News Subscribe  to Our Newsletter Sign  up for Email Updates CGF  In the News Press  Inquiries Past  Articles Calendar			Grassroots  effort key to removal of transmission towers by Lennie Roberts and Kathy Switky For years now, nearly 100 huge electrical transmission  towers that bring power to San Francisco and cities on the Peninsula have  marred the beautiful views and sensitive habitats of Edgewood  Park and Preserve and the Peninsula  Watershed , the lands surrounding Crystal Springs Reservoir. PG&E  now proposes to make its eyesore even worse and place additional stress  on the environment by building  a new 230 kV transmission line with much taller towers that would  entail pouring new concrete foundations and clearing a much wider right  of way for access and maintenance. To support a more elegant solution to the problem,  Committee for Green Foothills is organizing a grassroots movement of a  number of environmental organizations, neighborhood associations, park  docents and health advocates. We are asking the California  Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to consider an alternative proposal  that would take these lines, as well as some existing lines, undergound,  where they would run along existing roads. This is a wonderful opportunity to not only prevent  environmental damage from new towers, but also to restore the watershed  vistas to their pre-tower glory.  PG&E proposal includes new above-ground lines PG&E's project, dubbed the Jefferson-Martin 230 kV Transmission  Line Project, would install a 27-mile long 230 kV single-circuit transmission  line from the Jefferson Substation (at the southern edge of Edgewood County  Park and Natural Preserve) to the Martin Substation, near the Cow Palace  in Brisbane.  The northern portion, running 12.4 miles from San  Bruno Avenue near Skyline to the Martin Substation, is proposed to be  built underground. But the proposal places the 14.7 mile southern portion  of the route (from San Bruno Avenue south to the Jefferson Substation)  above ground, where it would follow the existing 60 kV transmission line  that crosses Edgewood Park and traverses the watershed lands.  Taller towers for new lines unsightly, impact  threatened species The new above-ground lines would require significantly taller towers with  wider foundations. The replacement of the 100 existing towers (which are  80 to 100 feet high) with towers that are 95 to 100 feet high will require  access for construction equipment, staging areas and space for excavated  materials. Some of the most important habitat for serpentine  species - including the threatened Bay checkerspot butterfly - is below  the existing towers. PG&E has even proposed new towers for "The  Triangle" area bordered by 280, Cañada Road and Edgewood Road,  home to several sensitive species. This proposal would impact all of these  lands.  CGF leads grassroots effort Committee for Green Foothills and a number of other organizations have  defended the lands of the watershed and of Edgewood for decades. CGF began  watching PG&E's proposal closely when it first submitted its application  to the Public Utilities Commission in fall of 2002. Earlier this year, CGF participated in work to determine  the scope of the environmental studies required for the project to ensure  that the open space concerns were included. This vigilance resulted in  an astounding 1000-page Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR). Undaunted,  Committee for Green Foothills Legislative Advocate Lennie Roberts spent  the next six weeks coordinating comments on that DEIR. Fortunately, one of the alternatives studied in the  DEIR called for undergrounding the new lines beneath Cañada Road  and Skyline Boulevard as they go north through Edgewood and the San Francisco  Watershed lands. The resulting "Watershed Protection Alternative"  would go underground through nearly all of the watershed lands, leaving  a short above-ground section between the Carolands Substation and the  San Bruno Substation where impacts would be minimized due to terrain and  tree cover. Besides the obvious environmental benefits of this  alternative approach - which would avoid impacts to sensitive plant and  wildlife habitats - this proposal would increase safety from terrorism  and vandalism, reduce impacts to neighboring communities from electromagnetic  fields (EMFs) and improve operational reliability. CGF has been spearheading grassroots support for  this approach, and the Loma  Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club, Friends  of Edgewood , People for a Golden Gate National Recreation Area and  the California  Native Plant Society, Santa Clara Valley Chapter have all joined CGF  in calling for undergrounding both the new 230 kV lines and the existing  60 kV lines and removing the existing towers. Decision lies with Public Utilities Commission The Public Utilities Commission and PG&E  are now reviewing comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Report. Time  will tell whether they will listen to reason - and to the community -  and make the decision that best balances safety, views, environmental  protection, and public benefit with the need for these new transmission  lines. We have reason to be hopeful, though. Over the past decade, thanks  to public input, the PUC has modified every proposed transmission line  route. Speak up for habitat and viewshed protection While the comment period on the DEIR has closed,  it's not too late to let  the PUC Commissioners know that the public supports the alternative  proposal that includes the greatest amount of underground transmission  line and avoids any disruption or incursion into the watershed. Published October 2003 in Green  Footnotes. Page last updated November 6, 2003 .

	Photo by Kathy Switky.