Landowners to BPA: Move That Power Line!
Showing some new found activist muscle, a group of landowners rallied outside the headquarters of Bonneville Power this morning. Calling themselves A Better Way For BPA, the group is trying to influence the route of a proposed high voltage power line in SW Washington.
BPA wants to build a 500 kilovolt power line from Castle Rock, Wash. to Troutdale, Oregon. That a distance of roughly 70 miles. But depending on the route that’s chosen, thousands of landowners could be impacted. Some will be forced from their homes. Others will find themselves living next to 80-150 foot transmission towers.
One of the group leaders, Mike Schmauch, says they’re not trying to stop the power from being built. But they want BPA to keep it as far away as possible from populated areas. Their concerns include the health of people who’ll live near the line, how it will impact threatened and endangered species, and the effect on their property values. They also say BPA hasn’t done enough to keep people informed about the project and are asking for another 60 days for people to comment.
VIDEO: Mike Schmauch talks about where the power line should be located.
What are some of the options?
One possibility the group wants is following an existing BPA transmission line to the west. This moves a large section of the power line into Oregon. Another they support is moving the route towards the east where it would affect only a small number of landowners, but would cut through federal and private forests. The citizens group also wants BPA to consider burying the line.
Mark Korsness, the Project Manager for BPA, spent close to 30-minutes taking questions from the group after the rally was over. He says BPA is paying attention to their concerns and is trying to avoid forcing people from their homes. He says the options of moving the route further west or east are being looked at.
But his comments were also lacking many of the details the landowners were hoping to get from BPA. They wanted to know when they’ll find out if their property is on the short list of routes. They also had questions about the strength of the electromagnetic fields that will be produced by the power lines and how that might affect their health.
Korsness said a lot of those questions will be answered when the Draft Environmental Impact Statement is released, probably in March of 2011. A final decision could come in 2012.
Video: Mark Korsness talks with members of A Better Way For BPA
Sadly, the further they located the powerline from human populations, the more likely they are to intrude on the most intact habitat on federal lands. Proximity to humans means degraded habitat, and conversely lands most distant from human impacts represents the most intact habitat. Maybe there’s a happy medium. Not through urban areas, nor through federal lands.
Dear Dennis,
Thank You for your post.
As Doug Fir posted above actually much of the property in Dole Valley is intact habitat on private land since the 162 acre tree farm, behind my property has been logged many times and does not as contain a dense intact ecosystem. Surrounding DNR lands have also been logged. My property on Line#29 the farthest East line to date is listed Riparian Priority Habitat as are many of my neighbors. Many of us have protected, cared for, and kept these properties naturally intact. Mine contains a 50 year old Alder Canopy over a natural year round creek bed, seasonal creek and marsh, a large standing 600 year old fir snag, many other ancient trees some standing, some not. Clark County Endangered species including Larch Mountain salamanders, Cimicifuga elata(tall bugbane), Corydalis aquae-gelidae(Clackamas corydalis), Lomatium bradshawii(Bradshaw’s lomatium) plus 3 more pages of plants, animals, birds, etc. It is a very dense ecosystem and though it is only over 5 acres it contains plants and animals not present elsewhere in Clark County, WA. often. this project will potentially effect the whole East Fork of the Lewis River Watershed which could be detrimental to man and animals future. Because of the I-5 Corridor Project I have applied to be a Botanical Sanctuary with United Plant Savers in effort to share the deep value of what exists here, my prayer would be for no power line but am learning it is very challenging to get people to listen to concerns about Nature and the ecosystem. Any suggestions would be GREATLY APPRECIATED and acted on. After the computers, air conditioners and appliances these lines will run have long been rotting in a garbage pile somewhere we may come to realize these natural areas that may look messy and unimportant to many are full of life’s essentials for us all. The BPA I-5 Corridor Project has taught me I must do everything in my power to help people see the difference between power lines and the power in our environment. There is a great article in Prevention on Dirty Electricity that should make everyone think as well.
We live on route 35 which connects to 29. We, too, have left our land mostly intact and have just recieved letters that any trees over 27″ will need to be taken down, and we also have the Endangered salamander on our property with a year round creek (feeding into the Little Washougal River, which starts on an adjacent property).
The children who live and play on the proposed routes have every bit of as much right to a healthy environment as any animal or tree, especially given that only 4% of the state of Washington is habitated by humans (96% of our state is already given to animals, trees, fish, etc.). The proposed routes go over the largest sports complex in the city that is used nearly year round by children, will pass dangerously close to at least one elementary school as well as the areas of intact environment.
The simple answer is that humans have as much rights to the least amount of pollution be it noise, sight or air, as any other living entity and to not be exposed to constant radiation. Animals will simply move away from that extremely small relative space, whereas as property owners in a bad economy we have no where else to go (and new lines will devalue our property even more). Most of the DNR land where a route further East would go will is scheduled to be logged anyway, and they are currently logging it as I type this comment. The relative damage would be extemely minimal.
My husband and I have property that is now on the proposed BPA list, which logged less than 20 years ago but has rebounded nicely and is full of wildlife…..and also happens to be owned by my family and inhabited by my animals. There are plenty of open areas on our mountain but the proposed route goes right over the top of all the homes on our side of the road, thus making valueless any homes on the opposite side as well as taking away ours. It is almost like they were trying to infuriate everyone on our mountain, not plan a feasible power line.
Needless to say, property values on my street have plummetted. Our much needed projects are certainly on hold and I’m kicking myself for planting all those trees last year. And we have to wait two years to find out any further news?
Thanks BPA. We love putting our lives on hold while you sort out who will protest the most or loudest, the environmentalists or the homeowners. The needs of Oregon and Washington are not being served, they need to find a better way.