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" Excluding the time they replaced the poles and lines in my area, I have only lost power for a few seconds(usually under 1 minute) under 5 times in over the past 14 years. The whole town has to go before it gets to me, as the substation near me feeds out to the others after my block. "

" but then the ground squirrels would make up for their above ground cousins. "

" is there no way in this day and age that the utility lines can be placed underground? "

" A squirrel chewed through the telephone wire and cut out the phone. It was trying to break in and get my Honey Bunches of Oats cereal! "

" I saw a squirrel on a power line the other day. I THINK he was carrying his nuts to a different tree. "

" The island of Guam has had a Brown Tree snake problem for years. And a government run electricity utility. So, when the power goes out, it's inevitably the Brown Tree snakes causing the problem. So, I think the only way the birds could be the problem is if the State of Illinois or the cities of B/N owned and operated the Utilities. Will anyone 'buy' that? "

" While a significant number of outages are caused by animals, animals don't cause the majority of outages, and the ones that they do cause are, generally, localized to one or two circuits. Ploy? no. Serious problem? Yes. This outage cost Ameren IP several thousands of dollars for repairs, a significant amount of overtime for the linesmen and a loss of revenue from some 3000 customers that would have gladly consumed electricity. Can the power distribution system outwit a 1.5 lb. squirrel?? Well, believe it or not, they have been trying for over 100 years. 100s of solutions have been tried, but squirrels seem to have an instinct for "suicide via substation" and have successfully circumvented the most ingenious devices designed to thwart their evil desires. "

" sounds like these substations cause more bird deaths than the windfarms! "

" You all sure do have stupid birds and "creatures" in Bloomington. I have never heard of any other place loosing power so much as I have with this company. You all should be running low on birds and "creatures" by now. "

" Sounds like another conspiracy being propogated by the spendocrats! "

" Yeah, ok!!!! (not) "

" I notice that outages are generally blamed on squirrels, raccoons, birds, etc. Born skeptic that I am, I also wonder if "hey - it's a squirrel - wasn't our fault; what ya gonna do?" isn't just a ploy to claim "act of God" and not have liability for outages. As sophisticated at the power distribution industry is can't they solve the squirrel problem? "