August 18, 2004
Dear Friend:
Members of 280 Corridor Concerned Citizens (280CCC) will be out in force Thursday at a California Public Utilities Commission meeting at which commissioners are expected to determine the route of a high-voltage line through San Mateo County.
The 280CCC group hopes that the commissioners will accept the "West of Skyline Compromise" route that would route the line away from homes along Skyline Boulevard in Burlingame. Members of 280CCC have won local support for their preferred route from the City of Burlingame and the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors.
Residents who favor the West of Skyline Boulevard Compromise may email all five CPUC commissioners-President Michael Peevey and Commissioners Geoffrey Brown, Susan Kennedy Loretta Lynch and Carl Wood-in care of the CPUC's public advisor at public.advisor@cpuc.ca.gov or send a fax to (415) 703-2411 or (415) 355-5404. Copies will be delivered immediately to the commissioners, according to CPUC Public Advisor Harriett Burt.
The proposed route 1B will route a new 230-kilovolt (kV) line along Skyline Drive in Burlingame within 30 feet of some homes. Members of 280CCC say this plan would expose more than 400 residents to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) of 3 to 15 milligaus (mGs), which is far greater than the 2mG level that the California Department of Health Services has determined to be "significantly exposed." The department has cited evidence that this level of EMFs has been linked to increased rates of childhood leukemia, adult brain cancer, Lou Gehrig's disease and miscarriages.
The West of Skyline Compromise would co-locate the new power line with an existing 60-kilovolt (kV) line underground in the existing right-of-way on San Francisco Watershed property east of Highway 280, at least 50 feet from residential property lines. The plan would remove unsightly Pacific Gas & Electric towers currently located along a 60 kV line, making the area more scenic for hikers enjoying the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Under the compromise, the power line would lie between Highway 280 and homes next to the freeway, in an area that is not within the jurisdiction of the GGNRA. No endangered species live in this area and it is not a sensitive habitat, according to the environmental impact report for the project.
Lara Lighthouse of the 280CCC said she and her neighbors have been losing sleep for months over the proposed power line route because they fear that routing it close to their homes would endanger their families. Katie Carlin, a San Mateo Highlands resident and the treasurer of the 280CCC has been supporting Skyline residents in this fight. "The West of Skyline Compromise is clearly the safest, most benevolent option on the table. Additionally several towers and lines would be removed, improving the scenic corridor for Interstate 280 drivers and people enjoying outdoor recreation. It just makes sense." she said.
The CPUC meeting will begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 19, at 505 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. It is open to the public. An agenda item that immediately follows the Jefferson-Martin item will address the controversial issue of whether the commission should update its policies and procedures regarding EMFs.
More information about the proposed route is available on the 280CCC's Web site at http://home.comcast.net/~280ccc
SamTrans Wants Input
If you are interested in improving local transportation, you may wish to apply for one of three seats open on the San Mateo County Transit District's Citizens Advisory Committee. The 13-member body advises SamTrans' Board of Directors. The three open positions represent modes of transit that interact with SamTrans' fixed-route service, such as Caltrain, BART and shuttles
Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the district's central office in San Carlos. Applicants do not need to be residents of San Mateo County, but the transit district may give preference to county residents.
Applications are available by calling (650) 508-6223 or online at www.samtrans.com. The deadline for applications is Sept. 3.
Phone: 650-347-3576
Email: terry@terrynagel.com