June 27, 2007
California

Chino Hills will fight power line expansion

CHINO HILLS – The City Council voted Tuesday evening to help its residents fight Southern California Edison’s proposal to expand transmission lines, some of which border homes in the city.

The 3-0 vote was anticipated by the nearly 150 residents who showed up to gain the city’s support.

As a result, authorization was given for the city manager and city attorney to spend $600,000 to hire a consultant to review Edison’s project and propose alternatives.

The consultant will also assist the city in preparing a protest to the project, which may include the request for a hearing.

The protest must be filed within 30 days from Edison’s application.

By Friday, Edison is expected to submit its application to the California Public Utilities Commission for expanded power lines.

Edison is seeking PUC approval to upgrade and expand 170 miles of power lines from Mojave to Mira Loma as part of a $1.8 billion project to deliver electricity generated by wind power in Tehachapi Pass in Kern County.

As a result, several miles of now-inactive transmission lines would be used to carry this electrical load. Also, the height of the existing towers would be increased.

Residents have voiced several concerns about the power line project, ranging from aesthetics to noise to house values to possible effects from electromagnetic fields.

Jeanette Short, who lives within 125 feet of Edison’s towers and easement, said the lines have been inactive for the 15 years she has lived there.

Short is one of the residents involved in an organization called Citizens for Alternate Routing of Electricity.

“We’re networking amongst ourselves for support to help oppose the route that Edison is using,” Short said.

Alis Clausen, manager of public involvement for the project, said the proposed Chino Hills route is Edison’s easement.

“The reason it was selected is because we had an existing right-of-way, which minimizes environmental impact,” she said.

The proposal plans to increase the current towers that run through the city between Grand Avenue and Carbon Canyon Road from their current inactive 220-kilovolt single-transmission line to a 500-KV double-circuit line.

The towers would also increase in size from 120 to 140 feet, to between 150 and 195 feet.

Edison must bring in a significant amount of renewable energy to comply with a series of laws and rules, which include increasing its renewable energy production to 20 percent by 2010.

Construction of the power-line project would begin in 2009 and be completed in 2013.

Mayor Gwenn Norton-Perry and Councilman Peter Rogers did not vote because they both live within the residential area of Edison’s proposed project.

By Shelli DeRobertis, Staff Writer

dailybulletin.com

26 June 2007


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/06/27/chino-hills-will-fight-power-line-expansion/