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ABSTRACT |
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TITLE: |
Integrated Resource Management for Electric Utility Transmission Rights-of-Way |
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AUTHOR(S): |
Doug Baker James Scouras
Jill Harriman |
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Increasing demands upon utilities
require a wider scope of operating principles and a broader set of
management processes. Traditionally, electric utilities have constructed
and maintained transmission facilities with a primary focus of delivering
a safe and reliable supply of power. More recently, utilities are
being pressured to expand their scope of management to address non-power
resources impacted by development and maintenance of electric transmission
rights-of-way (RoW). For example, in remote areas, management principles
are being challenged to become more compatible with the natural landscape;
whereas in urbanized landscapes, competing land uses are being incorporated
into management objectives. Integrated resource management (IRM)
is increasingly being applied as a conceptual model for addressing
multiple resource uses and land use conflict. IRM provides a dynamic,
strategic approach to decision-making. It seeks to identify and incorporate
a wider range of stakeholder values, resource management issues, and
promotes a broader, more holistic approach to solving problems. For
the electric utility, IRM provides an opportunity to incorporate non-power
issues into the scope of RoW management.
RoWs, as linear corridors, are unique features in a landscape
because they are imposed on a variety of ecosystems and communities.
The on-going management of these corridors impacts both social and
natural environments. The application of IRM methods to RoW maintenance will help shift the perception and treatment
of utility corridors from a necessary intrusion to a contributing
element of the landscape. This paper explores the applicability of
an IRM approach to this specific resource management challenge. |
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