ENEMY LINES: THE ADVERSARIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMMUNITIES AND ELECTRICITY

Throughout the country, power line siting has become a controversial conununity issue, even close to home. By early summer, the Rhode Island State Planning Council will have issued an advisory opinion on a l l 5kV (kilovolt) transmission project which would incorporate construction and relocation of high voltage lines along a 5.3 mile corridor in Warwick, East Greenwich, and North Kingstown. But Rhode Island is not alone: from the suburbs of San Diego to our own northeast region, citizens and officials alike are concerned with the potential impacts of power lines. There is no simple solution to the questions which transmission line siting raises: the problems are complex. As one member of the State Planning Council in Rhode Island recently noted, conducting a review of the issues surrounding power line relocation "is like opening a pandora's box" . The health risk associated ·with EMFs, or "ElectroMagnetic Fields" is among the most prominent issues raised during the siting and approval processes. An electromagnetic field is created every time electricity is sent through a wire. The strength and size of the EMF varies with the current. Overhead power lines are not the only producers of EMFs, but they are certainly the most visible and potentially the least controllable. While household appliances, such as toasters, microwaves, and hairdryers produce fields, these appliances are used for a short period of time every day. Exposure to the EMF from a transmission line could

take place for many hours a day.
The first studies of the adverse effects of EMFs were conducted in the midl 960's in the Soviet Union and linked exposure to electromagnetic fields \'vith leukemia and lymphoma in children. In the past thirty years, two studies in the United States and one study in Sweden have provided additional evidence to support the initial claim. However, studies conducted by Canadian researchers and scientists at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) have debated whether the correlation can be confirmed. Although the proof is inconclusive, researchers from engineering colleges such as Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University are urging caution in dealing with the issue of EMFs.
In the past five to ten years, concerns about power line location have shifted away from a purely physiological focus and turned to the socio-economics of transmission projects. Some of the concerns which may arise in a community include: impact on the natural environment, aesthetics, property devaluation, tax increases (as a result of the loss of property value) , noise generated by the lines, landscaping and buffer areas, real estate slumps, and difficulty in obtaining loans.
Since 1990, a dozen court cases have been heard which address the fear of EMFs as the cause of property devaluation. Criscuola v. New York State Power Authority, a case which was heard during the fall of 1993, was a landmark decision in EMF litigation. The New York State Court of Appeals ruled that homeowners could be awarded damages due to the perception of danger from EMFs. The opinion iii stated that "whether the danger is a genuine or verifiable fact should be irrelevant to the central issue of its market value impact".
At the APA's national conference in April of 1994, staff of the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) noted that information on EMFs and power line location was among the most frequently requested. Furthermore, two sessions at the conference dealt with "The Public and Electric Facility Siting". This issue "vill be of critical importance to planners, especially in urbanized areas where it is difficult to site power lines away from population centers. Pandora's box is open. IV

I Pref ace
As the modem world becomes more and more complex, the role that a planner must fill has become increasingly difficult to define. The traditional concept of planner as technician has receded, to be replaced by planner as advocate, as expert, as manager, as politician, and as technician. The only conceptual which all the roles have in common is a dependence on the planner's ability to obtain and distribute information.
The issue of electromagnetic fields (EMF) and high voltage power lines has resulted in an influx of information from the different stal<.eholder groups. The problem lies in the fact that much of the information is skewed by the interest which produced it. The planner's responsibility becomes a double-edged sword: to understand the technical concepts presented in the fields of law, engineering, epidemiology, and the economics of power supply, and to understand the implications of such projects for the community. The planning process becomes a struggle between values, thoughts, feelings, and opinions and quantifiable data such as kilowatts and rate increases. This project presents the varied points of view associated with a power line siting project. Using a case study of the Narragansett Electric 11 SkV relocation project, which is located in three Rhode Island communities, the difficulties involved in taking a responsible role in the siting process are examined.   Table 1: Average Exposure to EMFs 6          x PART ONE:

List of Tables
The Issue "God made the moon and the light. Then the electric company took over, but that wasn't until many years later." Bart, age 9 1 CHAPTER ONE:

Background
In 1979, United States scientists discovered a link between leukemia and lymphoma in children and exposure to low-frequency electromagnetic (EM) radiation. Up until this point in time, there was little concern about siting a home immediately adjacent to a utility right of way (ROW) . In fact, utility ROWs were considered good neighbors because they would never be built upon.
However, since 1 979, "much of the concern about low-frequency EM radiation has focused on extremely low-frequency EMFs (electromagnetic fields), which are generated by all electrical equipment and devices" 2 . The past fifteen years has seen gruwing uncertainty and acrimony in the fight over the siting of overhead power lines. Electric companies, businesses, and the United States government maintain that "A cause-and-effect relationship has not been established between electric and magnetic fields and cancer or other adverse effects." 3 . Community groups, some researchers, and local governments admit that the proof may not be conclusive but argue that enough evidence has been gathered to warrant caution in the sl.ting of lines. In the spring of 1993, the 7th grade class at St. Mary School in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania entered an American Express contest to examine the proposed effect of a power line. Their report concluded that: "In our research, we kept coming across the word inconclusive, especially in regard to evidence linking EMFs to cancer. We feel that the utility companies should use alternative methods of power until there is conclusive evidence that neither man, nor his environment, will be harmed. " 4 Overhead power lines are not the only producers of EMFs, but they are certainly the most visible, and potentially the least controllable. While the fields produced by common household appliances such as electric blankets, hair dryers, It seems that while there is no link to "common cancers", there is a potential link to "uncommon cancers". This type of article demonstrates the slant which is often put on the results of research by a particular interest group. Even the courts have not been able to satisfactorily resolve the dichotomy between the testimony of experts in the field. "The admissibility of EMF health effects testimony also is challenged due to inconclusive studies and limitations on opinion as evidence. 11 8 In order to best understand the arguments, it is important to have a working knowledge of EMF. The following definitions and tem1s will help to describe the language and concepts associated with electromagnetic fields and their effects on the human condition.
EMF: ElectroMagnetic Field. Virtually every time electricity is sent through a wire, an electromagnetic field is created. The strength and size of the EMF varies \vith the current. Common household objects such as clocks and toasters, as well as power lines and transmission equipment, all emit EMFs.
NIEMR: Non-Ionizing ElectroMagnetic Radiation. EMF is this type of radiation: it is too weak to dislodge electrons from atoms as it passes through matter. Unlike x-rays and nuclear radiation, the effects of EMF exposure are less understood and, some maintain, more insidious.

Components of EMF:
An electromagnetic field consists of an electric field which is measured in volts per meter (V/m) and a magnetic field which is measured in milligauss (mG). Current research focuses on the combined effects of these fields.
Exposure to EMFs: Exposure varies with distance from the source.
Typically, household appliances also vary according to the brand and setting. Table 1 provides a sununary of the values to be expected at given distances.

Protection from EMFs: Even lead cannot shield a person completely from
EMFs, although there is a significant reduction associated with burying a power line or encasing it in concrete or specially treated rubber. The best protection is distance: levels associated with household appliances drop 80% at a distance of one to three feet . For power lines, an 80% drop requires a distance of 1000 feet 9 . Another means of protection is to be sure that the duration of exposure is brief.  Table 2): this method been the most ../ successful since utilities understand the task they are facing and can choose from a range of options to control the fields which their equipment produces.
Community groups also seem to favor this method because the results are measurable and the standards can be set by those interested in public welfare rather than private business.
It is the dichotomy between public need, in the form of electricity, and private want, in the form of security and welfare, which fuels the debate over power line siting. "Inequality is a central motivating force in our society." 15 The inequality which motivates citizens to organize into action groups around the central concern of power line siting is the belief that the electric company is a profit-driven big business and has no concern for the neighborhoods along the project route. In Florida, Illinois, and West Virginia, 1 993 was a banner year for citizen action groups who were able to stop construction of overhead power lines Table 2 1~;:::: on a variety of grounds, including environmental, social, and economic contexts.
"It is surprising enough that such a grass-roots struggle could continue this long, what is astounding is that it appears-at least for now-that the citizens are vvinning." 1 b Through legal action, individual citizens and action groups have been able to make their voices heard, both to big business and to the decisionmakers in their communities.

