The reason we have not been updating this blog recently is because we have been concentrating on preparing our court case against Xcel. Basically, we are claiming that Xcel has to obey the law and get permission from the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board and the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission before construction its proposed new line. Xcel claims that it does not have to get these permissions because it "began" the line before the effective date of the law with those requirements (August 1, 2001). We do not see the law as providing for any such exemptions. Full copies of the many briefs on this case can be found at the SE Metro section of www.powerlinefacts.com. The case will be heard tomorrow at 9:00 AM in Judge Hedlund's courtroom in the Hennepin County Courthouse.

A new site, www.broken-trust.org, outlines Xcel energies allegedly fraudulent activiteis.

Pittsburg's FirstEnergy Corp. has agreed to shift part of the route for a 69,000-volt transmission line in Franklin Park, but the change will cost homeowners as well as the utility. The owners of 10 homes in Northmont Farms have agreed to pay the utility $45,000 to cover most of the costs of moving the power line out of an existing easement that crossed through or near their properties and onto vacant land. The payment will not cover all the costs for revising the route and acquiring land for a new right of way, a FirstEnergy spokesman said. "We've also put in many man-hours on redesign, negotiations and other back office work," spokesman Joe Mosbrook said. FirstEnergy has said scientific studies have found no correlation between electromagnetic fields and health risks from such lines. Aerial maps of the project show houses 100 feet to 150 feet from the path of the cable.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) asked on April 21 the U.S. Department of Energy to issue an order allowing the Long Island Power Authority to import electricity over a controversial underwater power line between New Haven, Conn., and Shoreham. A DOE spokeswoman said Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham would not immediately act on Schumer's request because "he hasn't been given any facts that demonstrate that there's an emergency." Connecticut environmental officials say they cannot re-examine the permit requirements due to a one-year state moratorium on energy projects in the Sound, which expires June 3.

According to Microwave News, The World Health Organization (WHO) has decided that there is “sufficient evidence” to apply the precautionary principle to both power-frequency and high-frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs). In a draft position paper distributed at a workshop held in Luxembourg, February 24-26, Drs. Michael Repacholi and Leeka Kheifets, who run the WHO’s International EMF Project, announced that they are now invoking the precautionary principle for extremely-low-frequency (ELF) EMFs and radiofrequency and microwave (RF/MW) radiation.

A Calfornia State judge judge rejected on April 16 the City of Santee's request to halt the installation of high-intensity power lines in its neighborhoods. Superior Court Judge Lillian Lim said her court did not have the jurisdiction to issue a restraining order against San Diego Gas & Electric. She encouraged both sides to reach a compromise before they return to court May 1, when the city will have a second chance to argue for an injunction. The City Council wanted the work suspended until a May 14 hearing before the California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates SDG&E. Activists are concerned about the electromagnetic fields generated by the lines and have lobbied the council to stop the work. They point to studies that suggest the fields might cause serious health problems such as cancer and leukemia. SDG&E previously has said the scientific community has not concluded how electromagnetic fields affect people. The utility said it would take steps to mitigate the fields; activists want the lines moved out of their neighborhoods.

Five pylons in southwest Wyoming were destroyed by unknown individuals. Police say they have a witness. One pylone was attacked and the other four fell as a result.

Santee, California, has appealed to the California State Supreme court to order the San Diego Gas & Electric company to stop work on a new high-intensity power line until a California Public Utilities Commission hearing May 14. The Commission is expected to make a ruling then on whether SDG&E issued proper notice and obtained the required permits for the project. The commission has refused to stop the utility's work, and council members were concerned the upgrade would be completed before the hearing, which could make the issue moot. The city expects a decision from a Superior Court judge next week. Residents living near the lines are concerned with the electromagnetic fields the wires generate. They point to studies that suggest it could cause serious health problems such as cancer and leukemia.

As opponents of a proposed high-voltage line through California's Cleveland National Forest rallied for battle, legislation creating the path they're fighting quietly slipped halfway through Congress. The House Energy Bill, a huge piece of legislation that passed 247-175 on Friday, included language calling for a high-voltage line to be built through the length of the Cleveland National Forest west of Lake Elsinore. The Energy Bill must still make it through the Senate and a conference committee before it can be signed into law by President Bush

A Connecticut Superior Court judge rebuffed on April 11 the latest effort to energize a controversial underwater power line across Long Island Sound that has lain dormant since it was strung in May. In her ruling denying the request, Judge Linda Munro said Cross-Sound "had not met its burden of proof that the moratorium bill, as applied to its application ... before the DEP, is unconstitutional in any of the respects claimed."

Evidence that a proposed line could be run underground has induced Northeast Utilities to return to the bargaining table regarding the placement of a 345 kV line scheduled to go through Norwalk Ct.

A local La Cresta California real estate broker testified on April 14 that a proposal to run a 500-kilovolt power line through the Cleveland National Forest is already causing a blow to property values in an area skirting the eastern edge of the forest, near the proposed line's path. The broker, Donette Denton, said "Had it not been for the potential impact of the power lines on those properties, the sellers would have received a much better price. I think that sellers have definitely been harmed."

The Power Line Task Force and its fight against Xcel's SE Metro line are the subject of a feature article in Minnesota's Star Tribune newspaper.

According to an April 9 newspaper report, some researchers think electromagnetic waves may cause autism.

Because of health concerns, the Uganda power company has concluded that, starting April 6, it may demolish all structures constructed under high voltage (66 and 132kv) transmission power lines and those structures within a radius of 15 meters from the center of the lines. Sources in the Uganda Electric Company assert studies in several parts of the world have shown that power lines contain electoral magnetic fields closely linked to cancer and other health related complications, and that, accordingly, they are killing people around the world.

The Minnesota Power Company GTE is refusing to build a 65,000 kv power line next to an existing line on the grounds that the new line would come within 80 feet of houses. Lines from the proposed project would be strung from overhead towers 55 to 80 feet high. However, this rule is not being observed by GTE's fellow Minnesota power company, Xcel. That company will soon string lines directly over a house from new poles built on a new right of way for its 115 kV SE Metro line. (Click on the picture at right for a bigger view.)

Kane County, Illinois, is now regreting a franchise agreement with its local power company that allows the power company to use county roads as power line rights-of-way. The regret was triggered by ComEd's seeking permission from the Illinois Commerce Commission to build controversial 100-foot-tall power line towers along the county's busiest commercial corridor.

Minnesota State Representative Joe Atkins introduced on April 1 a bill in the State House that would delay construction of the SE Metro Line. Here is the text of the bill.

The Minnesota court of Appeals court ruled on April 9, 2003, that the Power Line Task Force appeal of the district court's adverse ruling is moot because the issue had been resolved by the settlement agreement between Sunfish Lake and Xcel. The Appeals Court failed to consider the Power Line Task Force was an intervenor in the original case, and it therefore has rights that, according to the law, must be considered before any settlement can be reached. These rights were blatantly ignored by the previous City Council and Xcel. The Appeals Court should have for this reason overturned the original decision.

In Florida, after an outpouring of opposition from Grey Oaks residents, Florida Power & Light has agreed not to put a new high-powered transmission line along Pine Ridge and Airport-Pulling roads. Instead, the line is expected to follow a more direct route, going south of Pine Ridge Road along the east side of Livingston Road and then connecting with an existing FPL substation on Golden Gate Parkway. The original route would have put about two miles of the 230-kilovolt transmission line on Airport-Pulling and Pine Ridge roads, where there are a string of residential developments. A PSC spokesman said the debate over new power line corridors is relatively unique in Florida. The last such application came 13 years ago.

In South Carolina, Duke Power has selected the route for a 100,000-volt power line that will link its Greenbriar substation near Interstate 385-Southern Connection interchange with a new substation on Fork Shoals Road. The nine-mile corridor was selected from among 14 options and after four public meetings in the Mauldin and Simpsonville areas to discuss Duke's plans and to gather community input.

