CBC News - Health & Science
http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2006/07/11/power-lines.html

Last Updated Tue, 11 Jul 2006 14:54:27 EDT

CBC News

The Canadian Cancer Society says it’s concerned about plans to upgrade high-voltage power lines through a residential neighbourhood in Tsawwassen, B.C.

A group in the Vancouver suburb is counting on the society’s advisory to bolster its case against a planned upgrade that could bring overhead high-voltage power lines through the community. The lines would form part of a link providing power to Vancouver Island from the Lower Mainland.

Last week, the B.C. Transmission Corporation received approval to upgrade lines running through backyards and across a sports field in Tsawwassen, saying the line is needed to meet expected demands for power on the Island.

The Canadian Cancer Society says the link between electromagnetic fields and cancer has neither been established nor ruled out, but it urges people to keep their distance from power lines.

Parents should not let children play underneath power lines, the group advised.

If people are concerned, they should call the Canadian Cancer Society, said Dr. Patricia O’Hagan, the group’s manager of health promotion for B.C.

“Certainly, because if it’s actually in backyards, if it’s close proximity where children are playing, it’s something that we would be concerned in,” said O’Hagan. “That’s why we are asking the parties to call in.”

The society can then raise the concerns with the B.C. Transmission Corporation, O’Hagan said.

The society’s stand is significant, said Maureen Broadfoot, who heads a Tsawwassen group that opposes the new power lines and has lobbied for an alternative route.

“It is in keeping with what other international health authorities are all starting to say.”

Studies suggest a link between childhood leukemia and high levels of exposure to electromagnetic fields, Broadfoot noted.

The province’s energy minister, Richard Neufeld, said the electromagnetic fields would be well within World Heath Organization guidelines, which is also the stance of the utilities commission.

http://www.emfacts.com/weblog/index.php?p=525



http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=Tsawwassen

Hi Friends:

We, people in Tsawwassen, B.C., Canada need your supportive comments based on your knowledge on power line health hazards.

At present, 138 kV power lines are going through over 150 backyards which are also right-of-way. Most of houses are right against the edge of the easement line resulting in the distances from the lines to the houses less than 30 feet. The EMFs range from 25 - 50 mG in houses.

Now utility company, BCTC (BC Transmission Corporation), is going to upgrade the lines to 230 kV with 5 times more power capacity than that of the present. People fought hard against the project for the last one and half years without success. A couple weeks ago BC Utility Commission (BCUC) concluded as follow " The Commission Panel concludes that EMF concerns do not warrant actions beyond the very low cost measures that BCTC has included in its VITR design". VITR stands for Vancouver Island Transmission Reinforcement. Next day the editorial of the Vancouver major news paper, The Vancouver Sun, supported the BCUC decision. General public also seem to agree with the decision to avoid rate hike.

We are short of local EMF experts to educate general public. Therefore I would like to plea for you to write your opinions or comments on non-thermal EMF effects to The Vancouver Sun.

LETTERS: Include your name, address, daytime number and maximum 200 words. Your Photographs are welcome. E-mail: sunletters@png.canwest.com

ISSUES & IDEAS: Include your name, address, daytime number and maximum 750 words. E-mail: sunopinion@png.canwest.com - No attachment.

Affected people's response to the UBUC decision is in the attachment.

Drawing the line on power

Some Tsawwassen residents don't want 12-storey power towers -- in anybody's back yard Neil Atchison and Cecil Dunn, Special to the Sun Published: Thursday, July 20, 2006 Two weeks ago the B.C. Utilities Commission approved a project to run 12-storey tall high voltage transmission lines directly through the privately owned backyards of 150 homes in suburban Tsawwassen. They will be visible from many parts of Tsawwassen, and will define its skyline. By anybody's measure the twenty-one 120-foot tall steel towers (11 feet in circumference at the base) carrying 1.2 billion watts of electricity is major industrial infrastructure. The lines for this $231 million project to supply new power to Vancouver Island will carry one third more power than the entire output of BC Hydro's proposed Site "C" Dam. Critics of the project -- notably Delta's municipal council and 3,300 local residents who signed a petition -- favour alternative routes that are not in anyone's back yard. They even coined a new catch-phrase to describe their position -- calling themselves NIABY's, a play on the word NIMBY. In proposing alternative routes the Tsawwassen residents never doubted Vancouver Island's need for more power, nor suggested that the project simply be relocated from their own residential backyards to someone else's. They wanted BCUC to look at alternatives that avoided residential properties altogether. Tsawwassen residents proposed several alternative routes avoiding residential properties in Tsawwassen, and costing less than the project's $17 million contingency cost. These proposals would require some work and negotiations to finalize, but the two supported by the locals could be done at a cost to consumers of less than 12 cents extra on their monthly hydro bill. The utilities commission simply dismissed these alternatives out of hand. The roots of this controversy go back to arrangements made in the 1950s when BC Hydro acquired the right to construct a transmission line across private property in what was then farmland. Locating high voltage electric transmission lines across residential back yards may have been "business as usual" 50 years ago. Today, however, it is difficult to imagine any municipal council in British Columbia approving this kind of land use, especially one that the community will have to live with for another 50 years or more. Unfortunately, the Tsawwassen decision is not in the hands of an elected municipal council, but rather an appointed BCUC. The Commission's decision in Tsawwassen reflects an outdated view of urban planning -- a view that is totally out-of-touch with 2006 community values. We are confident that an overwhelming majority of our fellow British Columbians would agree that it is simply bad public policy to build new industrial infrastructure in residential back yards. We believe that British Columbians in 2006 have come to expect that one of the duties of government regulatory bodies is to ensure that public infrastructure decisions do not create benefits for some of its citizens on the backs of others. With its recent decision in Tsawwassen, the BCUC failed to carry out that duty. We believe that government agencies should not be allowed to transfer risks from public infrastructure projects to private citizens. In the case of the transmission lines, the Commission dismissed concerns about risks to the health and property values of private citizens, amongst others. This despite the recently publicized statement of the Canadian Cancer Society that people should not "let children play directly under power lines" for health reasons, and the fact that the 2006 property assessments (a proxy for market value) of those homes in Tsawwassen most directly affected by these lines actually declined, while they increased elsewhere. So, if time proves the Commission wrong, who will pay the price? It will be private citizens. We are confident that the vast majority of British Columbians would agree that it is quite fair -- in an age where people willingly pay extra for "fair coffee" and "blood-free-diamonds" -- to ask consumers to pay an extra two or three cents a week, if that is what it takes to avoid ruining someone else's community and someone else's quality of life. The Tsawwassen residents who mobilized themselves and others in Delta to oppose this decision want the provincial government, the BCUC and the Crown-owned BC Transmission Company (which will build and operate the towers for BC Hydro) to be creative enough to enlarge the power grid without imposing major new industrial infrastructure projects on residential back yards -- anywhere in B.C. Such a solution requires political will, it requires a great deal more imagination than the recent decision, and it requires a commitment by provincial agencies to 2006 standards of land-use planning -- the kinds of standards already in place that guide virtually every municipal government in the province. It is time for provincial agencies charged with making decisions on our behalf to understand that we are not in 1955 any more. Neil Atchison and Cecil Dunn are the co-chairs of the Tsawwassen Residents Against Higher Voltage Overhead Lines.

Please help us by sending your expert opinions from all of the world. Supportive of course. I thank you in advance.

Kyong



http://omega.twoday.net/topics/Power+Lines/

Dear Dr. Nam: I assume you have already seen this item. My computer will unfortunately not allow me to make wide distribution. Yesterday, I couldn't even send a single item several times and need to review w/AOL.

If the 3-page list of health problems our family has suffered over a period of 30 years will be a help to you, I am glad to furnish. We have benefitted greatly from paying huge amounts for vitamins and supplements but it is "still criminal" to expose citizens to the radiation (uninformed consent), in my opinion. As you know, we are only 50 ft. from a 69kv and a 230kv line in addition to an 8kv line........

I sent comments to the Canadian Cancer Society this morning also. The American Cancer Society did not respond last time I contacted them.

Best wishes - Joanne

Joanne C. Mueller Guinea Pigs R Us
731 - 123rd Avenue N.W. Minneapolis, Minnesota 55448-2127 USA Phone: 763-755-6114 Email: jcmpelican@aol.com (7-12-06)


Betreff: Report power line concerns, cancer society urges B.C. residents
Von: Darlene Raunio
Datum: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 08:29:31 -0500

CBC News - Health & Science
http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2006/07/11/power-lines.html

Report power line concerns, cancer society urges B.C. residents Last Updated Tue, 11 Jul 2006 14:54:27 EDT CBC News

The Canadian Cancer Society says it's concerned about plans to upgrade high-voltage power lines through a residential neighbourhood in Tsawwassen, B.C.

A group in the Vancouver suburb is counting on the society's advisory to bolster its case against a planned upgrade that could bring overhead high-voltage power lines through the community. The lines would form part of a link providing power to Vancouver Island from the Lower Mainland.

Last week, the B.C. Transmission Corporation received approval to upgrade lines running through backyards and across a sports field in Tsawwassen, saying the line is needed to meet expected demands for power on the Island.

The Canadian Cancer Society says the link between electromagnetic fields and cancer has neither been established nor ruled out, but it urges people to keep their distance from power lines.

Parents should not let children play underneath power lines, the group advised.

If people are concerned, they should call the Canadian Cancer Society, said Dr. Patricia O'Hagan, the group's manager of health promotion for B.C.

"Certainly, because if it's actually in backyards, if it's close proximity where children are playing, it's something that we would be concerned in," said O'Hagan. "That's why we are asking the parties to call in."

The society can then raise the concerns with the B.C. Transmission Corporation, O'Hagan said.

The society's stand is significant, said Maureen Broadfoot, who heads a Tsawwassen group that opposes the new power lines and has lobbied for an alternative route.

"It is in keeping with what other international health authorities are all starting to say."

Studies suggest a link between childhood leukemia and high levels of exposure to electromagnetic fields, Broadfoot noted.

The province's energy minister, Richard Neufeld, said the electromagnetic fields would be well within World Heath Organization guidelines, which is also the stance of the utilities commission.

From: Darlene Raunio
Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2006 08:49:49 -0500

After reading this in a newspaper (Rhinelander Daily News) I needed to do a "Search" to find in order to send to you. Upon my "Search" I noticed it was also printed in MANY other Newspapers / News Media (see below)


(This article (below) is longer than the [first 4] 4 paragraphs shown in the Rhinelander paper) Duluth News Tribune
http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/15066447.htm

Posted on Tue, Jul. 18, 2006

Court upholds nearly $533,000 verdict in stray voltage case

ROBERT IMRIE
Associated Press

WAUSAU, Wis. - A state appeals court on Tuesday upheld nearly $533,000 in damages to two Marathon County dairy farmers who claimed a power company's stray voltage hurt their cows' health and milk production.

The 3rd District Court of Appeals unanimously rejected contentions from Northern States Power Co. that a jury's verdict must be reversed. The company argued that some of the verdict questions that a judge submitted to the jury before it began its deliberations were in error.

The judge properly worded one key verdict question on so-called comparative negligence, allowing the jury to consider whether the farmers' management of the herd contributed to any problems, the three-judge panel said.

According to court records, James and Michael Gumz of rural Athens began noticing physical and behavioral problems in their herd in 1991, 10 years after they bought their parents' dairy herd and farm. The problems included cow deaths and poor milk production.

Experts determined nutrition wasn't the problem, leading NSP to conduct tests in 1996, court records said. Those tests found that "cow contact voltage" was below any "level of concern."

Eventually, the farmers hired an independent electrical tester who determined that stray voltage was originating from NSP's distribution system, court records said.

The Gumzes sued the power company in 2001 for negligence. NSP now does business as Xcel Energy.

Stray voltage is electricity that leaks from a utility's electrical distribution system or farm wiring. Some utility companies argue stray voltage isn't a problem, while some farmers claim it hurts cows' health.

Stray voltage has been an issue for dairy farmers since the early 1980s, prompting dozens of lawsuits against power companies, said Paul Zimmerman, executive director of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, the state's largest farm organization.

Several cases are still weaving through the courts, some of them starting two years ago, he said.

But litigation is declining from a decade ago because most power companies serving dairy farms now have programs in place to help address unwanted currents and electrical quality issues, Zimmerman said. There have been more upgrades of lines and rewiring of farms, some with loans from the utility companies, Zimmerman said.

"Utilities are trying to be progressive and help farmers resolve the issue," he said.

The appeals court also upheld Circuit Judge Gregory Grau's ruling that dismissed the farmers' claim for triple damages in the dispute.

The Gumzes failed to provide any evidence of a "willful, wanton or reckless act or omission" by the power company to violate Wisconsin law, the panel said.

James Gumz said Tuesday he was happy he won the appeal but he was disillusioned about the whole court fight.

"It has been a long, dragged out process," he said.

His 100-cow herd is doing better today because of some "expensive modifications" done to address stray voltage, but the money the jury awarded "doesn't come close, after paying lawyers and experts and stuff like that," to making the dairy farm whole again, Gumz said.

The lawsuit originally sought nearly $920,000 in damages, he said.

The farmer expected Tuesday's ruling would be appealed to the state Supreme Court, delaying the end of the dispute, he said.

NSP's attorney, Michael O'Brien, did not immediately return a message left at his office.

ON THE NET Wisconsin Court of Appeals: http://www.courts.state.wi.us


I also found this article on the following newspaper links (some may be shown as News "Briefs"):

Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4055370.html

Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/wisconsin/chi-ap-wi-strayvoltage,1,6866836.story?coll=chi-newsap_wi-hed

MSN Money
http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.asp?Feed=AP&Date=20060718&ID=5876239

Business Week online
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8IUKHMG0.htm

Grand Forks Herald (N.D.)
http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/15066447.htm

Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (WCCA) James Gumz et al vs Northern States Power Company Marathon County Case Number 2001CV000998
http://wcca.wicourts.gov/caseDetails.do?countyNo=37&caseNo=2001CV000998&cacheId=AC08116B6CA90FC9AE3E2F63A71E0DB0&recordCount=1&offset=0


Informant: JCM Pelican

Weil über den Schulpavillons in Iberg eine Hochspannungsleitung verläuft, werden nach den Sommerferien verschiedene Schulklassen an anderen Orten untergebracht werden.

Dies hat die Schulpflege Winterthur-Seen beschlossen. Sie reagierte damit auf die Sorgen und Ängste der Eltern von 100 betroffenen Kindergärtlern und Unterstufenschülern, wie der «Landbote» gestern berichtete. Um den Aufenthalt der Schüler in den belasteten Pavillons zeitlich zu begrenzen, findet dort künftig nur noch Handarbeits-, Musik- und Stützunterricht statt.

http://www.20min.ch/news/zuerich/story/28787497

Here is an update from today's (July 17)THE IRISH TIMES on the power-line protesting farmers in Co. Cork.

The broadsheet's environment editor, Frank McDonald, manages to write this report without one reference to the actual underlying cause of the dispute: the potential risk to health posed by the powerlines crossing their farms and being adjacent to family homes with young children.

Of course, it is obvious that any mention of the health damaging possibilities of overhead cables must be ignored to safeguard the Celtic Tiger's (Ireland's) economic interests. And in a lenghty News Feature article on electricity, also in today's IRISH TIMES
("Power Struggle"), its Science Editor, Dick Ahlstrom, makes this point blatantly clear in his opening sentence

"Ireland's capacity for wealth creation is critically dependent on a reliable supply of electricity."

Best, Imelda, Cork



THE IRISH TIMES, MONDAY, JULY 17, 2006

"POWER-LINE PROTESTERS FACE COURT: ESB ACTION AGAINST FIVE FARMER ACCUSED OF BLOCKING WIND FARM PYLONS

[by] Frank McDonald, Environment Editor

Five farmers who have been protesting against a
14-kilometre power line in west Cork are to appear today in the High Court in Dublin where the ESB is seeking injunctions to prevent them blocking access to their lands.

The five - Tadhg Coughlan, John Keane, Mary Keane, Jack Kingston and Susan Kingston - are members of Bantry Concerned Action Group, which has been preventing the ESB from installing poles and pylons for the 38 kilovolt overhead power line.

The line, which is intended to serve a proposed wind farm, would run through scenic areas between Colomane and Ballylickey, passing within 25 metres of some houses. Farm gates along the route are manned by pickets and there have been some stand-offs.

On May 23rd, the ESB obtained High Court injunctions against six other members of the action group, including its chairman, Joe Burke.

The injunctions prevent them from blocking access to their lands so that work can proceed on the erection of poles and pylons.

The power line is designed to provide a connection to the national grid for the proposed wind farm at Droumoureen, which is being developed by Ballybawn Wind Farm Ltd, a company controlled by Bantry-based businessmen Bob Murnane and Denis O'Shea.

Mr Murnane and Mr O'Shea have issued a civil summons against 23 named individuals from the action group seeking damages of €1.75 million in compensation for losses resulting from delays in the wind farm project caused by protests.

They have an uncontested planning permission from Cork County Council to erect 21 wind turbines with an output of 19.55 megawatts.

Last December, it sought permission for a revised scheme of 13 larger turbines to produce 40 per cent more electricity.

The local action group has not objected to the wind farm but wants the power line put underground "as is common practice throughout Europe".

An agreement was made last year to bury the line for four landowners in the Colomane area, to the exclusion of others The group has estimated the additional cost of putting cables underground at between €1.5 million and €3 million.

Quentin Gargan, the group's spokesman, said the ESB has a statutory obligation to connect to the grid at least cost, even though this would mean skirting a Sitka spruce forestry plantation and "cutting a 50 metre-wide swathe straight through native woodlands".

Referring to the Commission for Energy Regulation's set price of 5.75 cents per unit for electricity from wind farms, he said this was "lower than the price paid for electricity from gas and many other sources, and keeps the margins for wind farm operators very tight".

According to Mr Gargan, the commission should establish a higher price specifically to fund placing lines under ground.

"Already there are higher prices for electricity from offshore wind farms because of the higher construction and transmission costs," he said.

A spokesman for ESB Networks said it had no comment to make, in view of the court case. However, he noted that in granting the earlier injunctions on May 23rd, Judge Frank Clarke said it would be legally wrong for the ESB to choose the high-cost underground option.

Meanwhile, the action group is to hold a rally on Friday at Joe Burke's farm in Droumoureen. Farmers from as far away as counties Donegal and Wexford, including some who have been involved in similar battles, have indicated that they will attend.

Middels: Middels-Delegation beim Minister Thema: Hochspannung in Ostfriesland Middels.

Über das Thema „Hochspannungsfernleitungen in Ostfriesland“ ging es bei einem Besuch von Vertretern aus Middels im Niedersächsischen Ministerium für den ländlichen Raum. Jabine Janssen, Vorsitzende des Landfrauenvereins Middels und Kreistagsabgeordnete, ihre Stellvertreterin Ulrike Jannemann sowie Ortsvorsteherin Annemarie Martens aus Marcardsmoor und Kreistagsabgeordneter und Ratsherr Robert Henninga (Wiesmoor) waren am vergangenen Mittwoch nach Hannover gereist, um mit Minister Hans-Heinrich Ehlen zu sprechen.

Im Beisein von CDU-MdL Wolfgang Ontijd wurden die Mitglieder des Arbeitskreises von der Sachbearbeiterin für Raumordnung Frau Zeck über die derzeitigen Planungen informiert. Zurzeit und bis auf weiteres würde es keine Genehmigung für eine Hochspannungsfreileitung von Dornum nach Conneforde geben.

Der Grund: Es handele sich um ein Einzelvorhaben der Firma Windland. Es sei allerdings in Planung zukünftig die Energieableitung aus Offshore-Parks zu bündeln und über Schleswig-Holstein, sowie durch die Ems anzubinden.

Der Küstenraum Ostfriesland bleibt somit vorerst von Riesenmasten verschont. Der Arbeitskreis wies erneut auf die Notwendigkeit hin, die Grenzwerte für elektromagnetische Strahlen auf den internationalen Standard anzupassen.

Jabine Janssen forderte, dass das Ministerium für Verbraucherschutz in dieser Sache tätig werden muss und übergab Unterlagen über mögliche gesundheitliche Risiken und Schädigungen von Elektrosmog zur weiteren Berücksichtigung.

Ostfriesische Nachrichten Online-Ausgabe vom 16.07.2006; 22:00:00 Uhr

http://www.ostfriesische-nachrichten.de/neu/index_volltext.asp?ID=17429

Chung Chow photo

Shari Boyce has posted signs on her house to protest the power lines, but may pack up and move if another route away from residential Tsawwassen is not found.

By Tia Abell
South Delta Leader
newsroom@southdeltaleader.com
Jul 14 2006

Disbelief, bitter disappointment and, above all, shock—that’s how Tsawwassen residents describe their reactions to the news last Friday (July 7) that the power lines above their homes will be upgraded after all.

“I can’t believe they’re going to put up this industrial power line right through town,” says Jack Bulloch, who bought his house on 53A Street in 1994. “You get people weeping over the fence and if you have little children, you hear them playing in the backyard and think to yourself that you’re slowly poisoning them.”

Bulloch hasn’t had his six-year-old granddaughter visit since Christmas because of what he’s learned about the possible health threats from power lines’ electromagnetic fields (EMF). Now he plans to sell his home next February.

“I feel very sorry for young people with big mortgages—bigger than their houses are worth,” he says.

The upgrade news also stunned Maureen Broadfoot, spokesperson for Tsawwassen Residents Against High Voltage Overhead Lines (TRAHVOL).

“First of all the government made a firm promise in March of 2005 not to continue with the overhead upgrades. Secondly, the Canadian Cancer Society issued a (recent) warning that children shouldn’t be playing near power lines.

“But the B.C. Utilities Commission would string up lines over a school, two daycares and 150 back yards… I’m fearful for my family’s health and safety.”

TRAHVOL members spent $300,000 out of their own pockets and a lot of effort during the last 19 months pressing their case with the commission. But now some members say they don’t believe the hearing process was sincere—especially as no compromises were made.

“We worked so hard in good faith, I feel like we’re getting slapped,” says Mimi Page, who bought her Shannon Way home with her husband Glen in 1992. “It’s been disillusioning, dealing with the bureaucracy, and we were naïve enough to have thought we were being heard. It leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. Our politicians do speak with forked tongues.”

Tralee Crescent resident and father of four Doug Adams says he feels betrayed.

“I’m quite upset that our government is not taking care of us and absolutely missed the point of what we had to say. They talk about communicating and then didn’t listen to us.”

Instead, he says the utilities commission wore TRAHVOL and other residents down with legal fees and a lengthy, effort-consuming process.

“And it was all in vain and it’s disgusting because it endangers people and devalues their property.”

Adams, who moved his family from a three-acre farm in Maple Ridge four years ago to be closer to his work, adds that his main concern is health and safety—something he doesn’t believe is shared by the B.C. Utilities Commission.

“I’ve got four kids playing in the yard and my oldest son loves the bike park. And it’s right under the power lines. They’re exposed at home and at school.

“When the Canadian Cancer Society comes out and says kids shouldn’t play under power lines, doesn’t that hold any water?”

Scientists may disagree about the potential harms from power lines and other EMF sources but Shannon Way resident Karsten Holmsen says the anecdotal evidence is piling up—including his example.

Holmsen was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year, and says out of the 58 residents living near the power lines who signed affidavits, 25 reported cancer in their immediate families. (TRAHVOL co-chair Cecil Dunn also told the South Delta Leader one of his sons has had cancer, as does their present dog.)

“There were also 11 miscarriages and 31 cases of leukemia and other cancers in pets...you wonder whether some of these were caused by the EMF of the power lines. There was no study done so we don’t have proof,” Holmsen adds.

The stress of the situation, however, is taking its toll on affected residents, Holmsen says, adding that he wakes up at night, thinking about the problem. He no longer feels comfortable having his two-year-old granddaughter visit.

“There’s a tremendous amount of guilt among people with children. They’re thinking we shouldn’t have moved here and what should we do now.”

Others have no trouble deciding.

“It just shatters me that all the neighbourhood children will be exposed to this (electromagnetic field),” says Shari Boyce, her voice breaking.

The longtime 53 A Street resident may be taking down the skulls and crossbones marking her house in protest in the near future.

“If they go through with this, I’ll move. I’ve been here 30 years and I’m a senior citizen and I’m alone; it will be a tremendous upheaval for me. But I don’t feel comfortable inviting anyone over to sit in my back yard. It used to be a friendly place. Not anymore.”

© Copyright 2006 South Delta Leader

http://www.southdeltaleader.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=48&cat=23&id=689808&more=



http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=Tsawwassen
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Tsawwassen

By Trevor Wales
South Delta Leader
newsroom@southdeltaleader.c
Jul 14 2006

Chung Chow photo

Tsawwassen residents (from left) Jack Bulloch, Karsten Holmsen, Julie Berks, Cecil Dunn, and Bernadette Kudzin are contemplating their next move after B.C. Utilities Commission ruled last week to continue using the BC Hydro right-of-way backing their properties for upgraded power lines.

Members of Tsawwassen Residents Against High Voltage Overhead Lines (TRAHVOL) are still shell-shocked after Friday’s decision by B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC) to upgrade the overhead towers and power lines along the existing right-of-way.

“The report came out and we thumbed our way to the final lines, and everybody was stunned, shocked,” said TRAHVOL co-chair Cecil Dunn.

“Nobody thought that it would come to this. To have them revert to the overhead proposal after receiving a written statement from BCTC stating otherwise was a complete surprise.”

A complete surprise because the one thing TRAHVOL was pushing for—not having more powerful overhead lines running along the existing right-of-way—is exactly what happened.

“It’s like someone hit rewind and we’re right back to square one,” Dunn said.

“We’ve been responsible since day one, we’ve followed due process, we’ve committed 19 months of our time and energy and $300,000 and we’re right back to where we started. To have all that thrown back in your face is more than a little distressing.”

The upgrades are part of the Vancouver Island Transmission Reinforcement Project, designed to improve access to power on Vancouver Island via a marine cable from Tsawwassen Beach.

The decision on July 7 came after nearly two years of consultation and research by TRAHVOL, BCUC and the B.C. Transmission Commission (BCTC). BCTC had originally proposed several route options through South Delta, including the upgrade of overhead power lines along the existing right-of-way established by BC Hydro in the 1950s.

Today, around 176 homes back on the right-of-way.

However, in March of 2005, former BCTC CEO Michael Costello recommended to BCUC that the overhead lines not be upgraded, and that an alternative route would best suit the public interests.

It was a success for TRAHVOL, but they still weren’t satisfied due to concerns regarding electromagnetic fields (EMF) given off by the power lines. They wanted the lines routed away from any residential areas.

But the routes proposed by TRAHVOL were eventually set aside by BCUC in favour of the existing right-of-way, due to lack of support for placing them underground through the area.

“This isn’t just an aesthetic issue, there are definite health concerns as well,” said Dunn. “Even when there was talk of running these cables underground, we were still worried.”

“A lot of these people outside of TRAHVOL kind of took a step back from this when they thought it would go underground, but they’re sorely mistaken if they still believe that’s going to happen. We’re right back at looking at those ugly towers.”

And while TRAHVOL members may be stunned, they are far from finished. They’re currently regrouping and deciding what move to make next.

“We’ve been looking over the report extensively and there are a few issues in there that we’re going to focus on,” Dunn said. “We’re definitely considering our options.”

There’s a multitude of issues for TRAHVOL to consider: the EMF levels are certainly a major health concern, and although the report published by BCUC stated that the levels were acceptable according to the World Health Organization and Health Canada, residents aren’t as easily convinced.

They’ve already spent $300,000 on legal fees, expert witnesses on EMF, research and the cost of attending the hearings. The group sold calendars featuring 12 backyards that would be impacted, and while quite a number were sold, it wasn’t nearly enough to offset the money spent so far.

The group is considering how much more they can afford to spend in battling the upgrades. They might receive some money as a result of BCTC funding shared amongst interveners, but Dunn said that at this point, “our hands are tied and our fingers are crossed.”

The major issue that TRAHVOL is debating is whether or not to appeal the decision with the B.C. Court of Appeal. They have to seek leave to appeal within 30 days of the BCUC ruling being made, and the clock is already ticking.

“We have to determine what value there is in challenging this decision, so we’re consulting with different groups and we’ll go from there,” Dunn said.

“There may be a little bit of reluctance to keep pushing because of how this has been handled to date. It seems like there’s been millions of dollars wasted on a public process that didn’t change anything. And then we pay for experts on EMF, only to have everything summarily dismissed in a few lines in the report.”

Brian Williston, director of engineering for BCUC, said TRAHVOL did a great job presenting their case.

“I can assure you that...the commission was weighing the positives and negatives and trying to get a sense of what was important to the various stakeholders,” Williston said.

“I’m sorry that Mr. Dunn feels that way, but we didn’t write him off. TRAHVOL was a very helpful participant in this entire process, and we went to appropriate lengths to make this decision. I don’t feel they were shortchanged at all.”

TRAHVOL feels differently, however, and spokesperson Maureen Broadfoot said BCUC refused to accept some of the material that TRAHVOL submitted, including a report published in the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph that a ban should be placed on building homes within 200 feet of power lines due to EMF being associated with leukemia.

According to Broadfoot, BCUC’s reason for dismissing that evidence was because they didn’t want to re-open the record.

TRAHVOL wants an extension to the public comment period of the environmental assessment the project must pass. The 56-day period wraps July 27, but TRAHVOL wants another 30 days to prepare its presentation to the Environmental Assessment Office, including an advisory from Canadian Cancer Society to not let children play underneath power lines.

“These are very credible sources, and this evidence is something that the province should be heeding seriously,” Broadfoot said.

© Copyright 2006 South Delta Leader

http://www.southdeltaleader.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=48&cat=23&id=689807&more=

Driftwood, Wednesday, July 12, 2006

By sean mcintyre

Residents opposed to the construction of high voltage power lines across Salt Spring remain shocked following the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) decision to approve the lines linking the mainland with Vancouver Island.

“It is truly disturbing and frustrating to see how the legal process can twist things around,” said Jackie Truscott, an Island Residents Against High Voltage Overhead Power lines (IRAHVOL) member. “The government obviously has a different program for the people of British Columbia.”

Islanders spent more than a year and a half trying to rally support against the British Columbia Transmission Corporation’s (BCTC) plan to replace the existing power lines that run along the island between Maracaibo and Sansum Narrows with a series of higher powered 230kV double-circuit cables.

IRAHVOL members argued that the BCTC plan raises potential health concerns associated with electromagnetic fields (EMF) and have a negative impact on property values in the area.

“People can now expect to have these lines here for another 50 years,” said Truscott. “This is really a missed opportunity for the province to show that it is open to more progressive alternatives.”

The fight to stop BCTC, Truscott added, proved a lengthy, costly and emotionally charged experience. Despite the disappointment, she and other IRAHVOL members will now await a response from the community before deciding what to do next.

“If anything we have learned a lot from this process,’ she said. “Unfortunately we cannot do anything without more community support. Either people get behind us or they don’t.”

Though final approval is contingent on a decision from the Environmental Assessment Office, opponents on the mainland are considering whether to appeal the decision. In the meantime, an e-mail circulated by power line opponents in Tsawwassen earlier this week asked property owners along the right-of-way to deny B.C. Hydro employees access to the power lines.

Construction on the Salt Spring portion of the upgrade is set to begin in early-2007. Project opponents spanning the route’s length from South Delta to North Cowichan asked BCUC to recommend BCTC, an independent Crown Corporation responsible for operation, maintaining and planning the growth of BC’s high-voltage electric transmission system use underground HVDC Light technology.

According to Donna McGeachie, BCTC’s manager of community relations, the newer technology would have added an additional $149 million to the $240 million project, has yet to produce any long term maintenance statistics and cannot be easily incorporated into the company’s existing network.

McGeachie added a BCUC-imposed condition on the project requires BCTC representatives provide reports outlining the latest EMF research conducted by agencies including the World Health Organization and Health Canada. “Certainly our position has always been that the proposed level of EMFs are well within the guidelines,” she said. “If the guidelines were to change over time, we would certainly take all the necessary precautions.”

As for worries over property values, the commission decided that, since property owners purchased their lands after the right-of-way was established more than 50 years ago, “the benefits of large lots and/or low prices were weighed against the presence of transmission lines.”

For more information on the project contact
http://www.irahvol.org or
http://www.bctransco.com.

http://www.gulfislands.net/news.asp?ID=1622