Connecticut lawmakers push new way for residents to flag double utility poles

Connecticut lawmakers heard testimony on Thursday regarding a bill addressing the state’s “double utility pole” problem.

Double poles are the case where a damaged or older utility pole remains standing next to its replacement for months, or even years. The lingering poles can pose hazards and create eyesores in neighborhoods across the state.

The legislative discussion happened about a month after NBC Connecticut Investigates reported that the state could have as many as 21,000 double poles.

Residents who live near the eyesores say the hardest part can be figuring out how to take action to remove them.

Essex resident Lon Seidman told NBC Connecticut Investigates that neighbors often have to push the process themselves.

“It’s really unfortunately incumbent upon the neighborhood to take action and contact the utility regulators, who then get things moving,” Seidman explained.

That frustration is part of what is driving the proposed legislation. The bill introduced by the legislature’s Energy and Technology Committee would, among other things, establish an electronic system. This system would allow any person to submit a report of the double poles.

Supporters said the goal is to help utility companies and regulators identify problem locations sooner, before the poles and equipment linger for years.

Sen. Majority Leader Bob Duff (D), who supports the bill, said he has dealt with the issue in his Norwalk district and has had double poles on his own street for a long time.

Duff said the issue can persist even when residents believe it’s been identified.

“I think it sat there for 10 years before I had it, and I finally called the utility that owned it. It said that it wasn’t even on [their] list,” Duff said.

Connecticut already has a program aimed at reducing double poles, and state leaders have been working on the issue for more than a decade.

But some leaders have raised concerns that current efforts can’t keep up with the scope of the problem statewide.