| East Bethel looking at regulating transmission and distribution lines |
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| Wednesday, 21 October 2009 | ||
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Staff writer To have some regulation over a proposed transmission line project, the city of East Bethel is looking at adopting a new ordinance.
The proposed ordinance, which is scheduled to appear for a vote on the Nov. 4 East Bethel City Council agenda, would require a work group to review the proposed route and alternatives and then a conditional use permit (CUP) application. The council stated its intention to look at an ordinance after City Administrator Douglas Sell discovered that the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) would not regulate the project because the double circuit 69 kV transmission line is less than the 100 kilovolts (kV) and above lines the PUC oversees. Great River Energy (GRE) of Maple Grove, which is a wholesale power company that serves 28 member co-ops in Minnesota, plans to construct the line in the fall of 2010 and energize the line in 2011. From the Athens Substation in Athens Township, the transmission line would head south on Hastings Street and to the Coopers Corner Substation in East Bethel. From the Coopers Corner Substation, the line briefly cuts east on 237th Avenue and southeast on Gopher Drive before heading east on 229th Avenue through East Bethel and into Linwood Township. The transmission line would briefly head south on Typo Creek Drive before ending at the Martin Lake Substation. The 10-mile transmission line route goes through Athens Township, East Bethel and Linwood Township, but the line would service people as far away as St. Francis and Cambridge, according to Peter Schaub, GRE senior field representative. GRE received a copy of the proposed ordinance, but has not had the chance to review it, said Lori Buffington, project communications specialist for GRE. “What really is important here is that Great River Energy wants to work with the city of East Bethel and that this project is needed...this is all about having the infrastructure in place to provide reliable electric service for the residents and businesses in the area, including the city of East Bethel,” Buffington stated in an e-mail to the Anoka County Union. Lou Cornicelli gave kudos to the city council for placing a 180-day moratorium on transmission line projects in May so it could step back and evaluate the situation. “As a resident, I was quite irritated with how I felt I was being treated,” Cornicelli said regarding a public meeting GRE held. “It was clear this was an afterthought and they weren’t prepared for the dialogue that was going to happen.” Proposed ordinance The proposed ordinance would allow the city of East Bethel to regulate transmission line projects over 25 kV and distribution lines of less than 25 kV. Before the CUP application process would even start, a work group comprising one council member, one member from each city commission, the city planner and at least one East Bethel resident would meet with the applicant to review the proposed project and alternative routes. The applicant must submit information to the work group to show the need and purpose of the transmission line, all the alternatives and the costs, alternative locations, how the needs could be met if the transmission line was not built and designation of the applicant’s preferred location. The city may retain an independent technical expert to assist the work group. The applicant would pay for this expert, but it would have up to five business days to reject the selected person. The applicant would have to go through an extensive CUP process and disclose information on the cost of the project, the amount of vegetation that would be removed or damaged, depictions of what the transmission lines would look like from two directions selected by city staff, a statement of ownership interest in the property for which the CUP is requested, the potential environmental impacts and proposed timeline for each alternative, data that would be incorporated in the city’s emergency management plan and other information, data, surveys and studies that may be required by a work group. For transmission line projects, the applicant must include a summary of current research regarding the health effects of electromagnetic field (EMF) levels conducted by health and scientific professionals who do or do not receive utility sponsorship. The applicant must also provide information on the EMF levels anticipated at the base of the utility poles, underneath the wires between the poles, at ground level above underground wires, at the edge of the property line, at the edge of the closest habitable building all along the proposed route and at the point above ground where there would be the greatest EMF level. An energy company wishing to put up a transmission line must first look at corridors presently or previously used for public roads, railroads or above-ground utilities. The transmission lines must go along arterial or collector streets that carry more traffic instead of local roadways. If a utility is not along a road, the utility must go underground on privately acquired easements. A transmission line project would not be allowed if it would have an adverse effect on property values, public health, safety or welfare, environmentally sensitive areas and FHA and VA home financing alternatives. Requiring a CUP for a transmission line is not unheard of, according to Bob Cupit, manager of Energy Facilities Permitting for the PUC, Jed Burkett of the League of Minnesota Cities and Schaub of GRE. Eric Hagen is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |
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Great River Energy (GRE) of Maple Grove is proposing to construct a double circuit 69 kilovolt transmission line along a 10-mile route through Athens Township, East Bethel and Linwood Township. GRE’s goal is to get this constructed in the fall of 2010 and energize the line in 2011. Photo courtesy of Great River Energy| < Prev | Next > |
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