CHAPTER THREE:
The Project The Energy Facility Siting Act (General Laws 42-98-1 ), enacted in 1986 to provides the legal basis for utility siting review. The Act establishes the Energy Facility Siting Board (EFSB) which consists of three (3)  The function of the EFSB is to act as a comprehensive regulatory agency.
The Board is granted power to approve and issue all state and local permits, with the exception of permits to be issued by the DEM and the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC). The General Laws instruct the EFSB to review all applications to construct or modify "major energy facilities" . In 1992, the laws were amended so that the definition of a "major energy facility" includes transmission lines of 69kV or more.
As part of the review process, the EFSB is required to obtain advisory opinions from the affected municipalities and state departments or agencies which the EFSB feels are the most appropriate. The Energy Facility Siting Act states that "the Board shall have the benefit of the full range of technical expertise available I I · within other existing agencies in making its decisions." 17 In September of 1993, Narragansett Electric applied to the EFSB for a permit to: l) construct five (5)  Road substation in North Kingstown (See Figure 1 ). Table 3 shows the linear miles and the percentage of the project to be located in each community.   This report \vi.ll address the Narragansett Electric siting problem from a variety of perspectives. Part One provides the basic information needed to develop a better understanding of the issues. Part Two will address environmental concerns,       Typical Transmission Structure for ROW Segment 2 Figure 6 including the natural environment, aesthetics, and the affect of such transmission projects on the surrounding neighborhoods. Part Three · will analyze the situation from an economic perspective, with attention given to the economies of power supply and municipal finance, as well as discussing economic development. Part Four analyzes the political system and provides strategies which will enable planners to make effective use of the information in applying the findings to similar siting questions. In addition, the chapter will anticipate the position which Rhode Island will tal<.e on the issue of utility location.
Electricity is fundamental to our society. A blackout can cause havoc in the affected area as the underpinnings of society cease to exist. Even the concept of "power" and "power lines" indicates that the role of electricity is as a means to an end. One can achieve a task both through personal power (influence or charisma) and through the power provided by the utility (electric current) . Power lines have become a familiar sight in any American landscape, ranging from the solitary sway of poles and lines across a lonely prairie horizon to the tightly gathered cables upon vvhich many a suburban child's kite has met its fate. Poles and lines are a characteristic of the man-made environment in this modem age. The 1 990's, however, have brought new challenges to both the utility companies and communities. The criteria for siting is no longer who has the political connections? or who has the capital? It is a question of who has the power.
Power can be defined as the ability to make things happen. Electricity is a natural and physical form of power, but the power of information and technology is a critical tool which can be used to affect the opinions of the public and create grassroots support, or, conversely, to diffuse a sensitive issue. In the context of the energy facility siting process, the central question is who has the tool and hovv is it being used?

