating our first victory toward > >> protecting > >> our property rights and our trees!! And congratulate yourselves for >all of > >> your hard > >> work and continued support!! > >> > >> HB 1776 Signed by Ryan > >> Yesterday Gov. Ryan finally signed HB 1776, the > >> utility tree-trimming bill, which became effective > >> immediately. Attending by invitation only to represent you > >> were John McMahon and Laura Huth for C-U, and > >> Gretchen Knapp and Mary Lapham for B-N. > >> As you know, John is our hardworking attorney, > >> Laura founded IPCUTSOT right after the awful > >> tariff surfaced, Mary founded the B-N branch, > >> and Gretchen has been coordinating. > >> > >> Witnesses to HB 1776 Signing > >> Reps. Rutherford, Brady, Berns, and Winkel were > >> present; so was Sen. Maitland. We saw the mayors > >> of Normal and Flanagan, and other municipality > >> officers attended. Rep. Rutherford mentioned Save > >> Our Trees as one of the groups who worked hard > >> for a resolution of the tree-trimming problem. > >> > >> Media Coverage of HB 1776 > >> We did a media blitz with TV, radio, and newspaper > >> interviews in C-U, B-N, Peoria, and Springfield > >> to educate our fellow property owners > >> about the bill's effect on them. Incidentally, the > >> Gov. thought he was signing under an "old oak tree" > >> which wasn't an oak at all. Gretchen gave the Gov. > >> Save Our Trees buttons and leaflets and showed > >> him a recent photo of an IP-butchered tree on > >> East Washington St. in Bloomington near the State > >> Farm headquarters. > >> > >> What HB 1776 Does For Us: Local Standards > >> > >> If you live in a municipality with a tree-trimming > >> ordinance, HB 1776 says that the power company > >> must follow the municipality's standards for trimming. > >> > >> However, the law also says that cities/towns have > >> to pay any additional costs of trimming according > >> to local ordinances. How much and who pays? > >> Everyone wants to know. Stay tuned. > >> > >> What HB 1776 Does For Us: Extended Notification > >> The bill extends the time period in which a power > >> company must notify you that they're going to trim > >> your trees to between 21 and 90 days. And citizens > >> have a toll-free number to call if they have complaints > >> (this last part is in the existing law). > >> > >> If you have problems with trimming and you live under > >> a tree-trimming ordinance, at least you can have your > >> community arborist provide an independent evaluation > >> and can appeal to your local government for help. > >> > >> What HB 1776 Doesn't Do For Us: Exemptions > >> If you don't live under a tree-trimming ordinance, your trees > >> will be trimmed according to ANSI A300 and OSHA standards, > >> which are as vague as possible. These standards described > >> in the bill refer to worker safety and say nothing about methods > >> of tree-trimming (like "topping") or easements or how much > >> can be trimmed or how far away from the line a power company > >> can trim. In other words, you're out of luck. > >> > >> Sure, you can phone the toll-free number and complain to the ICC. > >> But a tiny percentage of complaints received by the ICC are > >> determined as justified by the ICC. Take a look at the customer > >> satisfaction section on the ICC website at www.icc.state.il.us > >> > >> The city of Chicago is exempt from the law -- but not the surrounding > >> counties in Chicagoland. Chicago made an agreement with > >> Commonwealth Edison. > >> > >> And notice that this bill does not set any penalties for utility > >> companies which do not follow its directive. The ICC is supposed > >> to regulate utilities, although many are exempt. For example, > >> rural electric cooperatives like Corn Belt Energy, and muncipal- > >> owned power companies, like the one in Springfield, are not > >> regulated by the ICC. > >> > >> Normal Signs Agreement With Illinois Power > >> After losing a lawsuit and appeal to the town of > >> Normal over tree-trimming, Illinois Power signed > >> an agreement earlier this week to work closely > >> with Normal's arborist in tree-trimming this fall. > >> Several areas of Normal have not been trimmed > >> for ten (10) years. Begining in September, residents > >> will see IP crews around town working under the > >> municipality's direction beginning in September. > >> Help us monitor tree-trimming by reporting/checking > >> www.geocities.com/trimupdate/ > >> > >> New Tariff > >> Get ready for the new tariff which should be appearing > >> this fall. Although the municipalities, the utilities, CUB, > >> and IPCUTSOT resolved many areas of disagreement, > >> two key areas remain. Unfortunately, we remain under > >> Rutherford's 'gag order'. Illinois' regulation of utility > >> easements is a very complex issue, and we hope that > >> clarification of utility easements will be on the agenda. > >> > >> Next Mailing > >> We're still mailing out copies of "Power Utilities & > >> Tree-Trimming in Illinois" which explains HB 1776's > >> affect on your property rights and what you can do to > >> preserve those rights. You can pick up copies at the > >> Champaign and Urbana libraries, the Ecology Action > >> Center in Normal, the Anita Purves Nature Center > >> in Urbana, Common Ground food store, the Farmers' > >> Market (ISEN table), and at ISEN's offices in Urbana. > >> > >> Save Our Trees! > > > > _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp From alice_redqueen at hotmail.com Thu Aug 30 16:49:54 2001 From: alice_redqueen at hotmail.com (Pauline Bartolone) Date: Sun Feb 8 04:14:32 2004 Subject: [Trees] Fwd: IPCUTSOT and EAC Message-ID: >From: Gretchen Knapp >To: gknapp@mtco.com >Subject: IPCUTSOT and EAC >Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 13:11:15 -0500 > >Howdy Concerned Citizens! > >Update on Proposed Change in Fiscal Agent >Yesterday I met with the Ecology Action Center >Board in Normal to discuss the request to transfer >our IPCUTSOT funds from ISEN, our current >fiscal agent, to the EAC. The board members had >legal questions, which I was able to answer due to >an email letter sent to me by our attorney, John >MacMahon (thank you, John). The board is still >waiting to hear from their attorney, Todd Bugg, >who had been contacted about this matter in July. >Thus, the matter was tabled until the next meeting, >which is scheduled for September 15. I have been >nominated to the board and will serve as IPCUTSTOT's >liaison to EAC should the board agree with our request. > >Tree-trimming to Increase in Normal in September >Reliable sources indicated that IP has resumed trimming >in Normal after a long self-imposed moratorium. The >trimming is under the supervision of Normal and by >their guidelines set out in the tree-trimming ordinance. >IP so far (to our knowledge) followed the HB 1776 guidelines >of notifying customers with letters and hangtags. Both the >town and IP have heard from property owners who want >to be present when their trees are trimmed. Stay tuned >for how IP handles this, as in the past the wishes of >property owners frequently have been neglected by the crews. > >Still Waiting for the Tariff >As summer begins to fade into autumn, we are still waiting >for the new tariff. > >New Email Address!! >Please note that effective immediately the new email address >for IPCUTSOT is gknapp@mtco.com. Please update your >address book. Thanks! _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp