Bill > H3564

This bill requires any public utility, state agency, or authority that manages land alongside roads or power lines (known as a "right-of-way") to offer municipalities and water districts the option of entering into a "no-spray agreement" for vegetation management. This agreement, if negotiated, would outline how vegetation is controlled without the use of pesticides, including who is responsible for the work, how costs are shared, and what happens if one party doesn't uphold their end of the deal. If an agreement can't be reached within 60 days of starting discussions, the dispute will be settled through arbitration, a process where a neutral third party or a panel of three arbitrators makes a decision. If a municipality or water district is offered a reasonable no-spray agreement but doesn't reach one within 90 days, the utility can then proceed with its preferred vegetation control methods, which may include approved pesticides. Similarly, if a municipality agrees to do the work but fails to complete it by the agreed-upon date, the utility can, after giving 90 days' notice, use its own methods. The bill's goal is to provide an alternative to pesticide use for vegetation control while still allowing utilities to maintain their rights-of-way if no agreement is reached.