ISIDORO “Sid” Tudela Cabrera, an agriculturist and agricultural consultant, said it is disappointing that the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. cut the foxtail palms planted below the power lines along the island’s main roads.
Cabrera said the foxtail palms “will not grow all the way up to the power line.”
He said he called CUC about it. “I was told that the they are cutting [the foxtail palms] because of the high-tension wire and Judge David Carter was coming for inspection.”
The judge is monitoring the enforcement of the stipulated orders lodged in the federal court by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice “to reform and bring into compliance [CUC’s] wastewater plants and collection systems, public drinking water systems, five power plants and an oil transfer pipeline.”
Cabrera said instead of just cutting the fox tail palms, CUC could have replanted them.
“They’re easy to transplant, but they’re gone now — we can’t do anything about it,” he added.
He said the foxtail palms were planted as part of the beautification projects in 2003.
Variety was unable to get a comment from CUC which regularly trims or cuts vegetation near power lines and poles.
Isidoro T. Cabrera
