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Petition to Protect 200+ Graham Hill Road Trees Facing PG&E Ax

by via Valley Women's Club of San Lorenzo Valley
June 11, 2016 - The Valley Women's Club of San Lorenzo Valley is circulating a petition to stop PG&E's removal of scores of trees along Graham Hill Road between Santa Cruz and Felton. The Valley Women's Club of San Lorenzo Valley announced the following message: "The Valley Women's Club Environmental Committee will present this letter and the current total number of supporters at the Santa Cruz County Supervisor's meeting at 9:30am Tuesday 6/14/16. Please support our aim to slow down the PG&E process and allow citizen input. Graham Hill RD is a beautiful forested entry to our Valley--help us keep it that way safely!"
Sign petition: https://www.change.org/p/robin-musitelli-100-graham-hill-rd-trees-face-pge-ax-return-by-monday-nite-for-6-14-9-30-supe-s-meeting
redwoods.jpg
Text of Petition:

200 + Graham Hill Rd Trees Face PGE Ax- return by Monday nite for 6/14 9:30 Supe's meeting

Dear County Supervisors, local City Council Members, and City and County Staff:

I am a resident of Santa Cruz County. I am writing about PG&E’s recent announcement that they intend to remove trees along Graham Hill Road as part of a pipeline safety project. I understand that they have designated 1,836 trees for inspection and possible removal. The current estimate (it varies and is subject to change) of how many they actually intend to remove appears to be between 200-300 trees. The types of trees that are slated for possible removal include 76 Ponderosa Pines, 56 Redwoods and 746 Coast Live Oaks. Many of these trees are tall, beautiful, and growing next to Henry Cowell State Park.

PG&E claims the right to decide what to cut and where. After their negligence in the San Bruno Pipeline disaster (which had nothing to do with vegetation) PG&E claims they need a continuous strip of cleared land over gas transmission lines. This is more than what is necessary for gas line safety. In a meeting recently held at Brook Knoll School they explained that the tree removal is so that they can continue to pump gas while working on a damaged pipeline. An alternative and equally viable procedure would be to shut down the pipeline, evacuate the gas, fix the pipe, and relight pilot lights. This would significantly reduce the number of trees that need to be cut. I am concerned that PG&E is over-estimating the pipeline risk and under-estimating the damage to our environment.

I am deeply concerned about the negative impacts that the PG&E Pipeline project will have on our community, wildlife, water, air and long–term health and safety, especially during this time of intensifying climate change. I am writing to request that the County and the four cities within the County coordinate to create a framework agreement with PG&E that makes sure our needs and our local and state environmental laws and ordinances are respected and which establishes specific guidelines for potential tree removal and mitigation. I also want PG&E to mark trees that are scheduled for removal to facilitate communication about this process. PG&E plans to start killing our community’s trees within the next month so the need now to act is urgent. I understand that the City of Palo Alto is currently working on such an agreement in coordination with local environmental organizations. The City of Walnut Creek and the City of Hayward also have such agreements. Santa Cruz County is also worthy of such an agreement and community involvement.

Sign petition:
https://www.change.org/p/robin-musitelli-100-graham-hill-rd-trees-face-pge-ax-return-by-monday-nite-for-6-14-9-30-supe-s-meeting

The Valley Women's Club of San Lorenzo Valley
https://www.facebook.com/valleywomensclub/
§Item #36 on the BOS (Consent) Agenda for the 6/14/2016 meeting
by SC Board of Supervisors
Direct the Public Works and Planning Department staff to draft guidelines for the review of trees in the county public right-of-way identified by PG&E for removal; direct County Counsel and the Department of Public Works to work with PG&E to draft an agreement with specific guidelines for the removal and mitigation of any trees in the public right-of-way, as recommended by Supervisor McPherson and Supervisor Leopold

Board Letter

Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has undertaken an ambitious Community Pipeline Safety Initiative to remove trees, vegetation and structures along its 6,750-mile high-pressure natural gas transmission pipeline in California to improve emergency access and safety.