In Georgia, a bill requiring power companies to get state approval before constructing high-power transmission lines passed the state House on Tuesday, but a consumer group says the measure accomplishes nothing. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Ralph Twiggs (D-Hiawassee), requires power companies to prove to the Public Service Commission they need the lines of more than 115 kilovolts before constructing them. The bill passed 126-44 after about an hour of debate. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.

Nothing is ever simple when it comes to transmission power lines. Those neighbors adversely impacted by the settlement between the Boca Raton, Florida, City Council and FP&L are now complaining they were not informed of the settlement. Councilman Freudenberg is now downplaying his role in reach the settlement. "I had no input into the decision made by FPL to change the routing of the lines," he said. "People need to get their information straight before jumping to conclusions that are unjust and inaccurate."

On February 19, a transmission power line electricuted a California Condor. The guilty transmission power line has been condor-proofed by Pacific Gas & Electric Co., at a cost of about $100,000, according to the AP. PG&E workers replaced bare electrical wire with insulated wire, then wrapped the wires with spiral-shaped "bird diverters" to make them more visible.

On March 30, the Fox network premiered on Sunday a new program called "The Pitts." The network describes the Pitts as follows: "In the coming year, 306 people will be hit by lightning, 511 people will be carjacked and 217 people will be attacked by sharks. But only four people will endure them all, and much more! Meet THE PITTS, the unluckiest family in the world....When you're a Pitt, there's no such thing as a little problem." The program pictures the house in which this incredibly unlucky family lives. This house is shown in the program to be located immediately adjacent to a transmission power line.

Irate Boca Raton Florida neighbors, backed by city hall, prevailed upon Florida Power & Light to change the proposed route for high-voltage power lines away from gated communities and schools. FPL's about-face caps a 14-month fight between the corporation and residents from upscale developments who contended that 85-foot-tall power lines would hurt property values and expose kids and seniors to dangerous electrodynamic forces. FPL's route change, announced on April 3, reduces the number of homes exposed from 250 to 30, and exposed schools from four to one, said Boca Radon City Councilman Dave Freudenberg, who led the charge against FPL. Freudenberg said on April 3 that FPL officials "realized they had made an error in their own analysis."

Legislation regulating the placement of high-voltage power lines passed a George House committee on Aoril 4, but citizen activists say the bill will do little to help consumers. The measure approved by the House public utilities committee would require power companies to obtain a "certificate of need" from the state Public Service Commission and hold public hearings before constructing power lines of more than a mile long and stronger than 115 kilovolts. Jim Presswood, a lawyer with the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, criticized the bill, calling the approval process a "rubber stamp." Presswood said legislation supported by HOPE, which has failed to make it through the House Judiciary Committee, would require power companies to consider other options if the state Environmental Protection Division concluded such alternatives were available. After the vote, Committee Chairman Rep. David Lucas (D-Macon) (pictured at the left) pulled out a map to show power company officials where power-generating plants are needed in his district. Lucas said the plants would help lure industry. Lucas said after the meeting there was nothing wrong with what he did. "That's the way the game is played," he said.

Wisconsin state utility regulators said on April 4, 2003 they will assess alternatives to a proposed 240-mile power line that would stretch across northern Wisconsin and look at why the project came in at $290 million more than they expected. The commission plans to examine other transmission and power generation options that would feed more power to western Wisconsin. Ed Garvey, an attorney for the group Save Our Unique Lands, which opposes the power line, said the group was pleased with the extent of the review.

During the week of March 31, the Minnesota Department of Health posted an evaluation of the massive report of the California Health Department that found that magnetic fields probably cause a number of deadly diseases. The Departments evaluation concluded the California report suffers from fundamental defects that bring into question its conclusion. The evaluation, whose authorship is not stated, was produced in secret utilizing a process that was completely closed. Perhaps as a result, it contains numerous factual errors. Nothing is known about the people or process through which reached its conclusions, nor the standards it used. Additionally, in Minnesota, a so-called Interagency Working Group on EMF issues issued a report dated September 2002, but likely also published during the week of March 30. It concluded that magnetic fields do not pose a hazard to health. It also contains numerous errors. Again, no authors were identified, and the process through which this report was produced was completely closed. Perhaps as a result, It is clearly not a serious report but rather a reiteration of the utility industry's position, complete with extensive, utterly irrelevant, projections of increases in the state's electricity consumption.

The emerging House energy legislation--parts of which are being crafted in several committees--would for the first time give federal regulators authority to take private land for power line construction if a state does not act. It would also provide a broad array of financial breaks for oil and gas developers, require increased use of ethanol in gasoline, streamline approval for hydroelectric dams, and give federal regulators greater say in locating power lines.

Xcel has begun installing the pylons for the new pylons in Inver Grove Heights for the SE Metro Line.. Here are pictures of the new pylons, and here are pictures of the construction process.

Many farm workers are killed each year when their farm equipment makes contact with overhead power lines, according to an expert with Safe Electricity, a Illionois electrical safety public awareness program sponsored by the untility-sponsored Illinois Electric Council.

The Eagle City, Iowa, Council agreed this week to hire a consultant to analyze proposals to build an Idaho Power transmission line through Eagle. Last fall, the city´s Planning and Zoning Commission tabled an Idaho Power Co. request to set up a 138,000-volt line along Idaho 44. The line would have been placed mostly on 75-to-80-foot-tall steel poles, with about two 90-foot poles, Idaho Power spokesman Russ Jones said. On April 1, the city agreed to enter into a contract for $17,400 with Black & Veatch, an international engineering and construction consulting business. Idaho Power estimates that putting the line underground will cost about $2.3 million — $2 million more than using the steel poles. Jones said extra costs to bury the power line likely would be paid by the city.

The City Councils of the Cities of Sunfish Lake, MN, and Mendota Heights, MN, have passed resolutions urging the state legislature to impose a moratorium on the construction of a power line through those cities until there has been an investigation by the Health and Transportation Departments of the health and other effects of the proposed line.

An environmental group is optimistic that Northeast Utilities may agree to place at least a portion of Phase 2 of its proposed new power lines underground instead of over densely populated residential areas. As noted below, on March 23, NU officials agreed to a compromise which resulted in the burying part of a 345 Kv line running between the towns of Bethel, Redding, Weston and Wilton. This compromise has given new hope to the Woodlands Coalition, a grass-roots organization opposed to NU’s plans, that the energy giant might agree to place portions of the power lines underground as part of Phase Two of its plans. The Coalition has been vehemently opposed to the overhead high voltage lines, especially near neighborhoods and densely populated areas. The group has uncovered numerous reports it feels prove that people living close to high voltage power lines have a higher risk of several health problems because of the electromagnetic fields generated (EMF)s. Although NU officials have yet to finalize just where the Phase Two power lines would be built, the initial plans had called for the new lines sharing the existing right of way with 115,000 volt overhead lines.

A group of Franklin Park, PA, residents has successfully diverted the construction of new power lines out of their yards. Ten households in Northmont Farms paid Penn Power a total $45,000 to find and build on an alternate right-of-way. Instead of running through their yards, the power lines will run at the bottom of a ravine on land that cannot be developed.

BioElectronics Corp. announced on March 12, 2003, that the Food and Drug Administration has approved marketing of its disposable patch designed to promote the healing of injuries to soft tissues. The Frederick, Maryland, company said the patch features embedded microchips that deliver pulsed electromagnetic therapy to injured areas, reducing inflammation and bruising. The company said it expects to deliver the first patches before the end of the second quarter.

