Arkansas legislator proposes power line study

— After a winter storm left some Arkansas homes and businesses without power for the better part of a week, a legislator wants the state to study whether most power lines should be placed underground.

Rep. Jon Woods of Springdale says he was alarmed that power was out to some Arkansans for a week after a Christmas blizzard. He said society is too dependent on electronic communications to not consider changing the power grid.

The storm left more than 260,000 electric customers without power for a time, and some didn’t see service restored until New Year’s Day.

The state’s largest utility, Entergy Arkansas, says looking at underground lines is a logical move but that its studies show that it wouldn’t be feasible to move existing power lines underground.

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