The Executive Board heard testimony Feb. 3 on a bill that seeks to halt construction on certain rural electric transmission lines and establish a legislative committee to examine the issue.<\/p>\n
Introduced by Gordon Sen. Tom Brewer, LB409 would prohibit electric suppliers from starting or continuing construction on any transmission line project that extends 200 or more miles or expending any funds relating to such a project until Jan. 1, 2023. <\/p>\n
Brewer said he realizes the need for the Nebraska Public Power District\u2019s proposed high voltage power line \u2014 known as the R-Project \u2014 in order to balance the transmission of electricity in western Nebraska. The current proposed route, however, would \u201cdisrupt and disturb the Sandhills like nothing we\u2019ve done\u201d in the region, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen them pick the most dangerous, destructive route that they could pick \u2014 for their convenience,\u201d Brewer said, adding that everyone involved in the situation should \u201ctake a deep breath\u201d and reexamine the project before moving forward.<\/p>\n
The bill also would establish the Electric Transmission Line Study Committee. The seven-member committee would include senators from the Executive Board and the Natural Resources and Government, Military and Veterans Affairs committees.<\/p>\n
The new committee would be tasked with studying the process of routing transmission lines, private property rights and customer and ratepayer interests as well as the necessity of constructing long-distance transmission lines, the sufficiency of statutory and regulatory requirements and the preservation of historical, cultural and ecological resources.<\/p>\n
The committee would report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature and would terminate Dec. 31, 2022.<\/p>\n
Brent Steffen, a Sandhills landowner for 30 years, testified in support of the bill. Nebraska\u2019s public power system served the state well when it was struggling to complete rural electrification, he said, but since has become a powerful \u201cbehemoth\u201d subject to minimal oversight.<\/p>\n
He said NPPD now serves the interests of the Southwest Power Pool, a 14-state consortium of which it is a member, rather than the interests of Nebraskans \u2014 as evidenced by the R-Project.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt takes generations and generations to heal disturbed property in the Sandhills,\u201d Steffen said.<\/p>\n
Linda Tacey of Sutherland, a Sandhills tour guide, also supported LB409. She said NNPD was tasked with avoiding cultural and historic sites when siting the R-Project. Despite this, she said, the current northern route would endanger Birdwood Creek and the Mormon and Oregon trails.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of these areas are pristine,\u201d Tacey said. \u201cThey\u2019ve never been plowed; they\u2019ve been very protected by the landowners for over 175 years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tom Kent, NPPD president and CEO, testified in opposition on behalf of NPPD and the Nebraska Power Association. He said the current route has been \u201cthoroughly studied, designed and vetted\u201d since 2012, when it was determined that the grid in northwest Nebraska needed to be strengthened.<\/p>\n
Planned power outages were necessary that year, he said, because NPPD didn\u2019t have the transmission capability needed.<\/p>\n
Acknowledging the environmental sensitivity of the Sandhills, Kent said every effort has been made to mitigate the adverse impact of the project and that a southern route was considered and during the process. He added that NPPD has acquired 81 percent of the easements needed for the current proposed route.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, not everyone is going to be happy,\u201d Kent said. \u201cIf you move it somewhere else, someone else isn\u2019t going to be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The committee took no immediate action on the bill.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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