21
PART TWO: The power lines are located within three municipalities, Warwick, East Greenwich, and North Kingstown. Segment 1 is located entirely in Warwick and Segment 2 of the line is located entirely in East Greenwich. However, Segment 3 is located partially in East Greenwich and partially in North Kingstown: in a situation where there was less agreement between the towns, the situation could be politically volatile and could pose a zoning and land use challenge (See Figure   7).
Existing Infrastructure: Narragansett Electric already has two power lines in place along the eastern  Political Boundaries side of the ROW: a 34kV line and an existing l l 5kV line. The right of way is partially cleared, but the project will require temporary access roads to be built.
Furthermore, there are some secondary arteries which may be affected by the construction: these major local routes include Division Street, Middle Road, and Frenchtown Road. The logistics of moving the existing lines may also require power to be blacked out briefly. However, this project will not interfere with the operation of other utilities, such as water and natural gas. Wetlands: Throughout the course of this project, wetlands have been central to both the power companys and community activists' arguments. There are twenty-two (22) wetlands in the 5.3 mile corridor, ranging from federally regulated forested wetland and marsh to bogs and swamps regulated by the state alone (See Figure   8). Table 5, on the following page, lists the wetlands by size and location. Such an analysis is critical to a power line siting process because it determines the ease or difficulty of completing work in locations along the ROW, as well identifying obstacles to placing the lines underground.

Soils:
The soils ·within the project area are conducive to drainage in most locations.
However, portions of the land within the right of way lies in the hundred-year   ..
... Vegetation and Wildlife Habitat: The proposed project would require the clearing of 11,396,000 square feet of shrubbed and forested buffer zone: that's an area equivalent to I 0 times the total wetlands areas within the project. Many of the trees and other vegetation have been maturing for forty years or more, ever since the right-of-way was last completely clear-cut. The vegetation also provides habitat for a variety of \i v:ildlife species, including deer, coyotes, birds, rabbits, raccoons, and squirrels. Topographv: The three municipalities are very similar in terms of land features. The relocation project crosses ten rivers or streams between the Kent County and Old Baptist Road substations. This is an area of low relief: there are not many changes in height or surface features. The highest point within the study area is a hill in North Kingstown which drops off steeply to wetland. This location provides the greatest challenge in terms of above ground and/or underground lines. The last time the lines were replaced, the cable was mounted by helicopter.
Land Use and Zoning: Since the municipalities cannot affect any changes to the zoning or use of the ROW, the concern in this case is how the areas around the ROW are zoned.
Narragansett Electric has argued that residents should not have built homes along the right of way if they had a substantial fear of the effects of EMF. However, only part of the responsibility lies with the residents: clearly, the areas of controversy were zoned residential and the municipalities allowed these uses to occur. In any case, few could have foreseen the changes which have brought this type of controversy to the forefront of the siting project.
Along Segments 1 and 3 of the project, in Warwick and North Kingstown, residential areas are further removed from the ROW and the homes which are situated along the power company property are predominantly on large lots in low-density neighborhoods. However, the properties in East Greenwich are high to medium-density residential (see Figure 9). The high school in East Greenwich is also in close proximity to the ROW. Furthermore, no zoning changes have been implemented to prevent homes and schools from being developed along Narragansett Electric's property.
Land-use planning is often used as a last-ditch defense in a controversial  .i °' ·;:: ...... In the backyard of a home on Cindy Ann Olive, the power lines and poles are clearly visible. The stn1ctures will be moved 100 feet, but will also be 50 to 60 feet higher. Residents in the Cindy Ann neighborhood claim a high incidence of cancer and property devaluation as a result of the EMF generated by the lines.