On March 24, The Georgia Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the Cobb County, Georgia, seven-month moratorium on above-ground transmission lines, saying it violates the home rule provisions of the Georgia Constitution. In January, the court struck down a similar ordinance in Rabun County, and Monday's ruling cited the Rabun ruling. Several legislators who have introduced bills seeking to place guidelines on the power of eminent domain power companies currently enjoy. They are working with power line opponents throughout Georgia, most notably the HOPE organization, in an attempt to craft language that can pass into law. Several representatives of HOPE met with power companies last week. The bills do not seek to strip the power of eminent domain, but requires public hearings allowing local homeowners a say in the process. State agencies like the Environmental Protection Division and the Public Service Commission would issue permits allowing construction of the lines only after certain conditions have been met.

The Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten reports that the UFO and suspected meteorite over Lardal seen on March 14 was in fact a cat that had climbed up a high-tension power line and burst into flames after striking the high voltage cable with its tail. Before the feline solution the local sheriff had contacted Oslo University astrophysicists, only to find that eyewitness reports of a fireball lasting up to half an hour could not be a landing meteorite. Cats don't burn so long either, but part of the wooden mast set alight by the unlucky tabby is now considered to be the explanation for the local mystery.

A new technological development may defer for many years the need to build new transmission power lines. However, it also means that existing lines will become potentially much more dangerous than they are at present. 3M is supporting the advanced testing of its Aluminum Conductor Composite Reinforced (ACCR) conductor. The new conductor uses a core of aluminum-matrix-composite wires surrounded by temperature-resistant aluminum-zirconium wires. According to officials at the Department of Energy, the composite core is stronger than steel, but doesn't elongate as do conventional cores. The new conductor, which has been under development for many years, carries up to 3 times as much current as conventional steel conductors of the same size. Accordingly, it is likely most of the need for new transmission capacity can be met merely by replacing existing conductors with the ACCR conductor. Therefore, it will no longer be necessary to build new transmission lines, and it should now be possible to remove those existing lines that have undue environmental or human impacts. Much testing are underway. The National Transmission Technology Research Center in Oak Ridge,TN. is testing the new conductor. Separately, the Tennessee Valley Authority has strung a test line near Oak Ridge. Using a $4 million Congressional appropriation, the Western Area Power Administration has just begun a year-long test of a one mile, medium sized 795 kcmil conductor in a 230-kv installation near Fargo, N.D., under some of the most challenging weather conditions in the U.S.

Xcel Energy's proposal to hand over its transmission lines to a new company is little more than "a back-door attempt at deregulating energy in Minnesota" and probably will raise the price customers pay for power, Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch said on March 25. "The issue looks somewhat benign, but I don't think it is," said Hatch. "When you lose control of the transmission system, Katy bar the door."

According to a March 22, 2003 newspaper report, the EU plans to limit power line magnetic field emissions. (Switzerland already has limited them to 10 mG and Spain has declared such emissions to violate human rights.) It also reports that the world’s largest insurance body, Lloyds of London, is now refusing insurance coverage to power generating companies against damage to workers and consumers’ health. Previously, Switzerland imposed a 10 mG limit on power line magnetic fields exposures. Spain’s courts have ruled that protection against magnetic fields is a basic human right, which is resulting in the removal of power lines from residential neighborhoods in that country. The EU is expected to issue soon a Directive concerning safety limits on EMF emissions and the Dutch Parliament has called for an urgent investigation into the health dangers posed by EMF emissions.

On March 18, an agreement was reached between Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P) and officials of Bethel, Redding, Weston and Wilton to bury part of a proposed 20-mile, 345-kilovolt transmission line. The Connecticut Siting Council on March 20, 2003, agreed to issue a preliminary placeholder decision on the proposed line in order to fully consider an eleventh-hour agreement reached between backers and opponents of a new power line proposed for Fairfield County. The Siting Council's action won't deny or approve the project, but it would install a neutral "incomplete" designation as a formality to satisfy an April 15 deadline for a decision. According to the March 21 Hartford Courant, the council plans to immediately reopen its proceedings, as allowed by law, to give state regulators and the public time to comment on the new agreement.

An article appearing in the journal Bioelectromagnetics suggests that using electromagnetic fields and photooxidation along with such treatments as hyperthermia and/or hyperacidity could be effective means of noninvasively killing cancer cells. (Traitcheva, ELF fields and photooxidation yielding lethal effects on cancer cells. Bioelectromagnetics, 2003;24(2):148-150).

The number of brain tumor cases in the US and Europe has increased by up to 40% in the past 20 years, according to newly-released medical research.. The incidence rate for brain tumors is increasing among people of all ages, but males between 20 and 40 years old are the most affected, according to Dr. Alba Brandes, an oncologist at the Azienda-Ospedale in Padua, Italy. Dr. Brandes said "the reason is still unknown, though environmental causes such as cellular phones, computers and exposure to electromagnetic fields cannot be ruled out."

Florida Power and Light has revised its preliminary plans for a new power line near Fort Myers, when it was pointed out that the proposed line would go within 20 feet of homes.

Commonwealth Edison is resisting Rolling Meadows, Illinois, requeirements that the utility bury a power line. According to a March 13 report, ComEd wants to install an overhead power line on Golf Road because of an increased need for electricity. But Rolling Meadows officials are insisting that the line be placed underground because they say an overhead line is unattractive. The utility is refusing on the grounds it would cost $300,000 more to bury the lines.

Several dozen people turned out at the Port Republic School on March 14to mobilize their opposition to Conectiv's plan to install larger utility poles carrying high-voltage lines in residential areas from Atlantic County through Ocean County. Connectiv had originall proposed in 2001to replace certain poles with significantly larger poles carrying 230-kilovolt lines, as opposed to the current 69-kilovolt lines, through residential neighborhoods. But bowing to public outcry, amended it in May 2002 to set the lines along the Garden State Parkway and farther from residential areas. However, Conectiv said the state recently indicated it would not support the change, saying the parkway has natural and historical relevancy. However, lawyers for the residents said that Conectiv actually never applied in writing with the parkway's authority to have the request formally considered and has been disingenuous about its efforts to pursue alternative options, because, they said, the original option is significantly cheaper and quicker.

Responding to community opposition, on March 16, Xcel Energy announced it has come up with a new plan to carry electricity from Midway to Aurora, Colorado. In March 2002, Minneapolis-based Xcel unveiled plans to build a 345,000-volt line along Ellicott Highway through Peyton, Ellicott and Calhan. Hundreds of residents opposed the line, saying the 175-foot towers would decrease property values, create health hazards and damage the view of the mountains. Xcel's first plan motivated residents to form the Eastern Plains Citizens Coalition, a nonprofit corporation that opposes the line. Bill Miller, vice president of the coalition, said members are encouraged by the new proposal.

San Diego Gas & Electric Co. is fighting for a rehearing before California's PUC of the January decision to deny the utility's application to build a power line through Southwest County on the grounds it was not needed. Separately, the utility is resisting an attempt to launch an investigation into whether its project was really intended to bring cheap power from Mexico.

The Power Line Task Force (the sponsor of this site) has just launched a new suit against Xcel that asserts the utility is attempting to build a new power line without receiving necessary permits from the State of Minnesota. More information is available at the SE Metro section of www.powerlinefacts.com (first item).

According to a March 2, 2003, AP report authored by Lindsey Tanner, some researchers believe that electromagntic fields may possibly explain the recent sharp increase in the incidence of autism, the childhood disability that impedes ordinary communications. (A similar story was broadcast by CNN.)

The UK power company, Supplier 24seven, has warned that large areas of Cambridgeshire, UK, face power cuts unless plans for a 132,000 volt overhead line are given the go ahead

Two University of Nevada, Reno professors are studying whether the construction of an electrical transmission line discourages the mating of Nevada's threatened sage grouse population. The 10-year study will monitor the impact on sage grouse strutting grounds of a transmission line being built by Sierra Pacific Power Co. through central Nevada. The study is prompted in part by an apparent decline in the grouse population after a similar power line was built in 1998 from Alturas, Calif., to Reno.

