AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — Xcel Energy has responded to claims by the Lonestar Eleven Coalition regarding neglected utility poles that could pose a fire threat.
Salem Abraham, a consultant for the coalition, said, “Xcel can tell that story that everything’s fine. But when you go look at poles, you’ll start finding rotten poles as we have. And we think it’s a big problem.”
Adrian Rodriguez, president of Xcel Energy of Texas and New Mexico, addressed the coalition’s concerns, stating, “We have a poll replacement program that relies on the experts that we have on our teams. In fact, you see many of them on the polls and wires. They live and work in the communities that they serve, and they have a vested interest in making sure that these polls are safe. We also utilize a third-party evaluator who will also check the polls.”…