Bury power lines
I read with interest the editorial titled "There's one good solution to utility's tree-trimming."
While I disagree with some of the laudatory statements regarding Dominion's vegetation management, it is on point about towns and cities needing to invest in the undergrounding of wires.
We don't have to look far to find a great example of a municipality that prioritized burying power lines. In 2004, Hilton Head Island set the goal of eliminating every overhead power line on the island. Over the ensuing 17 years, the island replaced all 3,574 poles with underground wires. The $34.8 million project was mostly funded by the 3% franchise fee charged to customers.
Besides improving the aesthetics of the island, the electric utility reports that the endeavor has improved reliability and has decreased the number of outages.
In Mount Pleasant, the town expects to collect $7.2 million this year from its 5% franchise fees on utility providers, including Dominion. The money is deposited into the town's general fund, which funds general town operations.
If we are serious about the health of our tree canopy and wish to get rid of the tree butchery that leaves our oak trees looking like something in a Dr. Seuss book, we should commit to such a systematic approach to burying power lines.
Each year, the town should chip away at the long process of putting lines underground, which can cost in excess of $3 million per neighborhood depending on the size and complexity of the project.
The people of Mount Pleasant clearly love the mature trees that are central to the character and the appeal of the town. They should demand that the fees they pay on their electric bill go toward solving the issue once and for all.
DANIEL BROWNSTEIN
Town Council member
Mount Pleasant
Kudos to Wilson
Last week's article by Post and Courier reporter Nick Reynolds appears to speak volumes for those criticizing S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson's trip to the Mexican border as being little more than a political stunt amid a broader national debate on immigration.
I thank Mr. Wilson, and believe the $2,647 for the trip was money well spent.
His critics who were quoted in the article appear to support the Harris-Biden's administration's immigration policies. They seem to want readers to believe that former President Donald Trump's policy supporters are cruel Americans who make it harder for people seeking the promise of America's prosperity. It's all political rhetoric.
DENNIS J. DONAHUE JR.
Isle of Palms
Not Wilson's job
Thursday's Post and Courier article questions S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson's spending of taxpayer money on cozying up to Republican attorney general buddies from other states at the border in Texas.
Perhaps another consideration of the attorney general's expenditures of our hard-earned tax dollars and his office's time should be his joining with the other Republican state attorneys general on just about every suit that they want to pick with the Biden administration's policies, regardless of its relevancy or importance to South Carolina taxpayers.
Alan Wilson isn't being paid by us to be a cheerleader for former President Donald Trump's extremism or to underwrite his own political ambitions.
DAVID FURCHGOTT
Charleston
Send us your letters
What's on your mind? Join our community conversations and let your voice be heard by writing a letter to the editor. Letters can be a maximum of 250 words, and are subject to editing for clarity, tone and libel. They must include the writer's name and city for publication, and a daytime telephone number for verification. Email your submissions to [email protected] or fill out the form on our online portal.
Sign up for our opinion newsletter Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings.
Sign Up!