In Santa Cruz County, the company proposes to initially remove trees along 60 miles of high-pressure gas transmission lines. Hundreds of trees in the unincorporated road rights-of-ways (ROW) in the county are proposed to be removed, with the highest concentration along the Graham Hill Road corridor between Santa Cruz and Felton where about 300 trees have been deemed “unacceptable.”

An undisclosed number of trees on private property are also proposed to be removed. PG&E is negotiating and entering into separate agreements with private property owners.

PG&E is confident that their internal analyses are sufficient justification for the proposed work. The company plans to start work without any outside environmental impact assessments and/or environmental impact reports made available for public comment.

While we appreciate that PG&E must have the ability to maintain, inspect and operate its system, and support measures to ensure pipeline safety, a number of our local constituents, have deep concerns about the negative impacts of PG&E’s actions concerns that are shared by other Bay Area communities. Community member’s concerns go far beyond the aesthetics of losing trees. Concerns have been raised regarding the impacts on water, road stability, water, air, wildlife, and long-term health and safety.

They also have questioned the science PG&E has used in concluding the trees are a significant threat to the transmission lines and whether trees have ever inhibited access to transmission lines in any significant way during an emergency. Based on some research, tree roots perform a beneficial role along the transmission lines by stabilizing the pipeline especially in certain types of soils as well as along earthquake faults and surrounding areas.

We, as County Supervisors, have been asked for input regarding mitigations for the removed trees, either payment or replacement trees. However, a comprehensive assessment of all the trees on county property or within our ROW identified by PG&E to be removed has not taken place. Additionally, we would like the opportunity to review the analyses used by PG&E to identify trees for removal. Mitigation in the First and Fifth Districts alone, involves work in riparian corridors, a county park, and on federally protected Sandhill parkland habitat. We would like the opportunity to coordinate with all Districts to fully assess the impacts.

We propose that the project be put on hold here as well while the County creates a framework agreement with PG&E that makes sure our needs and our local and state environmental regulations are met.

The agreement should incorporate specific guidelines for potential removal and mitigations. We would also ask that all trees proposed for removal from the County right-of-way be reviewed by the County with the intent to minimize the number to those that present a clear and verified safety concern that cannot otherwise be mitigated.

It is therefore recommended that our Board direct the Public Works and Planning Department staff to draft guidelines for the review of trees in the county public right-of-way identified by PG&E for removal, and to direct County Counsel and the Department of Public Works to work with PG&E to draft an agreement with specific guidelines for the removal and mitigation of any trees in the public right-of-way.

Public Discussion

The only environmental assessment of this massive tree removal (that amounts to a full forest of trees) was done internally by PG&E. Any other project in the County with such a huge environmental impact (including the danger of significant erosion along Graham Hill) would require a published environmental report that includes public input. These trees are on County property. The City of Palo Alto responded to this same issue by requiring PG&E to submit all trees proposed for removal for their review so the City could assess the environmental impact and minimize trees removed to only those that present a clear and verified safety concern that cannot otherwise be mitigated. Please to assure Santa Cruz County has this same consideration from PG&E! Please direct County Counsel to create specific guidelines that include a separate independent and thorough environmental review and considers all environmental issues (including the effects on wildlife habitat) and erosion issues before removal of any tree on County property. Thank you for assuring that the environment and safety and beauty of our community are maintained to the greatest extent possible and that this (and any future) proposed cutting of trees by PG&E will be properly and carefully evaluated and minimized to the greatest extent possible. (Posted by Jennifer Parks 2 days ago)

http://santacruzcountyca.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_Meeting.aspx?ID=1024
§Videos of PG&E presentation facilitated by Supervisor McPherson
by via Michael Parks
PG&E Graham Hill Road Tree Plan - Part 1
https://youtu.be/lXPea75yYnQ

PG&E Graham Hill Road Tree Plan - Part 2
https://youtu.be/LowXIxW2djc

PG&E Graham Hill Road Tree Plan - Part 3
https://youtu.be/bkpLadyFIgc

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