Deseret News | Reader comments: Proposed substation expansion draws opposition

Reader comments
Plant expansion draws critics

dave 4197 | 7:59 p.m. Jan. 20, 2009

Good to learn that Rocky Mtn Power is going for improved reliability.
For those who think this upgrade is a bad idea, let them get 10% - 15% of the 4700 customers to sign a petition saying they will remove their air conditioners. So we can continue to use the existing substation. That's about 500 customers, who's first in line?

In the dark!!! | 8:29 p.m. Jan. 20, 2009

I hope the people that have the problem with the expansion are okay with sitting in the dark when the grid hits capacity or fails because its been running since the Nixon administration, they should be the first to be cut off! Can those people live without their latte machines, computers streaming NPR, and their TV's tuned to PBS, and yet not contributing to any of the problem?

Also, Sarah Brenna who lives in a nearby condominium complex and commented that the expansion would "stick out like a sore thumb," she lives in the CONDO COMPLEX, the ultimate urban eyesore! Nothing screams historic neighborhood like a condo complex!

Hero of Canton | 9:17 p.m. Jan. 20, 2009

The stupidity of people is amazing...so you want RMP to do nothing to upgrade this substation because it ruins the 'sightlines' or some such nonsense. Yet, when summer rolls around and you have rolling blackouts or brownouts because you are running your central air 24/7 to cool your home to a balmy 62 degrees you people are going to be the first to be complaining and demanding that RMP do something to fix this and probably use some version of the phrase 'why didn't they address this issue before and do something to prevent this?'

Honestly...people expect to have their cake AND eat it too, it's absolutely ridiculous.

Comments continue below

Just a thinker | 11:03 a.m. Jan. 26, 2009

So a "social Worker" who happens to work at Primary Childrens is somehow portrayed as an "expert" in electromagnetic science? Does she have any technical experience in science? How about a MD degree? This supposed link has been shown as bogus. Your electromagnetic exposure is greater in your home due to household appliances than this supposed risk. Just another red herring to get people riled up. If you don't want the substation, turn off your Central Air and stop watching Soap Operas all day. Bo and Hope won't mind. Their finally leaving the show anyway. :-)

1100 E local | 3:11 p.m. Jan. 26, 2009

What the article fails to effectively put across is that local residents are only asking for something that fits in with the nieghborhood. NOT to block it. RMP also had stated multiple times that they have no idea when the need for 138kv would take place (138 being the need for towers twice the hieght of the current structure. I would also comment That a Pediatrician and Electrical Engineer were at the meeting with facts relating to health effects. Before you jump on board to support RMP you might want to put yourself in our shoes. You're also more then welcome to come to the next city planning meeting and voice your support for them if you'd like to be scrutinized like you are to the people in the article.

SuperDave | 4:32 p.m. Jan. 26, 2009

Actually "Just a thinker" and MD was at the meeting and he had the same feedback about EMF radiation.

Progressive Thinking | 4:41 p.m. Jan. 26, 2009

The local community understands the need for an increase in voltage capacity. However, there are better options than what RMP is proposing. For example, Murray City Power has a 138,000 volts substation (approx. 5400 South and 300 West). It is a smaller footprint, smaller equipment, and less expensive than RMPï¿½s proposal. In Anaheim, California, a utility company built a substation underground and maintains a park for the local community. In high-density cities utility companies build substations inside buildings. This substation (on 144 South 1100 East)is being completely torn down and rebuilt. Why not invest in ourselves and build something that we can use for future substation projects? What if this was on your block? This isnï¿½t just for our neighborhood this is for the entire state. We need to be more progressive in our long term goals as citizens.

Sarah Brenna | 7:36 p.m. Jan. 26, 2009

This article does not fully explain the concern of residents living near the substation located on 1100 E. Few people, including me, understand how utilities work, how they are governed, or what alternatives are available. It is for this reason that our primary request is for the SL Planning Commission to create a subcommittee to study the proposed expansion and to consider alternatives, including more environmentally friendly ones. Salt Lake City has no ordinances or standards to follow when it comes to substations. We think we need a long-term plan that helps city planners and the Planning Commission address power needs without losing sight of their commitment to sustainability. No one disagrees that we need affordable, reliable power. We simply want to explore alternatives that will pave the way for smart energy planning in the future. Why not use this opportunity to set a standard for future development? Transmission lines and substations can be buried. Alternatives exist. Yes, some alternatives can be expensive. However, if we start using them, costs will come down and we can have reliable power that is more environmentally friendly.

bob | 10:18 p.m. Jan. 26, 2009

A couple of comments: EMF is a relationship of current in the wire. If the voltage goes up, the current goes down, (if power is a constant). That means at 138 kv, the EMF will go down by three times compared to 46 kv. Second, with above ground wires you are 20 feet away from the field. underground wires are 3-5 feet away from the surface. So underground wires will cause four or five times the EMF that above ground wires do.

