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Oroville Residents Voice Tree-Cutting Concerns to PG&E

Pacific Gas and Electric is in the process of removing more than 200 trees in Oroville that sit along a gas pipeline. There has been some push back from residents, some of whom met with PG&E and city officials Monday.

North State Public Radio’s Matt Shilts was there.

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San Bruno changed everything.

That was the mantra from PG&E representatives at the public meeting in Oroville’s Centennial Cultural Center. In 2010, a PG&E gas main in the Bay Area city of San Bruno exploded, killing eight and destroying 38 homes. The blame for that one has fallen squarely on PG&E’s shoulders. It’s now taking a close look at its pipelines across the state.

Paul Moreno: “We need to reduce risk. And unfortunately, trees growing in close proximity to our natural gas lines pose a risk. And if we’ve identified that risk, we need to do something about it.”

That’s Paul Moreno, a spokesperson for PG&E. Other PG&E representatives repeated the message of risk aversion, saying the trees’ root systems could possibly interfere with a gas main that runs along Feather River Boulevard.

Oroville residents at the meeting, however, weren’t sold that the risk to the pipeline outweighed the benefits of the trees. 

Don Noble, who sits on the Feather River Recreation and Park District Board of Directors, said there wasn’t enough evidence that the trees needed to go immediately. And he said when PG&E officials were continually asked “Why now? What’s the rush?"

Noble: “…they really had no answer. So maybe there’s some logistical considerations or cost considerations. But, again, given that those trees have been there forever, they’re not an imminent threat.”

PG&E’s Joe Wilson added that whether or not they pose an imminent enough threat to come down will be decided within the week. The city has already approved the work.

For North State Public Radio, I’m Matt Shilts.