As if trying to raise the homes from the "dead" on the real estate market, this home on Cindy Ann Drive is being sold by Lazan1s Properties Ltd. The O\vners know it will be a miracle if it sells soon. The house has been on the mark.et for over three years, although it is stmcturally sound, beautifully maintained, and priced well below market-value.
Even the students and staff of East Greenwich high school cannot escape the controversy generated by the power lines. The building in the background of this picture is the high school. Although the proposed project will locate the lines further from the facility, the athletic fields (next page) v.rill still be affected. Some parents have commented that they are a little reluctant to let their children participate in after school sports because of the EMF controversy.
The goal posts on the playing fields and the tops of the utility poles have a similar outline and provide a stark contrast between a desirable community facility and an undesirable facility. In the foreground, another playing field which has been abandoned because of the fear of EMFs.
These power lines will gain an additional 50 to 60 feet and will be relocated 100 feet closer to Route 4 (left of picture). In order to remove the lines and poles from this location, any of the vegetation which has grown up in the cleared right of way will also be removed. All of the trees to the left of the photograph are part of the 85 feet of clearing which will be needed to complete this project. Meanwhile, the Energy Facility Siting Act had been amended to require greater public participation. The amendment now included any project of 69kV or greater as a "major energy facility'', subject to public hearing requirements.
Seiler has since earned national attention for the organization through her outspoken dedication to the cause and involvement in the Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) Alliance. However, over the past two and a half years, the issues which RISP addresses have become far more complicated than determining the impact of EMFs or siting alternatives. The community group has challenged the whole bureaucracy of the electric utility industry. "This issue is not going to go away nor are the citizen groups such as RISP. More and more groups are being formed every day and our national and international network continues to grow.
If the electric utility industry, A MONOPOLY, doesn't immediately start changing its approach to citizens' concerns and altering its way of doing business, groups such as ours only become stronger." Ms. Seiler wrote in October of 1993. The threat was not idle: the group has gained support in the Rhode Island General Assembly and in other communities affected by similar proposals. "A group of individuals from RISP continued to educate members of the General Assembly about the EMF issue. The fact is that the more the senators and representatives looked at the issue, the more convinced they became that a law must be enacted to protect the public." 22 Presently, there are two bills before the Senate which would make the Energy Facility Siting Act more burdensome for the power company and more comprehensive in its analysis requirements. The House has three bills to consider which propose varying degrees of statewide requirements to bury power transmission lines.
In North IGngstown, citizens and officials have lately realized just how critical the decision in this case could be to future siting projects. In an advisory opinion to the Energy Facility Siting Board, the Planning Commission surprised Narragansett Electric by stating that it was "forced to participate in an exercise in democratic absurdity ... the state siting board has failed miserably on this issue." 23 The commission criticized the process for dividing the power line's route into three sections, a move which could create conflict between municipalities.
One of the factors which has promoted a greater degree of unity has been the residents' fear of property devaluation. One State Planning Council member called the residents of these communities "victims of a changing society and new information". Residents would rather not consider themselves victims, however, but community organizers and activists. The Sierra Club, an organization which promotes community activism, notes that "Crises vary, but effective means of organizing to deal with these crises remain amazingly constant."~5 Their recent handbook to community organizing recommends the following steps: 1) Notify your community.
2) Organize a meeting of concerned residents.
3) Schedule regular and frequent meeting times.  26 . If no other result comes from the turmoil over the power line relocation and electromagnetic field controversy, at least the community will have been strengthened by joining to "do the right thing".