The Maine PUC has allowed several York County communities to intervene in a complaint against the Central Maine Power Company regarding its plans to build new 69 kV transmission lines through southernYork County, Maine. Local residents fighting for more information about the CMP project will also be allowed to see drawings of the proposed lines. CMP had fought that request, claiming the information was critical infrastructure data that should remain confidential as a matter of systems security in the wake of Sept. 11. The citizens and communities successfully argued that environmental matters such as electromagnetic fields shoud be considered as part of the local, state and federal permitting processes.

Legislatures are likely to change Georgia laws on eminent domain to give oversight of electrical companies to the state. Any such change will be too late for Lawrenceville, George, as the.Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia is already purchasing and starting the condemnation process to build a high-voltage power line in the Chandler Road area between Lawrenceville and Grayson.

Mozambique plans to build a new power transmission line to carry energy to Malawi and southern Tanzania

The Tennesee Valley Authority (TVA) has proposed building a 161,000-volt transmission line through West Franklin, TN, residential areas. According to the February 28 Tennessean, local residents oppose this plan. Futher details, and provision for public comments is found here.

Public Service Company of New Mexico has dropped plans for a controversial power line in the Tesuque area and instead intends to lay cable underground along a highway right of way. Don Brown, spokesman for PNM, said Monday the company intends to tear down 26 75-foot transmission towers that it built on the route of the planned Norton-Tesuque power line. The company has written off a $4.8 million loss on the abandoned line, he said. Shortly after PNM began construction of the line in the 1990s, Santa Fe County sued the company in an effort to force it to run the line underground. That lawsuit is pending in federal court, and several landowners opposed to the line have joined the litigation.

Indian scientists have detected a significant increase in "chromosomal aberrations, satellite associations and mean basal DNA damage" among persons using copying machines. Their paper suggest that one reason for this effect may be expsoure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields. The study evaluated the 'genotoxicity' among 202 males between 17 and 43 who were "occupationally exposed" to photocopiers for one to 10 years and compared their results with 198 persons working in various other professions.

The Sierra Club is urging the U.S. Forest Service to cancel plans for an American Electric Power transmission line in the Jefferson National Forest. Sierra Club lawyers sent an appeal to the Forest Service's regional office in Atlanta on February 20, arguing that its Dec. 31 decision to build the 765,000-volt line is based on faulty research and breaks environmental laws, spokesman David Muhly said.

A condor was found electrocuted by a power line on February 19 in the Ventana Wilderness near Big Sur. The 21-month-old male had been one of seven condors released by the Ventana Wilderness Society in December. Habitat loss and poisoning from eating animals that had been filled with lead shot or cyanide had threatened the birds' existence. Desperate, U.S. biologists captured all remaining wild condors by 1987 and began breeding them in zoos. Many of those condors and the chicks hatched in captivity have been released since 1992.

The Canadian National Energy Board is raising questions regarding the impact upon 200 trumpeter swans if a proposed $400-million power plant is built in Washington state. According to the February 21 edition of the Vancouver Providence, Longtime opponent Abbotsford Coun. Patricia Ross (pictured to the right) says, "the NEB is asking a lot of questions. They want promises backed up with facts. We're really happy to see it." Sumas 2, to be built just south of Abbotsford on the U.S. side of the border, requires an eight-kilometre power line in Canada so it can hook up 230,000-volt lines to the North American grid. U.S. regulatory bodies have approved the 660-megawatt project, leaving the NEB as the final hurdle.

CMP plans to invest $10 million to $12 million in 45- to 65-foot high poles to connect the Bolt Hill power station in Eliot, Maine, to the York Harbor transmission station. The connection would require cutting a 70- to 100-foot-wide path along Interstate Route 95 and Route 1, passing by more than 300 different property owners. Opponents say the plan will ruin the beauty of the southern Maine town, endanger health and pollute fragile wetlands. According to the February 16 edition of the Press Herald, The matter has now spilled over into the Maine Public Advocate Office and won the attention of the Maine Public Utilities Commission, which last week opened an investigation into the project's merits. The PUC does not normally get involved with projects under 100 kilovolts and the York proposal is well below that. But after some basic investigation, the PUC decided the petitioners should not be dismissed. The project also has drawn public protests along Route 1 from demonstrators who have the support of York and Kittery officials. Eliot and South Berwick have also joined up as interveners.

Much of a proposed power line from Albany to New York City would be buried, under a plan proposed by Conjunction LLC. According to the Albany Times Union of February 16, if approved, the $750 million project dubbed the Empire Connection will be the longest underground cable system in the nation and perhaps the world. Several environmental groups said they like the idea of a power delivery system that would have a limited impact on the land. They also like that Mitnick wants to convert energy from alternating current, or AC, to direct current, DC, to avoid the health threat some believe AC poses from electromagnetic fields.

Illiniois power company ComEd has not responded to North Aurora's concerns over its plans to build power lines and steel poles from South Elgin to North Aurora — a 16-mile stretch. The poles would range in height from 80 feet to 120 feet. North Aurora Village President Mark Ruby said ComEd "earnestly listened" to his concerns, but it "hasn't changed its plans any."

Television channel 3 in Duluth reported on February 18 that opposition to the prpposed Arrowhead Weston Power Line continues to grow.

The current (Jan-Feb) issue of Microwave News reports on a new Swedish study that concludes magnetic fields radiated by cellular phones damage the brain by breaking down the blood-brain barrier. While not directly applicable to magnetic fields radiated by power lines (which vibrate at a much lower frequency), this finding demonstrates that low intensity magnetic fields interact strongly in many ways with the human body.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution concluded in a February 14 editorial that would give the George PSC oversight responsibility for the placing of power lines. It is particularly concerned about Superior Court Judge C. Dane Perkins who has used his influence to discourage the construction of a new power line through property he owns.

The George Chronical has printed an irresponsible piece suggesting that there is no danger associated with pwoer lines.

A number of proposed new power lines in South Carolina are likely to become controversial, according to the The State and the Augusta Chronical. These include The the Santee Delta plan, and lines across the North Edisto River near Pelion, SC; through historic property outside Florence, SC; and on farmland near Newberry, SC.

TransCanada Power LP has preliminary plans to build a $1.5-billion electricity transmission line directly from Alberta oilsands plants to United States industrial consumers. Early designs call for a 1,600-kilometre, direct-current line carrying as much as 2,000 megawatts of electricity. TransCanada tentatively wants to begin construction of the line in 2005, with completion in 2008. The line would likely follow existing rights of way or government-owned land, where possible.

The Australian Supreme Court has approved a plan to build a major electricity line across a remote property despite the objections of the owner, who had argued that the line should be underground to eliminate electromagnetic fields which he said could cause cancer.

80 people attended a meeting in Batavia, Illinois, City Hall on February 3. They were told they needed to go to a Feb. 24 public utilities meeting, where the power line issue will be addressed. They were also told that proposed new 134 kV transmission power lines would not lead to an increased risk of childhood leukemia, miscarriages or Lou Gehrig's disease. Batavia public works director Gary Larsen told the standing-room only crowd that the amount of electromagnetic fields emitted are in line with those emitted by home appliances such as toasters, hair dryers or electric shavers. As extensively and conclusively documented on the website, www.powerlinefacts.com, this is misleading in the extreme. The risks linked with transmission power lines are induced by the long term exposure to these fields. The fact that home appliances can emit such fields over short time periods is totally irrelevant.

On January 30, the Georgia legislature received testimony that encouraged it to adopte Bill 22, which proposes that the power companies justify the need for and routing of lines to the Public Service Commission. Currently, In that state, power companies´ routing decisions are not subject to regularatory review. If lawmakers decide to place oversight on the power line process, they must also find $3 million to fund it in a year with a $600,000 deficit. Public Service Commission officials estimate the job would require at least 11 new staff members and $3.7 million to oversee about 100 projects a year.

