Utilities Victorious in Case Asserting Utility Poles Should be Subject to Environmental Regulation
A federal appeals court ruled against the Ecological Rights Foundation in finding that utility poles should not be regulated under the Clean Water Act. With fewer customers per mile of line than the industry average, coops would have felt a disproportionate impact of any regulation. The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association filed a brief in this case supporting the position that preservatives in the wood used in utility poles are not point sources of pollution as defined under the Clean Water Act. Electric Co-op Today has the full story.