PART THREE:
Economics "Public use of the ROW for "off-roading" and for other, less wholesome activities (such as setting fires) will continue to require close monitoring, as power line ROWs tend to be attractive nuisances." 27 CHAPTER SEVEN:

Project Costs
"Electricity affords one of the few cases in which performance of the private entrepreneur was so inadequate as to invite government initiative and public planning." 28 Joseph Schurnpeter, noted Harvard economist, made this observation over 57 years ago. In the intervening years, little has changed. Public utilities are subject to government oversight, not merely because they provide a public service, but also because the potential to abuse the system is considerable.
Everybody needs electricity. In l 980, the residents of a housing complex in New York City were threatened with eviction. It seems their owners, Drith Corporation, were refusing to pay the electric bill. Tenants complained and tried to find out who was behind the ownership corporation, to no avail: the electricity was turned off and tenants were forced to move. Only later did former residents discover that the real owner was ConEd, or Consolidated Edison: the electric company. 29 Even with government regulation, the demand for electricity is a motivating force in society.
Cost has been one of the most vehemently debated questions throughout the Narragansett Electric application and siting process, particularly as it applies to undergrounding and rate increases. Table 6, on the next page, displays the Narragansett Electric presentation of the cost and construction options. This table of costs and options was presented by Narragansett Electric as part of its project summary. However, upon closer examination, there are some interesting omissions and discrepancies in the information.
l. For Segment 2, the cost of installing only the new l 15kV line underground. This option is given for the entire corridor, but not for the segment of concern, Segment 2 .
2. For Segment 2, the cost of the proposed alternative. Again, this option is given for the entire corridor, but not for the segment of concern.
3. Segment 2 accounts for approximately half of the project area, but the undergrounding cost of Segment 2 is more than 62% of the total undergrounding cost.
Besides the discrepancies in the infom1ation which Narragansett Electric initially provided, there have been numerous statements of cost made which contradict these estimates. Commonwealth Associates, an engineering firm hired by the Division of Public Utilities two years ago, estimated the cost of burying a l 15kV line at approximately $800,000 a mile 30 . The 16.7 million dollar price tag for the burial of two lines over a distance of five miles (a total of ten miles of line) The rate increase, per customer, has also been a source of consternation.
Narragansett Electric's estimates of the rate increase vary significantly from independent estimates, but the company has been reluctant to give out basic information such as typical kilowatt hours (kwh) used by residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Table 7 on the following page illustrates the differences between Narragansett Electric estimates and independent estimates of rate increases. The power company cites factors such as the potential contribution from the regional public utility holding company, New England Electric System (NEES), in explaining the differences. Narragansett Electric maintains that NEES will only contribute to projects which benefit the entire New England system.
The proposed project fits the criteria, but undergrounding does not. However, there are significant savings associated with undergrounding, despite the fact that the initial installation costs 2 to 3 times more than conventional overhead lines.
Underground systems can better protect the lines during severe weather, decrease the likelihood of vandalism, and decrease the needed · width of right of way.
Furthermore, underground systems experience fewer failures and have a longer life expectancy, although they may cost more to repair. A conventional system may last 20 to 30 years, while underground systems may last 40 to 80 years 3 1 Table 7 11~~~~  Another cost issue which the municipalities must address is the fiscal impact of the project on municipal services. Statewide Planning conducted an in-depth analysis of the potential fiscal burden on the cities and tovms as a result of an increased need for services such as police, fire and emergency services, and traffic mitigation, versus the benefits from increased property tax revenues. Warwick is expected to generate additional revenue of $25,000 and East Greenwich will generate $40,000, but North Kingstown will face a shortfall of £ 1, 100.
Narragansett Electric has made no provisions to compensate the town for the additional fiscal burden: this type of oversight is certainly a flaw in the siting process.

CHAPTER EIGHT: Economic Development
Throughout the discussions of this Narragansett Electric project, the rationale behind the need for the additional transmission line has won supporters among those who own and operate businesses and industries. Narragansett Electric argues that the installation of the additional 11 SkV line would virtually eliminate any chance of a power failure that lasts longer than a few minutes (see Table 8). If one line fails, automatic switching to the other 11 SkV line would tal<.e place, thus preventing brownouts and blackouts. Some 48,000 customers 32 would be benefitted by the upgrade: that's about 14% of all Narragansett Electric customers.  Narragansett Electric has also used the issue of job creation and the value of goods and services purchased from local suppliers as a factor which should contribute to the positive effects of the project. Table 9, on the following page, itemizes the numbers and types of workers needed by the project. A total of 73 workers will be hired by the company throughout the phases of the project, which is scheduled to take ten months. However, the Department of Economic   Only 14%, or ten, of these employees will be from Rhode Island. The workers will be hired from among the employees of New England Power Service Company, based in Massachusetts.

