In this episode (and at the suggestion of one of our subscribers- thanks Eric Owens at CNUC!) we interview Lewis Payne from the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the largest state-owned utility in the United States. Lewis (Lew) Payne is the Manager ROW/Environmental and a well-respected 30+ year veteran in the Transmission UVM industry.
During this thoughtful discussion, Lew discusses his work on a variety of topics ranging from pollinator habitat and IVM, to the way the transmission industry was influenced by the August 14, 2003 Northeast Blackout.
We hope that you find this episode of The UVM Podcast insightful. If you have any feedback on the episode or suggestions for topics you’d like us to cover in future episodes, please feel free to get in contact at podcast@utilityvegetationmanagement.com. A big thank you to this episode's sponsor, LiveEO.
Lew, Thank you for your leadership and communicating so effectively what IVM means for utilities, vegetation contractors and the broader community. We're all land managers and using vegetation to compete with incompatible species is good for everyone. The connection with the benefits this provides to pollinators is an aspect that is well understood in north America, but something we have to research further in Australia.. Thanks also to Nick and Steve for such an insightful podcast. Cheers, Steve