Over 300 people from Farmersville, Exeter, Lemon Cove, Woodlake and Visalia attended a meeting at the Visalia Convention Center last Wednesday to oppose a proposed power line path they said would rip the fabric of a patchwork quilt that represents their rural way of life.

The powerlines are part of Southern California Edisonís (SCE) proposal to upgrade its electrical system capacity and create a loop around Tulare County by connecting its rector stations in Springville and Visalia. SCE has proposed a 19-mile ìpreferred routeî or Route 1 that would construct about 120 metal towers between Lemon Cove and Visalia that range in height between 120-160 feet at a cost of about $71 million. SCE also included two alternative routes: Route 2, which would cross the county just north of Woodlake at a cost of about $46 million and Route 3, which would cross above Orosi and come south into Visalia at a cost of about $93 million.

Administrative Law Judge Hallie Yacknin presided over the meeting for the California Pubic Utility Commission, which will ultimately make the decision on which route will be chosen. Yacknin said she had already received over 600 letters and e-mails prior to the Nov. 19 hearing,

ìMany of your letters expressed a concern that the project would be approved without a review,î she said. ìFor clarification, the CPUC must conduct that review by law.î

Over 60 people spoke at the meeting and Yacknin attempted to limit each speaker to about two minutes. Representatives from cities, organized protesters and SCE were not allowed to talk at the meeting which was strictly to hear the concerns of citizens. Yacknin said that those entities would have the opportunity to present their case and even cross examine each other during a more formal court-like proceeding at a later date. ìThis is an unbelievable turnout for such small communities,î said citrus farmer Jay Cutler of Lemon Cove, who said he stands to lose about $100,000 in revenue to accommodate the necessary 100-foot right-of-way for SCEís powerlines. ìIt speaks volumes to the impacts to businesses, employment, etc. It would be a shame to go forward even if it is financially more costly.î

Ag-gregious Losses

Most of those who spoke at the meeting were among the more than 200 property owners living on or near the preferred route, which parallels Highway 198 between Lemon Cove and Visalia. Most of those residents were small farmers whose families had farmed in the area for several generations.

Carole Cairns of Lemon Cove said her family has operated Kaweah Lemon Co. since 1892 and the proposed powerlines would effectively destroy her business. Cairns said the path of the lines would take out 76 acres of prime citrus land, over 5,000 producing citrus trees, and two water wells owned by her company.

ìThis doesnít only affect farmers, it affects farm workers,î Cairns said. ìThis would force us to lay off at least two full-time workers and 50 part-time workers. This will be more costly in the long run to our people and our communities.î

Louis Whitendale of Visalia, whose family has farmed in Tulare County since the 1860s, said that the current rector substation is in his backyard, and the proposed power lines would be placed in his front yard.

ìThink of Edison as a category-1 tornado that will touchdown in Visalia and take a half-mile swath of destruction to Lemon Cove,î he said. ìI am opposed to the project for every imaginable reason.î

Farmer Brian Blain of Visalia was one of many to concede that the area needed the additional capacity added to its electrical system. Tulare County is one of the fastest growing regions in California and is expected to double in population in the next 20 years. But Blain, like most there, supported Route 3, which runs north of Stokes Mountain along existing power lines to Visalia.

ìSCE spends millions annually to clear vegetation near their lines,î said Blain, who farms 45 acres that will be dissected by the new lines. ìThere is no successful method to trimming near power lines, so the addition cost to Route 3 is really not an additional cost. There is significantly less expense to upgrade existing lines along Route 3 [than putting in a new route].î

Jim Sebesta, representing Sunkist Growers, said the citrus co-operative opposed Route 1 because it takes prime agriculture farm land out of production.

ìThis is the best citrus in the county, the state and the world,î Sebasta said.

Fight for Farmersville

While Edisonís project would potentially impact Lemon Cove, Visalia, Exeter and Woodlake, no city stands to lose more than Farmersville. Resident Margarito Santiago showed Judge Yacknin artist renderings of the cityís proposed industrial park that would include a superstore along with other smaller retail outlets north of Walnut Avenue along Farmersville Boulevard. The drawings also showed how towers would be constructed right in the middle of the development, making the property unattractive to commercial developers.

ìThis project means 300 new jobs for Farmersville residents,î he said. Then he flipped over the renderings to show signs protesting SCEís Route 1. ìThis project only takes jobs away.î

City of Farmersville staff were not allowed to talk at the hearing, but City Councilmembers Paul Boyer and Mike Santana spoke as residents.

ìWe are a city without code enforcement, animal control, recreation department, etc,î Santana said. ìWe are a training ground for police department because of gang activity, have been impacted economically by winter freezes and are at the mercy financially of unstable state budgets. But the opportunities are unlimited with this industrial park.î

Boyer said that 30% of Farmersville residents live in poverty and the city canít provide many essential services because of its insufficient sales tax base. Some of the hardships he cited were a recreation budget of about $5,000 for a city of over 10,000 people, no public or high school swimming pool, and the constant threat of gangs, including six shootings on his street over the last two years.

