Under the new Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Program, AEP will pay qualified private property owners to maintain their transmission line right-of-way in a manner that will support and enhance wildlife diversity, according to Mike Chedester, AEP forestry supervisor.
Because AEP must manage tall plant growth within its easements to provide safe and reliable service to customers, the company maintains its rights-of-way on a regular schedule. Many of those rights-of-way already provide good wildlife food and cover because crews selectively cut tall-growing trees and leave small shrubs, herbaceous growth and grasses. But with some additional effort by property owners, those rights-of-way could be enhanced even more to provide food, cover, nesting and brooding areas, travel corridor and edge.
Under the new program, AEP has developed a cost-sharing plan for property owners willing to enhance wildlife habitat near power lines crossing their property. The company will provide 80 percent of the cost to improve wildlife habitat, to a maximum of $300 per acre. AEP will also provide an additional $100 per acre to property owners who maintain the right-of-way for at least five years. Each participating land owner can receive a maximum of $2,000.
The DOW will provide technical expertise to property owners on how best to develop their land, Chedester said. Land biologists will visit the property and determine what wildlife species it is best suited to support. Then they will provide specific recommendations for habitat development. Recommendations could include selective clearing of tall growth, selective retention of small shrubs, grasses and herbaceous growth, and planting of new wildlife food and cover crops.
To qualify for the program landowners must own property crossed by a transmission line, currently have tall-growth vegetation in the easement that needs to be controlled, and be able to devote at least a 100-foot-wide swath of the easement to wildlife habitat, Chedester said.
A similar agreement has been made in Virginia and West Virginia.
American Electric Power is a multinational energy company based in Columbus, Ohio. AEP owns and operates more than 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity, making it America’s largest generator of electricity. The company is also a leading wholesale energy marketer and trader, ranking second in the U.S. in electricity volume with a growing presence in natural gas. AEP provides retail electricity to more than 7 million customers worldwide and has holdings in the U.S. and select international markets. Wholly owned subsidiaries are involved in power engineering and construction services, energy management and telecommunications.
Contact:
Deb Strohmaier
Ohio Corporate Communications Manager
614/629-5027
Deb Strohmaier
Ohio Corporate Communications Manager
614/629-5027