 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
2 New Edison Power Line
Two more routes over farmland for a proposed high-power transmission line in Tulare County are being considered by the California Public Utilities Commission, bringing to six the number of possible routes. Opponents of Southern California Edison's proposed Cross Valley Loop said they still favor another route that travels over rangeland instead of cropland. "They've avoided Exeter, Farmersville, Kaweah Oaks and the scenic corridor, but the two new routes do the same as the others -- it cuts through intensely farmed lands," said farmer John Kirkpatrick, a board member of Protect Agriculture, Communities and the Environment. Southern California Edison is sticking to its original 19-mile proposal from Lemon Cove to Visalia. It's the least expensive, at $96 million, Edison said. The California Public Utilities Commission will choose the final route, possibly later this year. A draft environmental impact report is expected in May. The transmission line would tie a power distribution line in the eastern foothills to the Rector substation in Visalia, and is needed for Southern California Edison to boost the amount of electrical power available to customers in the growing southern San Joaquin Valley, the utility said. But Exeter City Council Member Jack Allwardt said that Edison is taking the wrong tack by proposing to string transmission lines over productive orange groves, which in most cases would have to be removed. "They wouldn't need a tie if they just upgraded their existing line like they should," Allwardt said. Edison project manager Dana Bullock said the existing power line "is like a freeway that's congested." To get more electricity to the Visalia area, she said, "you have to add lanes." Rebuilding the existing transmission lines won't bring in enough extra electricity to serve the growing area, and putting additional lines in the corridor is not a option for technical reasons, she said. The two new routes were added to the map after public meetings last year in Tulare County were held by an environmental firm. Last month, the commission issued a revised map and asked Southern California Edison for information about crops under one of the proposed alignments, construction schedules and other details. Opponents favor a route farther north, from Orosi over rangeland and mountains to the distribution line. But that would cost $163 million, much higher than Edison's preferred route, Bullock said. Edison favors a route from Lemon Cove to Visalia, much of it along Highway 198, but that stirred controversy among farmers, land owners and the cities of Farmersville and Exeter. They complained that using that route would ruin rural views and take too much farmland out of production. The Edison route also would cut through an area designated for a regional shopping center that would benefit Farmersville, said City Manager Rene Miller. Monday, the Farmersville council voted again to support the rangeland route, she said. THE REPORTER CAN BE REACHED AT LGRISWOLD@FRESNOBEE.COM OR (559) 622-2416. |