ìThe need for business development in this city is critical,î Boyer said.

Other city officials also spoke as residents on behalf of Farmersville. Exeter City Councilman Jack Allwardt told Yacknin how the route would devastate Farmersvilleís future economic development by bisecting an industrial park on the cityís north side. Lindsay City Planner Bill Zigler, also an Exeter resident, echoed the Allwardtís sentiments.

Farmersville High School student Eli Angeles, who translated for many of the Farmersville residents who spoke, said that SCEís route 1 would cut through the cityís future.

ìPeople think they can just run over us because we are poor,î he said. ìBut we can be something and make changes for the future. We donít oppose Edison. Just please move the route.î

Small Town Harm

The towers will not actually go through Exeterís city limits, but most Exeter residents agreed that everyone in town knew someone whose property would be devalued by the towers.

Lucy Long, who co-owns Orange Blossom Junction restaurant on Highway 198 just east of Exeter with her husband Doug, said the scenic highway is a lifeline for local tourism.

ìIt is the Gateway to the Sequoia National Park and every summer we see visitors from across the world come to behold the beauty of our area,î she said.

ìTulare County is poor,î Doug said. ìWe invested our life savings into the building that no one wanted and created 25 jobs. Every job is important in Tulare County and taking just one job away hurts the county.î

James Gordon, immediate past president of Exeter, By Design, said having the towers run just north of town would cast a menacing shadow on Exeterís entire tourism-based economy. Gordon said he surveyed 24 businesses who said that 30-50% of their customers are from outside Tulare County and that of those 24, 21 businesses are earning less than $300,000 a year.

ìThis would make it very difficult for a small business to make it,î Gordon said.

Dennis Hilton of Exeter offered an analogy to which the San Francisco judge could relate.

ìItís like putting up skyscrapers in front of the Golden Gate Bridge,î he said. ìThere is no other opening that offers a pristine view of the lower valley over the rolling foothills to 12,000-foot peaks [of the Sierra Nevadas].î

Thirdís Not A Charm

Nearly everyone who spoke was in favor of Route 3, which only affects about eight property owners along the entire route and would follow the path of existing powerlines. Jo-Anne Lyons, who owns a cattle ranch along the route, said even she was in favor of Route 3. ìI do have cattle, and I donít think they would mind either,î she said.

However, two of those property owners were in attendance and urged Judge Yacknin not to dismiss their concerns.

Sherry Estabrooksí property already has powerlines on it, but she said the new towers would be wider and cost her more to make way for them.

ìIím not going to be reimbursed for those new towers because they already have towers there since 1913,î she said. ìIím in the minority, but Iím here too.î

David Wendt said new towers along Route 3 would destroy his Berry Best Farms business by taking out 60-70% of his production.

ìThere ARE people on this route that will suffer tremendous negative impacts,î he said. ìI am one of them.î

Another Alternative

Pamela Whitmire, an Exeter resident better known as PK on K-TIP 1450AM radio in Porterville, asked why SCE had not considered a new technology created by 3M, a company based out of St. Paul, Minn. In June, Silicon Valley Power, the municipal utility for the City of Santa Clara, Calif., joined a growing roster of utilities that have deployed 3Mís Aluminum Conductor Composite Reinforced (ACCR) transmission lines for situations in which greater capacity is needed while minimizing environmental and economic impact.

Kevin Keating, manager of engineering for Silicon Valley Power, touted the 3M lines as ìquite a savings over other alternatives.î

ìOne of the most compelling attributes of 3Mís ACCR as an upgrade to existing lines is that it can relieve a utility of the costs, risks and environmental concerns of enlarging towers or expanding rights of way. Also, because it can match the sag and tension of the existing conductor with less weight, utilities can reduce disruption to neighborhoods or the environment without adding risk to the existing system.î

Current towers are just over 60-feet tall compared with 120 to 160-foot towers proposed in the project. For more information, visit www.3M.com.

The Bottom Line

SCE has estimated that Route 1 would cost $96 million, Route 2 would cost $131 million and Route 3 would cost $162 million.

However, local business owners, such as Larry Stoneburner, CEO and owner of KTIP 1450 AM in Porterville, questioned the preliminary cost estimates listed in SCEís San Joaquin Cross Valley Loop Project. The estimates include costs for pension benefits, administrative overhead and general overheads, land acquisition costs and legal fees.

ìIt only takes one landowner along that Route [1] to hold up the entire project in court,î Stoneburner said. With over 200 landowners along Route 1 versus a handful on Route 3, it seems SCEís cost estimates undervalue the threat of lawsuits along the route.

Woodlake Police chief John Zapalac, whose ranch borders the project, said Route 1 negatively impacts nearly every one in Tulare County, from small farmers to small cities and poor communities to affluent communities.

ìMoney shouldnít be the issue here,î Zapalac said. ìWe, the utility users, will pay that bill anyway.î

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