Edison power line challenge in the wind
Beset by complaints from residents of the Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to challenge Southern California Edison’s construction of the nation’s largest wind transmission project.
At issue are the high-voltage electric transmission lines that would be erected to deliver electricity from wind and solar farms in Kern County to Southern California residents. The supervisors directed the County Counsel’s Office to challenge the legality of the California Public Utility Commission’s approval of the project.
“We have a problem because Edison is placing their high power lines right through communities and there are other areas where they could locate them that would not severely impact the residents,” county Supervisor Michael Antonovich said. “As a result, we are asking Edison to do what is best and right in protecting the public health of our communities by moving these power lines outside of residential areas.”
The CPUC voted Dec. 17 to approve Edison’s application to build a series of high-voltage electric lines that would carry enough power to supply nearly 3 million homes. The utility has already started work on three of the eight segments.
The project crosses portions of the Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys, the Angeles National Forest, San Gabriel Valley and ends in Ontario.
When completed, it will be part of a $1.8 billion program to provide high-voltage transmission infrastructure necessary to deliver power from the Tehachapi project.
“Not only will this project significantly increase the supply of clean, renewable power, it will also provide much needed jobs in Southern California,” Edison spokesman Les Starck said.
But residents of northern Los Angeles County say the power lines will increase the risk of fire, ruin the scenery, pose a health risk and split some properties in half.
“It seems to me Edison … is too big to care, too big to follow the rules and too big to do the right thing,” Leona Valley resident Lloyd Cook said.
By Troy Anderson, Staff Writer
LA Daily News
22 December 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
Some possibly related stories:
- Bill would halt high-voltage lines in Chino Hills
- Assemblyman, county officials oppose energy towers
- Chino hills continues fight over Edison line
- Commission sides with Edison on Chino Hills power line route
- City sues Edison over wind energy lines
- Edison sees difficulty ramping up use of renewable energy
The copyright of this article is owned by the author or publisher indicated. Its availability here constitutes a "fair use" as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law as well as in similar "fair dealing" exceptions of the copyright laws of other nations, as part of National Wind Watch's effort to advance understanding of the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development. For more information, click here.
