FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 28, 2009

Rita Gonzalez, Board Member of the DuPage County Board serving District 1 announced today her continued concerns about the poor tree maintenance performed by Commonwealth Edison (Com Ed) and its contractor Asplundh along private property and the trails in DuPage County.

Rita Gonzalez stated "I have officially filed a complaint with the IL Commerce Commission (ICC) on behalf of the citizens of District 1 and across DuPage County to enforce their regulations that utility companies trim the trees in a healthy manner. And I am asking that Com Ed suspend any further "trimming of the trees" in DuPage County until the ICC meets in a public hearing about the many thousands of trees damaged by Com Ed and its contractor Asplundh."

Rita Gonzalez explains "DuPage County and its nearly one million residents have suffered long enough from Com Ed's butchering of the trees along the trails owned by the taxpayers and along or in private property. Citizens in my district which includes the communities and townships of Addison, Bloomingdale, York, Elmhurst, Bensenville, Lombard, Roselle, Schaumburg, Itasca, Wood Dale, Villa Park, Medinah and Elk Grove and many others across DuPage County are fed up with the continued damage to their trees and trees in the public right-of-way by Com Ed and its contractor Asplundh. Com Ed's contractor (Asplundh) has chopped the tops off trees leaving no branches to grow instead of trimming them in a healthy manner as required by state regulations."

Rita Gonzalez suggests that the ICCs public hearing be held in DuPage County on an evening to allow its hard working citizens to attend. "This is serious matter. I have heard from citizens in District 1 and trail supporters from across DuPage County that wants this damage to the trees and their property values to stop. The ICC has the power to stop this damage and plans by Com Ed to wipe out all the trees and bushes along mile long stretches of both the IL Prairie Path and Great Western Trail and use herbicides to stop them from growing. These plans are extreme and the planned use of herbicides across such a large area of heavily populated and used trails is unprecedented. We need the ICC to ensure the public's health and best interests are protected before any trees, bushes and wildlife habitats are removed and sprayed with herbicides."

 Rita Gonzalez concluded that "I am also asking the other DuPage County Board members, DuPage County's Chairman Robert Schillerstrom and all the IL legislators that serve the nearly one million residents of DuPage County to also ask the ICC to both enforce their regulations for the healthy trimming of the trees and to support the public hearing I have proposed today."###

For more information DuPage County Board Member Rita Gonzalez may be reached at 630-456-1792 or email rita.gonzalez@dupageco.org.  Note complaints with the ICC may be filed online at website: http://www.icc.illinois.gov/consumer/complaint/wizard.aspx