NSTAR sent nearly identical letters to Eastham and Wellfleet late Wednesday afternoon announcing it would postpone spraying herbicides along power lines in these towns until June 2010. Eastham town officials expressed opposition to the spraying in a meeting with NSTAR August 19. Wellfleet followed suit September 1. Both towns have proposed legislating town-wide bans on the use of herbicides and pesticides. David Polson, the power company’s Vegetation Management Manager, wrote in these letters that NSTAR is, “in a good faith effort,” allowing the towns to “explore” their “options.” Polson added that if the towns should fail to develop a plan to remove vegetation along power lines, NSTAR maintains its right to spray herbicides beginning in June 2010.
NSTAR spokesman Mike Durand said in a telephone conversation today that crews have finished brush-clearing work along power lines in Bourne and Falmouth and will move into Orleans by mid-October. ”We do plan to treat the right of way in Orleans,” he said. Orleans, he explained, has not filed a complaint with NSTAR about the spraying program. I could not reach Orleans town Administrator John Kelly for comment.
NSTAR did not include the Outer Cape towns of Truro and Provincetown in its 2009 Yearly Operating Program (YOP). These towns were therefore excluded from plans to spray along power lines. NSTAR selects towns to treat based on a rotating schedule. NSTAR spokesman Durand wrote in an email that the power company had yet to finalize a YOP for 2010.
Postscript: NSTAR representative Mike Durand emailed me calling for a clarification of my use of the word “complaint.” I asked him during a phone call earlier today if he had heard anything from Orleans. He said he had not. He wrote me to say that he took my question generally, and if the question was general, he had not heard any anything. We did not speak of “complaints.” My question was more specific and in the context of asking about other Outer Cape towns that might or might not have organized to oppose the spraying. When Durand answered “no,” I took him to mean that Orleans had not filed a legal complaint.