Number of Workers
Narragansett Electric is also estimating that the value of goods and services purchased from local suppliers will be approximately $253,000. The company has also indicated that there will probably be increased revenue for area convenience stores, gas stations, and restaurants. With no more than 14 workers present on the job site at any one time, the increased sales probably will not e,xceed $500 a week divided between several businesses. Over the 42 weeks of the project, the total local economic benefit, including the wages of the 10 Rhode Island workers, \Vill not amount to more than $400,000. However, traffic around the project area will be inconvenienced and additional municipal services will be needed.
Furthermore, businesses may also be negatively impacted by the traffic tie-ups and other associated problems.
While economic development professionals point to higher electric rates as detrimental to the ability of the state to attract business, other states have found an effective way to deal with this problem. States such as Kansas, Iowa, and Ne\v Jersey have encouraged utilities to provide "incentive rates" to industrial and commercial customers. After all, when the state cannot attract business, it is not only the state which loses out on potential economic benefits: the power companies also lose potential customers.
PART FOUR:

Politics and Planners
"As staff, I don't know why I'd be concerned about this." 36 CHAPTER NINE:

Outcome of Project
On , the State Planning Council voted on whether or not to recommend that the Narragansett Electric l l 5kV project proceed as proposed.
By the narrowest of margins , the Council voted to adopt the following staff opinion as their advisory opinion to the EFSB:

Recommended Motion:
The Council finds that the Narragansett proposal in EFSB Docket SB 93-1 is consistent with the State Guide Plan, and contributes to the socioeconomic fabric of the State as described in the staff report that is incorporated into this opinion of the Council.
The Council further finds that each of the alternatives discussed, that is overhead, underground, partial underground, etc., would be consistent with the State Guide Plan, if, as with the Narragansett proposal, that alternative could earn a wetlands permit.
It is the Council's opinion that any of the alternatives discussed would provide a needed facility and make a positive contribution to the socioeconomic fabric of the state. 37 The vote was a study in political allegiances and legitimate concern for the communities in question. It was also the culmination of only one battle in the war being waged against this project in particular and overhead lines in general.
With several bills to mandate the undergrounding of new transmission lines pending before the House and Senate, the stakes for Narragansett Electric seem particularly high. If the permits for the proposed project are granted, construction \vill proceed and the outcome of the legislative session ' ' vill not affect the construction.

Implications for Planning
Pandora's box is open. The number and type of problems that must be addressed seem to grow every time the issues are examined. As planners, however, we sometimes get caught up in solving all the little worries and forget to reexamine the box from which they came. In this case, the box is Narragansett Electric's approach to the siting process and, ultimately, its attitude toward the community.
Narragansett Electric has presented a plan and alternatives: alternatives which they are required by law to propose but show little interest in adopting.
"Consumers have no choice · with their utilities as each utility company has a set service area. There is no competition in the market-the utility industry is a monopoly." 38 Narragansett Electric is aware of the fact that its customers have no choice, and that the political system favors the upgrade because business and industry support the plan. However, community members are also aware of the fact that they cannot resign themselves to accepting the proposal. They fear for their property values and for their health. Furthermore, while the utility company has used the argument that they do not want to set a precedent through this project, community groups could use the same argument. If the utility is allowed to force the community into accepting its opinion of what is economically and structurally feasible without regard for the people the decision affects, it is likely that they will be able to do so again elsewhere. Edmund Burke, a political theorist of the 18th century, said "All that is essential for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.". The good men and women of East Greemvich are not prepared to "do nothing". Narragansett Electric's superior attitude has fostered an adversarial relationship. If the company had been willing to listen and to compromise, then the issues which are surfacing from the depths at the bottom of this box could have been shut away long ago.
"The planner's role as interpreter and communicator is to present to societyin the form of governments, institutions and organizations-a version of reality and of the interventions possible to change it." 39 The planners role in this conflict is more complicated because the problem is perceived differently by the different stal<.eholders. Furthermore, the gulf between the two realities is very wide. This siting problem has become symbolic of a greater conflict: the war between market rationality and social rationality. Market rationality, or unregulated capitalism, dictates that electricity is a commodity which society needs and that the price of the commodity may be determined by the outcome of this project. Since economics and the costs of doing business in the state are political priorities, economic development and business leaders have allied themselves with the electric company in the hope of maintaining a lower cost. