How to Successfully Negotiate with Electric Utilities on Transmission Right of

Way Vegetation Management.

Nelsen R. MoneyNRM-VMS,INC

Who can benefit from this Presentation

•Cities•States•Counties•Federal Agencies – US Forest Service, BLM, National Parks

•Wildlife refuges

Facts About the Blackout

The Sky is falling

Fines can be a High as a Million Dollars

•Mitigation can be Millions of Dollars

Legal Documents That Allow the Utility to do Their Work– What They

Really Mean

• Easements—what do they say and not say• Franchise--- What is maintenance• Fee Strip ownership—Utility Owned Right of Way• Special Permits– Federal Forests, Wildlife Areas, National Parks

• Prescriptive

NERC Facts

Sag Clearance

Inside Utility Stakeholders Media

Representatives

Governmental Relations

Environmental

Vegetation Management

Customer care

• Zero NERC Compliance Issues

• Zero Outages• Lowest Cost

• We have the Rights….• We don’t Need to Ask for

Permission• Why Can’t Everyone in

the Utility Support Us

• Zero NOV’s• Environmental

Image• Why Can’t

the Vegetation Managers Try to Get Along

• All They do is Destroy the Environment

Zero Conflicts in the News PaperZero Conflicts on the Local Channels

Not Good at Creating “Good News Stories”

• No Problems with local, state and Federal Officials

• No Problems with Agencies

• No Townhall Meetings

• Why Can’t Veg Mgt Get Along with Communities

• Not in my Backyard

Transmission Tree Removal in City Council Newsletter

All Customers are Happy• Individual

Customers• Business

Customers• Community

Customers• Why Can’t Veg

Mgt. keep my Customers Happy.

• It is “ALL” about Customer Satisfaction.

WHAT is the TVMP• It is not Etched in Stone• It is Amendable

Options for a Cycle Approach ---- 1--- 5 years

Mitigations•Trees, shrubs, landscaping•Land Exchanges•Purchase of Mitigation Lands

•Recreation Management

Budgets are Annual and Future Funding is Available

Utilities have Non-profit foundations

Right of Way Stewardship Accreditation

• PRINCIPLE #3: COMMUNITY RELATIONS The IVM program provides for outreach to affected communities and stakeholders. • CRITERION 3.1: Public Education Stakeholders are apprised of the benefits of ROW Stewardship and IVM. • CRITERION 3.2: Stakeholder Engagement Stakeholders affected by proposed IVM operations are informed of the primary goals of reliability, assuring access and safety. The potential environmental and aesthetic effects of those operations, and potential stakeholder concerns are considered in management planning and operations.

Right of Way Stewardship Accreditation

Who Might Be The Next Electric Transmission to Be Accredited

Look to Leadership Examples

Success looks Like This • Know your Rights• Know the Utility Internal and External Stakeholders

• Have Relationships/Partnership Before Problems Develop

• Have Examples of how Other Utilities Have Negotiated

• If Impacts are Extreme, Work Toward a Cycle Approach

• Recognize the Utilities Efforts in Press Release

The Path to Negotiations….

Know the Utilities Inner Circle of Stakeholders• Customer Care• Media• Governmental Relations• Environmental

Remember