The owners of a dormant underwater power cable between Connecticut and Long Island filed suit Tuesday in Connecticut Superior Court, claiming that state regulators are illegally depriving them of their property by refusing to allow electricity to flow through the 330-megawatt line. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection has refused to consider Cross-Sound's request to energize the line, citing a state moratorium on decisions regarding energy projects in Long Island Sound that is in effect until June 3.

The Minnesota state Public Utilities Commission has approved plans by Xcel Energy Inc. to build a high-voltage power line in southwestern Minnesota, although the regulators added conditions that will force Xcel to accelerate its plan to buy more wind-generated power.

According to the AP, the 94-mile powerline will run between Lakefield and Sioux Falls, S.D., and will include three smaller connecting lines. Specific routes have not been determined. The "certificate of need" for the $160 million project was approved on January 30. environmentalists wanted the schedule for building it to match the construction of new wind turbines to meet the total 825-megawatt requirement. The commission directed Xcel to build the power line and the additional wind turbines at the same time

Australian research suggests low-frequency magnetic fields may impair people's memory. While previous studies had already demonstrated high-powered electromagnetic emissions could interfere with brain functions, the latest findings applied to low-powered electromagnetic emissions. The research was conducted by Professor Con Stough of the Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology at Sawinburne University in Australia. The experiment found 30 subjects who took a series of tests for brain function while exposed to a 50Hz electromagnetic field were "significantly impaired" while trying to remember a list of 15 words. Professor Stough said the this could have major implications where people are near powerlines.

Durham, Mass, town officials are resisting Northeast Utilities plan to run high voltage power lines over residential areas of town, and will meet with several private consultants in the coming months about possibly shifting the lines outside of town lines. According to the Middletown Press, the Board of Selectmen met with representatives of Synapse Energy Economics earlier this week to discuss the appropriateness of Northeast Utilities’ (NU) plans to construct a 345,000 volt line through the town, and possible alternative plans. According to First Selectwoman Maryann Boord, officials want to hire a consulting firm to study the possibility of moving the power line away from several residential neighborhoods. One alternative would be to string them along parallel lines that cut through Middletown, she said. At a meeting of about 40 residents last month, several people raised concerns that the power lines could cause health problems. A grass-roots group, the Woodlands Coalition, has already presented a study to the state Siting Council suggesting that people living close to power lines are at greater risk of some health problems because of electromagnetic fields (EMF)s emitted. But NU spokesman Frank Poirot said there is still no scientific evidence that EMFs pose a health risk to residents, and said there were several studies that seemed to prove they did not.

The EMF Health Report's November/December issue is now available. It contains a number of interesting articles. One examines studies that suggest magnetic fields alter communications between cells. It reports most studies conclude that power line frequency magnetic fields may disrupt the ability of cells to establish "gap-junctional intercellular communication" (GJIC) in a way similar to that of known cancer-promoters. In a separate article, the newsletter reports on low-frequency magnetic fields ability to modulate the pain response. These fields seem to prolong the effectives of drugs like morphine, whose analgesic effect gradually diminishes over several days. It noted that some studies that had failed to detect this effect had used techniques for eleminating magnetic fields in the "control" sample that, in fact, did not eliminate the field. Finally, the newsletter reported on studies that begin to explain the mechanism through which magnetic fields promote wound healing.

A George Special Master has rejected a power company's use of eminent domain in part because of concerns over magnetic fields. In a January 23 ruling, the special master found “there is a higher incidence of childhood leukemia in relation to proximity of children to high-power transmission lines." The proposed line would be about 30 feet from Berrien County Middle School. According to the Marietta Daily Journal, Special Master Charles J. Steedley denied Georgia Transmission Corporation's condemnation request on the grounds that "Georgia Transmission has not, under the evidence, determined a public necessity, and there is no public necessity for the condemnation." Steedley held an electric membership corporation "has no absolute right of taking based upon its own determination of necessity," citing three cases from Georgia appeals, two in 1997 and the other in 1990.

According to a report in the February 1 edition of Reinsiurance Magazine (Timothy Benn Publishing Limited), The UK's National Radiological Protection Board's independent Radiation Risk and Society Advisory Group is considering the future direction of the board's research into the health effects of power lines. According to the magazine, "some research has suggested that power lines increase the risk of cancer."

Although restructuring of Canada's electricity market has made it easier to export power to the United States, a recent report issued by Canada's National Energy Board (NEB) said exports have declined in recent years and there is little prospect of an increase in the immediate future. According to the January 27 Energy Daily, The NEB issued a report on Jauary 15 stating that electricity exports have fallen nearly in half since 1996, reflecting a lower level of excess generation. Several developers have been working on long-distance power lines to bring more of Canada's power to the United States, but the report said few exports outside of hydropower generation would make economic sense. The NEB report finds that net exports from Canada declined from 40 terawatt hours (TWh) in 1996 to an estimated 25 TWh in 2002. Even with the lower export rates, the NEB said revenues from exports have continued to yield $656 million to $1.3 billion per year, excluding the two banner years of 2000-2001, when exports reaped about $2 billion.

Plans for a controversial power line to Canada through the wilds of Hancock and Washington counties in Maine look to have been abandoned, environmentalists said on January 24..

According to the January 25 edition of the Bangor Daily News, a letter sent to Maine's Board of Environmental Protection in late December said that Emera Energy Inc., Bangor Hydro's parent company, is considering other options that will be pursued in a "more collaborative manner." State and federal permits that had been granted to Emera expired with the new year. Thus, fresh applications would be necessary the power lines.

San Diego Gas & Electric and its ally, the California Independent System Operator, on January 23 filed requests with the California Public Utilities Commission for a reconsideration of its Dec. 19 decision denying the Valley Rainbow Interconnect transmission line. SDG&E wants to build a 31-mile, 500,000-volt line across southwestern Riverside County to tap into the Southern California Edison grid so it can take more power south to San Diego. Last month, power-line opponents, including residents, three city governments and an Indian tribe, persuaded the PUC to deny the $350 million project on the grounds that it is too costly and unnecessary

The Belfast (Northern Ireland) News Letter reported on January 22 that new research shows that as many as one in 20 pregnancies could end in miscarriage because of the effects of electromagnetic fields. This is similar to the stories published in the London tabloids reported here on January 20.

The Bonneville Power Administration will build a 500-kilovolt power line between Spokane and Grand Coulee. Construction of the 84-mile line will begin in February with completion expected in November 2004. The project is financed by the power agency and completely paid for by its sales of transmission services. Most of the line will be built on existing right of way between the agency's Bell Substation in Spokane and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's switchyard next to Grand Coulee Dam. The new line will replace an older, lower capacity line.

The mayor of Casa Grande, California, vowed on January 21 to fight a proposed 500 kV line running from the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station southwest of Phoenix in a southerly loop to the Phoenix East Valley area.

The World Social Forum 2003 meeting to be held in Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil, will focus on January 24 on EMF issues. In a seminar titled, "Non-Ionizing Electromagnetic Fields and Radiations and the Impact of New Technologies of Health and Environment," the Forum will analyze and discuss the public health and environmental impacts related to exposure to non-ionizing fields and radiations. It will also address the mechanisms of interaction of human beings exposed the fields emanated from power and distribution lines and systems. Speakers will include Dr. Andrew A. Marino, Ph.D. ( Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Lousianna State University, LA, USA,, Prof. Francisco de Assis Ferreira Tejo, D.Sc. ( Laboratory of Applied Electromagnetics and Microwaves, Electrical Engineering Department, UFCG, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil, and Prof. Robson Spinelli Gomes, M.Sc. (Physicist; Manager, Occupational Hygiene Coordination, FUNDACENTRO, Ministry of Labor and Employment, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

Charlotte, NC, area residents would be willing to pay extra utility fees for buried power lines, a newspaper poll shows. According to a January 20 AP story, North Carolina power companies already bury lines in some dense, urban areas and in new subdivisions, but more than 75 percent of the state's power lines still dangle overhead.