So it sounds like my neighbors want higher EMF levels if they get what they want.

This is common stuff learned in a physics class at the U.

think about it | 10:51 p.m. Jan. 26, 2009

Have you ever driven by the McClelland substation by Rowland Hall-St Mark's? When I first saw that neighborhood, I left sorry for its residents. What an eyesore! Who would want to live across the street from it? Who would buy? ... Maybe someone hoping to rent out the homes but not too many would want to buy and live there themselves.

Now the same kind of development is planned farther north in an older neighborhood within a stone's throw of the U. Yes, indeed, it's someone else's back yard but, as they say, there goes the neighborhood. Why trash a thriving neighborhood with medical offices, cafe, day care facility, and hospital on the fringes of this substation? Plus a number of Victorian homes. There must be a better way! Let's move the substation to an already vacated industrial area in Fort Douglas, surround it with a brick wall and then plant some trees.

John S. | 10:03 a.m. Jan. 27, 2009

Bob,
I don't see any comment about undergrounding the lines like you're referring to only a comment about an underground substation in Anaheim, and as we all know it's the lines that are the EMF issue not the substation. I might also note that yes the lines are closer to you in the ground; the EMF field dissipates at a faster rate and is usually much weaker by the time it reaches your house (where you spend more time as opposed to standing on top of a buried line).
This is also common stuff learned at physics at the U.
It seems that most of the responses that are anti-neighbor, seem to all try to imply that they want the substation removed... I don't see anyone saying that not even in the article itself. Odd how all of you keep coming to that conclusion.
-John

Low Rates! | 10:38 a.m. Jan. 27, 2009

I'm happy with Rocky Mountain Power. It's forward thinking like this that keeps our rates the lowest in the state!

lowest rates??? | 10:57 a.m. Jan. 27, 2009

Actually Rocky Mountains rates are not the lowest. My brother lives in Murray and he pays 8 cents for each kilowatt hour year round. My bill for Rocky Mountain shows nearly 10 cents during what they call peak rates. Also you might notice that they are putting in for yet another rate hike from state now which I believe is around 10% or more. If they get it I donï¿½t see why they canï¿½t be good neighbors and invest in something for these people and their community. Maybe itï¿½s time we start looking into municipal power?

Bystander | 11:27 a.m. Jan. 27, 2009

It feels as if Rocky Mountain Power has planted some seeds here. This article, although well-written, paints a slanted picture.

It does not voice that Rocky Mountain Power found toxins in the soil, that their staff has limited capabilities in building sustainable sub-stations that the rest of the world is using, and that the RMP representatives will not fully disclose the detailed plans that this expansion involves (They skirted around the details. This is an example of a spin job).

We all need to take greater responsibility in conservation - including our sole utility company.

Bob | 9:57 p.m. Jan. 27, 2009

John

The talk about undergrounding came out in the city meeting, along with hurting children etc due to EMF from 138 kv lines. As 'Just a thinker' says check your fridge, stove & razor for high emf fields. My sister in law lives near Anaheim and pays more than 22 cents a kwh. Thats why they can afford underground substations. They would love to get back to 8 or even 10 cents. Anyone else want to triple their bills? By the way the price of power here is the same as it was in 1985. Check you own bills.

Bob, | 9:36 a.m. Jan. 28, 2009

I have checked my bills as noted above, but thank you for the reminder. You might want to check your sisterï¿½s though. If you look at Anaheimï¿½s website, it shows rate comparisons for the entire state of California and the highest average is 15.4 cents. Anaheim comes in at the 7th cheapest, with an average of 10.9 cents. As a friend of mine stated, it doesnï¿½t mean we're getting a super deal now because we were getting charged more 20 years ago; it means we were getting robbed 20 years ago. The fact that our neighboring community Murray City has been able to offer much lower rates the entire time proves that fact.

-John

Funny | 8:02 a.m. Jan. 29, 2009

Funny how I think that most of the negative anti community comments are coming from employees of Rocky Mountain Power. What I notice is the disparaging way they talk to the customer and neighbors. Nasty in fact. Maybe the city should look at developing their own power and get away from this company. Many communities across the country and in the state have done this with much better results and better respect for the neighbors. Shame on you for the way you are responding to these concerns.

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