What may be worse than government involvement in something?
How about a government regulated utility?
For years, I've sung the praises of Tooele County.
Amazing people and amazing quality of life have combined to make Tooele County one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. With that growth comes the need for more electrical power. We need it to entice the business and industry we've been trying to lure here.
So, when I learned that Rocky Mountain Power was proposing a massive project to run 345kv lines into the County, I was of mixed mind. Yes, we need the power, but how will miles of 150 ft to 250 ft towers impact the valley?
When we saw the proposed route on the "draft" environmental impact study, it was clear that there was no upside. Not only is it going through the most scenic, and therefore expensive real estate in the County, it's not even going to be used in Tooele County!
They are proposing running towers as high as 12 story buildings right across Tooele, near a major reservoir, and within a couple of hundred feet feet of our most expensive homes. Tooele City, Tooele County, Stockton and Grantsville residents, as well as all of those local governments have been attempting to work with RMP to come up with a more acceptable route,but have been met with vague, corporate reasons for the unsuitability of those routes.
At last nights public hearing with the Tooele County Planning and Zoning commission, to deal with RMP's application for a conditional use permit to construct, their arrogance was finally brought into the light.
Our suggested route was unacceptable because they couldn't risk having two of these lines so close together, in the event of an earthquake (possible but not likely), a plane crash (less likely) or, wait for it...the Great Salt Lake "freezing over".
The fact that they currently are running 4 such lines in one location leading to Camp Williams was lost by the shock at hearing that a body of water with twice the salt content of the ocean is in danger of freezing!
So much for global warming, I guess.
The final straw for me was the fact that, although they are using the explosive growth of Tooele County as a need for these lines, in this location, there are no plans to bring any of this power to us! It's all going to the Salt Lake valley!
RMP also took over 3 hrs to make their presentation to the Commission (don't even get me started on the expert "appraiser" saying that within 12 years, property owners won't even notice the towers, and that there shouldn't be much impact on property owners), hoping that the standing room only group of citizens and public officials would get tired of waiting to talk. That didn't happen. They adjourned around 11:30pm promising to hold another public hearing, to continue the public input.
So, while my experience in dealing with the legislature and other groups has taught me a great deal, I was not prepared for the arrogance displayed by a utility that thinks we are either too backward, or flat out don't matter.
I think they will find out that neither is the case. They will attempt to ram this through anyway.
I'm guessing the citizens of Tooele County will quit on this one when....the Great Salt Lake freezes over!