A bill that would ease environmental regulation for some kinds of power lines was introduced at a Montana State House committee meeting on January 20. It would amend Montana's Major Facilities Siting Act, passed in the mid-1970s, weakening or eliminating the requirement that proposed power lines before construction obtain a certification that they are necessary and meet all environmental standards.

Leaders of Save Our Unique Lands, a group formed in opposition to the proposed 220-mile Arrowhead-Weston transmission line, are encouraging people to submit their comments to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, which is re-examining the project because the cost of the proposed project has more than doubled to $396 million. Public comments must be received by the PSC by noon Jan. 31, or a day earlier if filing by fax. The words "O5-CE-113 Comments Regarding Revised Project Costs" must be clearly indicated on the first page of each filing. Comments can be sent to: Lynda L. Dorr, Secretary to the Commission, Public Service Commission, P.O. Box 7854, Madison WI 53707-7854. People also can fax comments to 1-608-266-3957.

"During the initial comment period, over 10,000 public comments were made in opposition to this project," said Tom Kreager, president of SOUL. "We encourage the public to comment again and hope they will be listened to this time."

The UK tabloid, The Express, reported the following on January 17: "Pregnant women living near overhead power lines are at greater risk of a miscarriage, a shock report warned yesterday. Expectant mothers are 10 per cent more likely to lose a child if their home is near pylons, it is claimed."

It is not clear from the article what constitutes yesterday's "shock report". Probably, the article is referring to the California Evaluation, which was released on October 13, 2002. According to the paper, "The report, from California, examined miscarriages of women within 30 yards of a power line and compared them with national averages. Professor Denis Henshaw, an electromagnetic specialist at Bristol University, said it showed at least one in 20 women living near power lines miscarried. He has called for a change in planning laws to stop houses being built close to the overhead cables. "

Two other London tabloids, The Evening Standard and the Daily Mail, had a similar stories, also published on January 17. The Daily Mail replicated without atribution the Henshaw assertion, noting, "The findings suggest that as many as one in 20 pregnancies could end in a miscarriage because of the effects of electromagnetic fields (EMFs)."

The Texas Department of Agriculture is investigating complaints that utilities are spraying power line rights of way with chemicals toxic to humans as part of a program to suppress tree growth. An analysis of the spray residue in Los Fresnos, Texas, showed it contained Triclopyr, a chemical that is toxic to mammals.

The European Commission and the National Institute of Environmental Health Science are conducting a three day meeting on the Application of the Precautionary Principle to EMF. To be held in Luxembourg on February 24-26, 2003, this meeting will bring together international experts who will develop an approach to the successful implementation of Precautionary Principle.

The first day is an open meeting featuring point-counterpoint presentations to highlight strengths and weaknesses of the Precautionary Principle, and arguments for and against its use for policy decisions regarding the health implications from exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF). Attendees will have the opportunity to provide input and perspective and participate in an open discussion with a panel of experts.

Meetings during second and third days are not open to the public. During those meetings, invited experts will develop recommendations for evaluating if, when and how Precautionary Principle should be invoked.

Further information is available at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph/programmes/health/phevents.htm

The Lawrence Intermediate School in Lawrence, NJ, is installing shielding to reduce the intensity of electromagnetic fields experienced in the school. The decision was made after tests showed that field intensities in parts of the school exceeded the (unspecified) maximum permited level. The school ordered the tests after a teacher's aide was found to have a brain tumor last fall. The teacher's aide, who died in November, was the eighth person to have been diagnosed with cancer at the school in the last 12 years.

Efforts by Georgia's local governments to control when, where and how utilities install power lines were set back on January 13 when that state's Supreme Court struck down a Rabun County ordinance, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The ruling, which may telegraph the fate of similar prohibitions enacted in at least four other counties and two cities, said local bans on new power transmission lines are unconstitutional. The decision was in an appeal of a lawsuit against Rabun County brought by GTC, a subsidiary of the state's electric membership coops. The Court determined in its ruling "[T]he legislature has unquestionably delegated to and vested electric membership corporations with the power of eminent domain to effectuate the purpose of furnishing electric power and service." The Court also also dismissed a key argument by Rabun officials that they have the power to determine the need for and safety of power lines. "There is simply no requirement that GTC demonstrate to Rabun County the necessity or the appropriateness of its proposed project," according to the decision.Therefore, according to the ruling, utilities can decide how they will expand their grid of transmission lines. They can take land through eminent domain, a power under which private landowners can be forced to sell their property at a price set by an arbitrator. Landowners say utilities should be required to submit to state oversight of the process. Power lines, they say, lower property values. Homeowners and parents also worry that high-voltage lines may harm the health of those nearby.

Attorneys for Cobb County, another Georgia County that similarly imposed a moratorium, felt their case might prevail in spite of the Supreme Court's finding. A lawyer for Cobb County said that county's ordinance may still pass muster because it takes a different approach. According to a Cobb county attorney, "Rabun County's ordinance banned all new lines over 35 kilovolts for three years, while ours only bans above ground lines over 115 kilovolts."

According to the Edmonton (Canada) Journal, weeks after approving the construction of a controversial west-end school near power lines, the Edmonton city council Tuesday asked Alberta provincial government to clarify the standards for building near transmission lines.

The Bonneville Power Administration has decided the best route for a new high-voltage transmission line near Snoqualmie is through the Cedar River Watershed. BPA officials on Tuesday released a supplemental environmental review that named the watershed route as the preferred path for the 500,000-volt power line. Opponents fear erosion would pollute water and require the Seattle utility to build a $150 million filtration plant.

Residents of Redding and Bethel, CT, participated yesterday evening (January 16) in a hearing held by the Connecticut Siting Council on plans to convert a 115 kV overhead transmission line to a 345 kV line. Northeast Utilities has offered to bury parts of the line. Residents expressed concern that include the potentially adverse effects it could have on aesthetics, health and property values in the towns along the proposed route.

The oral arguments for the Sunfish Lake Appeal were presented to the Appeals Court on January 14. Xcel and the City maintained that the PLTF could not appeal Judge Stacey's decision because the Settlement superceded the decision. The PLTF's attorney claimed that, by settling without protecting the PLTF's interests, the judge together with the City and Xcel deprived the PLTF of an enforceable legal right. Here is a copy of the Task Force's Brief. Xcel and the City responded to that brief, and the PLTF in turn responded to their comments. A decision will be rendered by no later than April 14, but most likely before that date.

The Georgia Supreme Court affirmed a Superior Court ruling on January 13 that a Rabun County ordinance suspending power line construction is unconstitutional. In 1999, the the Georgia Transmission Corporation appllied to the county to build a high voltage line across part of Rabun County. Its application resulted in the ordinance suspending construction. The ordinance was based in part upon the potential of adverse health effects associated with the line. However, the Supreme Court reasoned that, unhder George law, the county's authority does not include the right to overrule a utility's power of eminent domain.

The Conservation Commission of Norwalk, CT., has recommended that NU's appllication to build a new substation be rejected on environmental grounds. The issue will be considered by the full Zoning Commission on January 15. The proposal is part of NU's application to build a 345 kV line.

The Montgomery County Texas Courier reports that February 15 elections to various county and association boards may swing on how the board members handle proposals to build overhead transmission lines. According to the paper, in 2000, the electric utility, Entergy, announced plans to build overhead power lines in a residential community. Residents objected, and community association directors helped to find a solution with Entergy, which decided to bury the lines.

The town of Durham, CT, is threatend by Connecticut Light and Power's (a division of Northeast Utilities) plans to upgrade a transmission line from 115 kV to 345 kV. According to the January 12 Middletown Press, The City's First Selectwoman (Mayor) Maryann Boord has drafted a letter to the power company expressing concerns that the plan to run 345-kilovolt power lines through town would hurt local property values and cause health risks for residents.

