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MidAmerican Energy Employees to Plant 1,045 Trees in Iowa; Provide Safety Tips for Customers Preparing to Plant
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Tina Potthoff, Media Relations Manager, at 515-281-2585
Tim Grabinski, Director, Communication Planning, at 515-281-2343
DES MOINES, Iowa – (April 27, 2012) – On April 27, MidAmerican Energy Company employees will join volunteers from Living Lands & Waters to plant 1,045 landscape-quality trees near Big Creek Lake in Polk City, Iowa.
Through MidAmerican Energy’s Trees for Electronic Billing Program, $1 is donated to Living Lands & Waters, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to aid in the protection, preservation and restoration of the natural environment, for every customer who signs up for electronic bill notification. The funds are then used to plant trees in MidAmerican Energy’s service territory. In 2011, more than 36,500 customers chose to go paperless.
More than 130 volunteers will help plant trees at today’s event; approximately 26 volunteers are MidAmerican Energy employees.
The Trees for Electronic Billing Program began in 2008. Since then, 22,669 trees have been planted. Customers can sign up for the Trees for Electronic Billing Program by calling MidAmerican Energy at 888-427-5632 or by creating a Web account at www.midamericanenergy.com. After logging in, customers must select the tree icon or select Receive Bills Electronically in the View Bills section of the home page.
MidAmerican Energy reminds customers to be cautious of power lines and other electrical equipment when planting trees, shrubs and other foliage. Before beginning any project that requires digging, customers must call 811 to have underground utilities marked. Customers also must remember to look up before they plant. Only low-growing shrubs should be planted under electric lines. When vegetation grows too close to a power line or electrical equipment, it can cause power outages and may be dangerous.
Shrubs, trees, rock gardens, fences and structures should be kept at least 10 feet away from the access door of padmount transformers and three feet away from the other sides. Utility crews need access to the box to repair and maintain underground electric facilities. Customers may need to plant farther away from the transformer to allow space as the foliage matures. As plantings grow, customers should trim the foliage to maintain minimum clearance.
Additional planting information can be found on MidAmerican Energy’s website under Forestry Services.
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