Billboard Company Cuts Down Taxpayer Trees
by Christine Stuart | June 13, 2008 11:16 AM
Posted to Environment
The billboard industry has taken a few hits this year.
It started with Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s announcement that she will not renew the leases of billboards located on state property. And now the state is suing, Lamar Advertising, one of the largest billboard companies in the state, for clear-cutting 83 mature trees, so its billboard near Interstate 84 in Waterbury would be more visible to highway traffic.
In this lawsuit filed earlier this week, the Attorney General’s office, alleges that more than a year ago, Lamar Advertising clear cut 83 “mature trees owned by the taxpayers of the State of Connecticut solely for the economic gain resulting from improved visibility.”
In a phone interview earlier this week Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said his office made efforts to resolve the issue and asked Lamar to cooperate by helping repair the environment before it filed the lawsuit.
“Lamar’s unconscionable disregard decimated a vital buffer between nearby homes and a major interstate highway. Repairing this needless environmental and aesthetic harm will require years and resources,” Blumenthal said in a press release Friday.
The lawsuit says the trees formed a natural barrier between Interstate 84 and abutting properties “providing natural shade to the public while driving and natural aesthetic beauty to the roadside and surrounding landscape.”
The lawsuit claims Lamar had a permit to trim some of the trees near the billboard, but did not have permission to cut down trees and shrubs in the area where the 83 trees were located.
Comments (3)
Posted by: John R. McCommas | June 15, 2008 4:53 PM
"Environmental Damage". They are just trees. They didn't spill oil or anything of that sort.
Sounds like a misunderstanding to me. Lets not make a mountain out of a mole hill.
Oh wait. To late.
Posted by: Mike | June 16, 2008 11:12 AM
Richie grabs any opportunity to get some tube time. Important things like lowering the speed limit to save fuel won't get him that.
Posted by: lothar | June 17, 2008 1:22 PM
If someone had come to my backyard and began cutting down trees that buffered my property from the highway, a lawsuit might have been the kindest thing that I might have contemplated. I would accept nothing less than the replanting of fully grown trees at the expense of the billboard company.