The company hopes to replace the region’s remaining 115-kilovolt lines with 345-kilovolt lines, which can carry five times more energy. The overall project is broken into two phases, with the first phase bringing 20 miles of new lines from Bethel to Norwalk and the second phase stringing 70 miles of new lines from Middletown to Norwalk. The first phase is already before the Connecticut Siting Council for consideration, and has met fierce resistance from public officials and residents in Fairfield County.

In a January 5, 2002, story, the outgoing mayor of Sunfish Lake, MN, blames his defeat on residents who opposed Xcel Energy's plan to upgrade a power line. The incoming mayor, Molly Park, characterizes the issue as "done and over," which the Power Line Task Force's attorney maintains is not correct. Sunfish Lake is one of the communities impacted by Xcel's plans to build a new power line on the right of way of the current SE Metro Line.

In its January 10 edition, the Minnesota Star Tribune newspaper editorially supports the Citizen's League position.

The Minnesota Citizens League has produced a report titled "Powering Up Minnesota's Energy Future," in which it recommends, among other things that:
• Electricity be produced in small, chighly efficient generating plants scattered around the transmission network, and that
• The transmission network be operated as public infrastructure, like a highway system, with connections open to all generators and consumers -- reducing the need for long-distance, high-capacity lines.
The resulting reduction in transmission lines would reduce their demonstrated adverse health impacts.
The full report is available at: http://www.citizensleague.net/reports/electric_energy.pdf

The Wisconsin Public Service Commission, under the leadership of its new chairwoman, Burnie Bridge, issued notice that it will reexamine the 240-mile transmission line across northern Wisconsin now that its cost estimate has nearly tripled to $400 million. According to the Phillips, WI, Bee of January 9, the PSC is calling for public comments on whether it should reconsider the entire project, including a review of alternative lines, renewable, conservation, and new generation that may make this highly contested project obsolete. Public comments must be received by noon, Friday, Jan. 31., or if filing by fax, one day earlier.

The cities of Geneva and North Aurora, Illinois are fighting the Northern Illinois utility, ComEd's, plans to build a 138,000 kV line along Randall Rd, which runs between the two cities. According to the Kane City Chronical of January 9, 2003, local residents assert the new high-voltage lines present increased risks for breast cancer, brain tumors, Alzheimer's disease, sudden infant death syndrome and miscarriages.

Georgia homeowners are appealing to the State legislature to give that state's PSC the ability to rein in ultility companies' powers of eminent domain, according to the January 6 Atlanta Journal Constitution. The homeowners claim power lines lower their property values and may harm the health of those living or working nearby. State Rep. Judy Manning (R-Marietta) said she will introduce a bill that would require the Public Service Commission to provide such oversight. The electric companies say there's no need to change the way things have been done for nearly a century and that to do so would end up costing consumers.

The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) has announced it will ask the Pasay City Government to reconsider its decision to deny because of health concerns Meralco's application to build a power line to support Terminal 3 at the Maniula International Airport. See December 22 listing.

According to a January 4 article in the Toronto Star, Canadian scientist Magda Havas has determined that 42 of 60 measured Canadian cities had magnetic field intensities that exceed those shown to be associated with childhood leukemia.

In early December 2002, an Illinois electrical contracting firm was hit with a rare criminal indictment alleging violations of safety regulations that caused the electrocution deaths of two workers. On Dec. 28, 1999, Blake Lane, 20, was killed after touching a power line while doing repair work atop a 100-foot tower in Mount Prospect. It was the second day on the job for Lane, an apprentice. Three months later, Wade Cumpston, 43, was electrocuted while working from a crane on a tower. The cables running between the tower, the crane and the ground were not properly connected, the charges allege. Both men were union employees at the Myers company. At the time, the contractor, L.E. Myers Co, was retained by Commonwealth Edison to do repair work on transmission towers. According to the Chicago Sun Times, this is thought to be the first criminal prosecution in the United States for OSHA violations involving workers on electrical towers .

The Sierra Club said on January 2 that an appeal is likely of a U.S. Forest Service decision paving the way for American Electric Power to build a 765,000-volt line through three Virginia counties. Late last year, the Forest Service issued an environmental impact statement that will allow AEP's line to cross 11 miles of the Jefferson National Forest. The State Corporation Commission approved the line in June 2001, leaving only the Forest Service decision holding up the $287 million project.

The Gwinnett County (Ga.) Commission decided Dec.17, 2002 not to place a moratorium on new power line construction in the county after reviewing recent court rulings that struck down similar moves by other counties. Instead the commissioners called on the Georgia legislature to change state law early next year so that counties would have more legal rights to challenge transmission projects.

A seven member committee has recommended the burial of a 345 kV line between Bethel and Norwalk, CT. The Committee, known as the Working Group, was appointed by the Connecticut legislature in 2002. CL&P (Conn. Light and Power) has indicated that it finds the recommendation "workable."

Here is a study we had not seen before. Published in Cancer Cell International on May 7, it presents experimental evidence to show that the extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields emitted by power lines can have a potentially damaging effect on the process of cell division in (already) radiation-injured cells, which could lead to them becoming cancerous. The evidence developed in the study suggests that power line frequency magnetic fields push cells into dividing more frequently, thereby compounding the incidence of DNA errors.

New superconducting cable that carries about 100 times the power of existing copper wire is expected to be produced in the coming year, according to a December 21 AP story. The new cable, which will be price-competitive within the decade, will enable utility companies to meet demands for additional transmission capacity by rewiring existing facilities, rather than having to build new lines.

Alberta's Atco Electric Company has applied for regulatory approval to construct a 420 kilometer, 240 kV power line from Fort McMurray, Canada, to the Edmonton area (map). The project, now in the hands of Canada's Energy and Utilities Board, is scheduled for completion by April, 2004.

A front page story (paid registration required) in today's Wall Street Journal accuses electric utility holding companies of illegimately and perhaps illegally shifting debts incurred through speculation to their electric utility operating subsidiaries. They are often able to do this because of lax regulartory review. The result is likely to be higher electricity charges for consumers. Singled out for special attention in the article is the Duke Energy; California's Pacific Gas & Electric; Westar Energy of Topeka, Kan; Cincinnati-based Cinergy Inc; and Arizona Public Service. The article also cites problems that wiped out more than $14 billion of balance-sheet capital through losses and charges at the unregulated units of AES Corp., Allegheny Energy Inc., Aquila Inc., Dynegy Inc., TXU Corp., and Xcel Energy Inc.

Minnesota's Elk River-based Great River Energy has unveiled its plan to upgrade power lines in Maple Grove and Plymouth from 69 kV to 115 kV. (map, announcement). According to the December 12 Sun Current, if Great River Energy’s application and permit is accepted, the PUC will hold additional public hearings and meetings that are required as part of the power line siting process. GRE is also required to apply for and receive a site permit for the project from the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board. While GRE does not directly suggest EMF is safe, it points to Minnesota Department of Health announcements to imply EMF is not dangerous.

A Connecticut Task Force studying overhead power lines is likely to recommend the creation of a new multi-agency group to coordinate state energy policies, including issues related to overhead transmission lines. Its recommendations are due by January 1, 2003.

The New Haven Register reports in its December 24 edition that a new "Connecticut Energy Coordinating Authority" would consist of state environmental, energy, and shellfish regulators, as well as state economic development officials. The Task Force is also likely to require siting authorities take into account potential environmental damage and the cumulative affect of other projects. The Connecticut Siting Council, which currently approves new power lines and plants; the state’s utility watchdog office; and the state Department of Transportation would also be members. The state legislature created the Task Force last sping, at which time the legislature also imposed a moratorium on all overhead power line construction.

