Free Republic

To call Lev Rozin's back yard an urban paradise might be an exaggeration. But with its swimming pool, fig tree, ginger plants and rose bushes, it's a pleasant refuge. Some days, there's nothing finer than to kick back, watch Lord Axel, the Great Dane, frolic on the grass and listen to the wind in the power lines. Rozin's playground is CenterPoint Energy's right of way, and for years the relationship between the utility and Rozin's neighborhood has been congenial. With the company's permission, at least 22 residents on Twin Hills in southwest Houston extended their back yards onto the utility's...