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Bluebonnet Cleared to Resume Working in Bastrop County Burn Area

January 10, 2012

For Immediate Release:                                          Contact: Will Holford, 512-289-5982

Tuesday, January 10, 2012                                                        Janet Wilson, 512-750-5483

Bluebonnet Cleared to Resume Working in Bastrop County Burn Area

BASTROP – Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative today was cleared by federal officials to resume working in the area affected by the September 2011 fires in Bastrop County. Work was temporarily stopped last week by the Federal Emergency Management Agency while officials determined the impact it would have on the endangered Houston Toad. Officials from Bluebonnet, FEMA and other federal, state and local government agencies met today to resolve issues around working in the toad’s habitat damaged by last year’s fires.

“Effective immediately, Bluebonnet will get back to work connecting power to our members, clearing trees and picking up debris in the area affected by the Bastrop County fires,” said Will Holford, spokesman for Bluebonnet. “As always, we will follow the best management practices according to our habitat conservation plan. We have many years of experience working in the Houston Toad habitat and we’re committed to protecting it.”

Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of the largest electric cooperatives in Texas and has been serving its members since 1939. Bluebonnet serves more than 81,000 meters and owns and maintains 11,000 miles of power lines, located across more than 3,800 square miles within 14 Central Texas counties. Bluebonnet’s service area stretches from Travis County to Washington County, and from Milam County down to Gonzales County. For more information about Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, go to www.bluebonnetelectric.coop and follow the co-op on Facebook, Twitter and The Bluebonnet Blog at blog.bluebonnetelectric.com.