If they tear up your yard past the evesment or whatever then they MUST pay you..just like the oil companies that tear thru peoples yards to get to their evesments
Make sure you have pictures/videos and everything, if they damage/destroy your tree/trees maybe a judge will give you some cash in a civil lawsuit
They are there to trim the trees away from the power lines
But no...they DO NOT have the right to go thru your private property to get to their evesement w/o compensation
http://law.onecle.com/texas/utilities/181.102.00.html
read this case..it might help you§ 181.102. AUTHORITY TO INSTALL AND MAINTAIN
EQUIPMENT. (a) In an unincorporated area, a person in the business
of providing community antenna or cable television service to the
public may install and maintain equipment through, under, along,
across, or over a utility easement, a public road, an alley, or a
body of public water in accordance with this subchapter.
(b) The installation and maintenance of the equipment must
be done in a way that does not unduly inconvenience the public using
the affected property.
http://supreme.courts.state.tx.us/Histo ... 010291.PDF
ftp://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-inf ... ls/utl.pdf