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Cheh Wants To Look At Burying Some D.C. Power Lines

By: Matt McCleskey // July 11, 2012
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Strong storms brought down hundreds of power lines throughout the D.C. region on June 29. Now the D.C. Council is considering whether it's feasible to bury them.
Rebecca Cooper
Strong storms brought down hundreds of power lines throughout the D.C. region on June 29. Now the D.C. Council is considering whether it's feasible to bury them.

The D.C. Council is considering requiring Pepco to bury more power lines in the District, according to the Associated Press.

After strong storms blew across the region June 29 leaving many without electricity for days, lawmakers are again talking about the possibility of burying power lines. Proponents say it would help reduce outages  but while Pepco has said it's willing to look into the idea, the utility also says it would be very expensive. 

Ward 3 Council member Mary Cheh is proposing creating a commission that would identify parts of the city where lines could be buried. Her measure would pay for burying lines by levying a four percent assessment on electric bills in the city.

A separate bill from Ward 2 Council member Jack Evans would require Pepco to come up with a feasibility plan by year's end. 

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