News Subscribe to Our Newsletter Sign up for Email Updates CGF In the News Press Inquiries Past Articles Calendar			Almanac December 3, 2003   New PG&E power lines may go underground Public meetings set for Dec. 8 and 9 By Marion Softky When PG&E installs new 230 kV transmission lines to meet future power needs for San Francisco and North San Mateo County, a big question remains: Will the 27-mile power line, from Woodside to Brisbane, travel underground along Canada Road and other streets; or will wires be strung on even higher towers than those already crossing Edgewood County Park and the San Francisco Watershed? Local  environmentalists are campaigning hard against more and higher towers  that will impair scenic views and damage the rare plants and butterflies  that Edgewood  Park was created to preserve.  "Undergrounding the line is by far the most desirable  alternative. It wouldn't affect the view and the ecosystem," said Kathy  Korbholz of Woodside, president of Friends  of Edgewood County Park and Natural Preserve.  The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC),  which is reviewing plans  for the $180 million project , will hold two public hearings next week  to take comments on the final environmental impact report (EIR), which  was issued November 13. In September 2002, PG&E applied for permission to install new transmission lines from the Jefferson substation, on Canada Road adjacent to Edgewood Park, to the Martin substation in Brisbane. The new lines will serve Burlingame, Millbrae, San Bruno, South San Francisco, Brisbane, Colma, Daly City and San Francisco.  The proposed  Jefferson-Martin line would consist of two segments. The southern  14.7 miles would follow the existing 60 kV line, which crosses Edgewood  Park, Pulgas Open Space Preserve, and watershed lands. The northern 12.4-mile  section would be constructed underground. The final EIR recommends undergrounding the entire line by paved roads as "environmentally superior." The 2,700-page document is the result of a year's worth of study and public comment. It analyzes the environmental effects of more than 38 alternatives. Among the alternatives are rebuilding the existing 60 kV line with higher towers, and expanding the right-of-way from 50 to 100 feet. Another alternative would involve a new set of towers that would cross the "Triangle," a much-valued tract of prime wildflower land that is bounded by Interstate 280, Edgewood, and Canada roads. Why underground? Every spring, Edgewood  Park and the adjacent Triangle provide hikers, and commuters along  I-280 with striking views of California native wildflowers -- the way  they looked before the Spanish introduced cattle and European grasses.  The Bay checkerspot butterfly and several rare and endangered plants grow  only on the park's special serpentine soils. Ms. Korbholz and other environmentalists are concerned that building towers in these sensitive lands would bring in trucks, crews and equipment that would disturb the natural soils and invite weeds that could displace native habitat. "Whatever disturbs the soil invites weeds to come in," she said. "We have asked them to remove the towers by helicopter."  Lennie Roberts of the Committee  for Green Foothills noted an additional benefit of undergrounding  the new transmission lines along existing roads. "This proposal would  increase safety from terrorism and vandalism, reduce impacts to neighboring  communities from electromagnetic fields, and improve operational reliability," she wrote in the fall  edition of Green Footnotes. The CPUC is expected to make its final decision on the Jefferson-Martin lines next May. Information The public hearings for the Jefferson-Martin 230 kV Transmission Line Project will be held at 7 p.m. on two nights: Monday, December 8, in the San Mateo City Council Chambers, 330 West 20th Ave.; and Tuesday, December 9, in San Bruno in the War Memorial Building of the San Bruno Recreation Center, Crystal Springs Avenue at Oak Avenue.  For information, call the California Public Utilities  Commission's public adviser at 415-703-2074, or toll-free at 866-849-8390.  Or log on at: www.cpuc.ca.gov/environment/info/aspen/jefferson_martin. Page last updated December 3, 2003 .