By Bill Gates | The Arizona Republic
Are neighborhoods fit places for high-voltage lines?
Salt River Project wants to put high-voltage lines through a residential neighborhood. The poles will be 120- to 150-foot exclamation points.
Their excessive size will diminish property values, spoil views and leave homeowners worried about health risks.
Residential areas are no place for these 230,000-volt giants. People fear them and don’t want them. Yet when SRP takes its request to the state line-siting committee this fall, it will emphasize how much it has sought public input.
SRP will celebrate adding public meetings after homeowners packed May meetings to object. They will speak of thorough planning and transparency.
Not so. This process represents both a long-term lack of planning and a sophisticated attempt to divert public attention.