The newsaper Citypages reports in its December 18 edition that the Minnesota utility, Xcel, is likely to request that the legislature extend its 2007 deadline for either closing down the Praire Island nuclear plant or moving the spent nuclear fuel out of the State. In addition, the company willl ask for permission to exceed its current limit of 17 nuclear storage casks. In so doing, Xcel will break its 1994 pledge to not request more storage capacity. Diana McKeown, energy program coordinator at Minneapolis-based Clean Water Action says, "It's almost like Xcel is saying, 'F you.'"

The Forsyth County, Georgia, Board of Commissioners voted unanimously yesderday to issue a temporary moratorium against the construction of new power transmission lines in the county and to send a resolution to state legislators demanding legislation to permanently end intrusion into the county by the George Transmission Company. (Minutes) See also yesterday's post on the comparable actions undertaken by other Georgia counties.

This makes the county the fifth to issue such a moratorium, joining the Georgia counties of Rabun, Dawson, Cobb and Fulton. The moratorium will stay in place until power companies agree to install underground lines and propose alternate routes that don't cut through communities. Today's The Atlanta Journal and Constitution quotes Forsyth County Commissioner Marcie Kreager as saying, "Our constituents have spoken loud and clear, and we plan to do what's right for our communities even if it means going to court."

On December 4, the comparable moratorium in nearby Cobb County was overturned by a Superior Court judge. A similar three-year ban in Rabun County was also overturned and is being reviewed by the state Supreme Court.

Georgia Transmission Corp., which installs power lines for the state's 39 electric membership cooperatives, said the planned 230 KV lines are needed in the county to keep pace with population growth and economic development.

A December 9 article on the Minnesota Public radio website recaps the ultimately unsuccessful efforts by Minnesota farmers to prevent the construction of the CU line across their land. (Pictures) The line was first proposed in 1974, during an oil crisis. The farmers argued that he line was not necessary. Their argument turned out to be correct, as the oil crisis subsided, and Minnesota was left with a surplus of transmission capacity that lasted for 30 years. However, the battle over the line had great political ramifcations. It was this protest that first brought Paul Wellstone to public attention. He went on to become Minnesota's senator, only to die in a plane crash during the last campaign. The struggle over the line resulted in the 1976 election of Minnesota Goverrnor Rudy Perpich. (Pictures)

The January 2003 edition of Bioelectromagnetics was recently published. One article contained an analysis by 11 Japanese scientists, ten of which were associated with electric power companies. They reviewed the impact of electric fields of 2 mG on blood cells in test tubes. They tested to see if the fields affected both normal and cancerous cells in a test tube setting. They found no effect. In another paper, Japanese scientists associated with that country's national institute of health measured the nightime hormonal secretions (especial melatonin and growth horman) when exposed to moderate magnetic fields and when not so exposed. They found no difference in secretions between nights with exposure and nights of no exposure. However, in a third study, Michigan scientists did found that weak extromagnetic fields alters the rate of calcium absorbtion.

According to a December 15 story in the Charlotte Observor, North Carolina officials are considering burying power lines in order to reduce the frequency of power outages. North Carolina experienced heavy power failures as a result of lines breaking during a severe ice storm.

A number of Georgia counties are requesting legislators to authorize the Public Service Commission to regulate placement and justification of high-voltage lines, according to a December 18 AP story. The power line debate has escalated as residents between Grayson and Lawrenceville are protesting a plan by the Municipal Electric Association of Georgia to put new transmission lines in their area. (A followup to this story was posted on December 24-ed.)

Electormagnetic fields may soon be used to induce therapeutic brain seizures, according to a December 18 report in Health-News UK.

The Stevens Point Journal published on December 22 a profile on Tom Kreager, who has led the opposition to the 345-kilovolt, 210-mile power line proposed by Wisconsin Public Service Corp. and Minnesota Power; a line slated to go through his land and near his home in the town of Mosinee. That passion, and his ability to connect with other like-minded people, thrust him into leading Save Our Unique Lands.

Under Kreager's leadership, SOUL has resisted WPS at nearly every step the company has taken to get the power line in place. And, as noted in our Decmber 21 post, on December 18, SOUL was given another chance to try to stop the line when the state Public Service Commission agreed to re-examine the project.

SOUL has developed information on the adverse health impacts associated with the EMF emitted by power lines.

The Pasay City (map) government in the Philippines today disapproved the Malay Electric Co.s' application for location clearance to put up transmission lines that would be the main source of electricity for Manila's new Ninoy Aquino International Airport's Terminal 3. The electric company applied for clearance to install the 115 kV transmission lines along 12th Street in Airmen’s Village, adjacent to the new terminal.

According to the Filipino TV network ABS-CBN, the City's residents opposed the installation of the transmission lines, citing international studies obtained from the Internet that suggested electromagnetic field (EMF) emissions could cause diseases such as cancer and impotence.

In reaching its decision, the Pasay City government resisted heavy pressure from the Filipino federal government. The Department of Health recommended the project not be stopped because the measured EMF emission complies with existing international standards. Government officials warned the terminal’s opening was already four months delayed and noted the Department of Tourism has declared next year as Visit Philippines 2003 year. Additionally, the Filipino House Committee on Good Government had warned that if the contract rescinded, “investors may be hesitant or reluctant to deal with the government because of this precedent.”

The St. Paul Pioneer Press printed on December 17 a letter from the Power Line Task Force (scroll to the bottom) that argues Xcel's proposed new SE Metro power line is unneeded and too expensive.

Tokyo's Microwave Solutions Inc. announced on December 19 a new apron that blocks electromagnetic radiation. The new metal alloy apron can be worn by cooks to block the potentially harmful magnetic radiation emitted by kitchen appliances like induction-heat ranges. The apron can reduce the strength of the radiation from an induction-heat range from around 40 milligauss to 4 milligauss. This product is intended to appeal to cooks who are concerned about the adverse health implications of magnetic fields.

Korea's Unix Electronic Co. said on December 17 it has developed a new hair dryer that emits less than 5 per cent of the electric magnetic fields ordinarly emitted by these devices. It believes this new product will appeal to those concerned about the adverse health effects assoicated with magnetic fields.

On December 18, the Wisconsiin Public Service Commission issued formal notice that it will re-examine the 240 mile, 345kV transmission project across northern Wisconsin. The PSC had previously approved the project, but voted for the re-examination after The Public Service Commission previously approved the project but was legally required to reopen the case after American Transmission Co. announced last month that the cost of the project had increased from $165 million to $396 million. The opponents had lost a court case resisting the line. One of the issues raised by SOUL is the impact of the line upon the Pimicikamak Cree Nation of Manitoba.

In a related case also involving the importation of power from Canada, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission unanimously approved on December 19 Xcel's 10-year, $1 billion contract to buy electricity from Manitoba Hydro. The Pimicikamak Cree Nation of Manitoba had requested another hearing on the environmental impact of the Manitoba project before the vote. The tribe claimed Minnesota law required the PUC to have information on the contract's impact before it could approve the power purchase agreement. The PUC members said a 1977 arbitration agreement between the company and five Cree First Nation tribes of Manitoba was adequate to address the environmental concerns.

On December 19, the California Public Utilities Commission decided unanimously that San Diego Gas & Electric may not build its proposed 500,000-volt Valley Rainbow Interconnect transmission line because the project is not needed. As reported in the Press-Enterprise (free registration required), the PUC's decision means southwestern Riverside County residents will not be exposed to the effects of a huge power line looming over their homes. A key reason that the line was rejected was President Bush's signing of a bill that prevented the line from crossing Pechanga Indian land. Additionally the PUC accepted the arguement presented by experts hired by a grass-roots group who asserted the line was not needed. The articles do not suggest that the harmful effects of EMF were raised as an issue in this case.

The November/December edition of Microwave News has just been published. This is required reading for all of those involved with EMF. This issue notes that both the WHO and the NIEHS have recently seemed to begin to downplay their earlier concerns over magnetic fields, even though there is substantial new evidence confirming the dangers of these fields.