Note: The following column was published by the Lapeer County Press on Saturday, March 21:

Last week was Severe Weather Awareness Week in Michigan, which focuses on educating the public on risks like tornadoes and floods and what families can do in case of an emergency.

Once again this spring, we have seen volatile weather across our state. Earlier this month, multiple tornadoes touched down in southwest Michigan, tragically resulting in four deaths and several injuries. One of the tornadoes was the strongest the state has seen since 1977, according to the National Weather Service. In northern Michigan, ice storms and snow have hampered communities, causing lengthy power outages and impassable roads.

My thoughts and sympathies are with everyone who has been impacted by these devastating events, and I appreciate the courageous work of first responders and line crews who are out in dangerous conditions protecting the public and restoring critical services.

There is no silver bullet to stop these storms from happening or the immense damage they can cause. But there are practical methods to help more people keep their lights and heat on, keep food from spoiling, and limit other things that impact our communities and cost people time and money when they do strike.

A bill I sponsored that recently passed overwhelmingly through the Michigan House provides a cost-effective and commonsense approach to maintaining our electrical infrastructure. While this measure alone will not solve all the problems associated with power outages that we see, the truth is that tree limbs often come down onto lines if they’re too close to them when the weather gets bad. We should be prioritizing mitigation efforts where we can.

My bill will allow utility companies, who are responsible for maintaining trees and vegetation in the right-of-way around power lines, to trim from the ground to the sky to ensure transmission reliability. While the Michigan Public Services Commission is responsible for setting standards that preserve service quality and reliability, there is no requirement for these standards to ensure trees are actually being maintained. This can create problems when things fall through the cracks, and cracked tree limbs fall on a power line.

This particular plan was introduced last year following another significant string of ice storms across the northern part of the state that snapped trees, significantly idled power grids and left tens of thousands of people without power. Some utility companies reported that almost all of their customers had lost power! I have introduced similar plans modifying guidelines for trimming trees and branches around power lines in previous terms in the House.

My plan is part of a commitment from House Republicans to establish greater energy reliability and accessibility, and I will share more on those efforts in the weeks ahead. Given the broad, bipartisan support this bill received when it went through House committees and our chamber, I am hopeful the Senate acts soon to help ensure more workers and families aren’t left in the dark when severe weather hits.