Negotiations between Lexington officials and Kentucky Utilities over the company’s controversial tree-cutting policies have reached a stalemate.
Kentucky Utilities’ clear-cutting of trees below transmission lines has vexed officials and neighborhoods alike since fall of 2020. When Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton met with Kentucky Utilities on Oct. 19, she asked them to put tree-cutting on temporary hold while compromises could be worked out. During a Nov. 23 Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council work session, Kentucky Utilities officials responded to the request, calling the hold unnecessary while considering only minor changes to their policy.
The company has been cutting down trees in urban areas that reach 15-feet since 2019. They claim they are considering allowing some trees slightly above that height to stand, but no more than that. Among Mayor Gorton’s requests from the October meeting were proposals for a re-vegetation plan and research into how tree removal impacts stormwater runoff and sinkhole formation.
Kentucky Utilities has not publicly addressed any of these requests. The only request she made that has been responded to is a request for better notification, which the company has accepted. Now, residents will be notified eight weeks in advance before trees are cut down.
Kentucky Utilities lies outside of Lexington’s jurisdiction, so the city has very little legal authority over the company’s practices. The Public Service Commission and the Kentucky Attorney Generals’ Office also lack the authority to enforce a change.
