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Rocky Mountain Power sues Willard City Council

This seems a bit heavy handed on Rocky Mountain Power's part. Does the company run to the courts every time it gets into a dispute with a small town? Surely there is a better way. Something is very wrong with its General Counsel.

If the city first said ok and then backed out and reversed their decision, I would think the city jeopardized the project and Rocky Mountain Power has a right to pursue this case. It appears to me to have ramifications for the whole project even though Willard seems to be the only one who changed course.

If I end up paying more for power because of the delay or abandonment, I most certainly would want Willard to pay for it.

That is the main problem some citizens have on large infrastructure improvements. One small city/person/group can impact a bunch of other cities/people/groups away from the area. It's why roads, utilities and railroads have a variety of rules to help the larger community.

Sorry, but I'm voting with RMP on this one.

That fact is no one wants power lines in their neighborhoods, but we all enjoy using the power they transport at an ever increasing rate.

What happened to integrity. Willard city granted a conditional use permit with 31 conditions. Did they expect Rocky Mountain Power to fail to meet these. It is not clear which ones were not meet? They brought in one expert to discuss EMF when all the health organizations state the experts can not agree. You have more risk of EMF sitting in front of your computer than standing under a power line 100 feet above you.

I can understand why Rocky Mountain Power filed suit. It appears that Willard city did not act in good faith.

I'm a land owner in the area in which this power project runs(in rural Idaho) and I am aware of how RMP does business behind closed doors and then expects everyone to jump on their band wagon after they have already broken ground. I say hurray for the Willard City Council for having the guts to stand up for the little people and their health. Obviously RMP will prevail; Goliath vs. David. I don't image Willard has a budget to defend themselve against the big business..same problem I had with them. They're big and can do what ever they want in the name of progress. Hold the line Willard!
PS:s By the way the beautiful vista's along I-15 from Tremonton to Downey, Idaho have been damaged by this project for ever, never to be the same again, just so RMP can make another buck on you City Slickers in SL and Davis Countys.

No one really has to have powerlines overhead. If RMP would bite the bullet and bury the lines there would be no issue with public health risks or property losses. It is more expensive in the short run but done properly would have significant benefits in maintenance costs, aesthetics, property value and health risks. Of course, they wouldn't want to bury the lines because that would cut into their revenue for maintaining overhead lines.

Here's a quote from a recent published study
(Huss et al., 2008) linking Alzheimer's to living within 50 meters of extra-high voltage power lines (including 345kV):
"Persons living at least 5 years within 50 m had an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.51 (95% CI: 0.91, 2.51), increasing to 1.78 (95% CI: 1.07, 2.96) with at least 10 years and to 2.00 (95% CI: 1.21, 3.33) with at least 15 years."
That means after 15 years you double your chances of Alzheimer's (CI means confidence interval. The study followed the entire population of Switzerland). This is supported by studies of occupational exposures.

It should also be noted that these EHV lines constantly produce radio interference, which is bound to destroy TV reception, more so if there is any moisture or debris on the lines.

The recent results for childhood leukemia are another real problem. Not only is there more leukemia, but the chances the kid will die from leukemia are significantly higher if the AC field at the home is above 1 milligauss (one thousand times lower than what the power companies consider safe).

Hey this isn't new for Aguilar... He is always saying something is ok and then taking his word back and denying he ever even said it was ok.
He resents the fact that the 'power' company has more 'power' than he does!

I've never wanted to see the power lines go through the city I live in (Willard), but I also didn't want to see all the gravel pits go in either! In my opinion the gravel pits are a LOT uglier then the power poles will be! And all that dust can't be good for our lungs!

Well, you have to love the anonymity of blogging. The city sought to get information from RMP throughout the process for the sole purpose of protecting the citizens of Willard. The planner, me, can't approve anything of this nature, without the vote of the city council or planning commission. Prior to the final review RMP started construction in Willard and exceeded the type and amount of impact they had represented they would have on a hillside in a sensitive lands area that has a long history of flooding and landslides. In spite of RMP's often contradictory actions Willard has made the decision to approve the permit to avoid the fiscal damage that might result from a long drawn out court battle. We hope that in the future RMP will provide opportunity for cities most affected by transmission lines to participate in good faith prior to RMP's siting decisions.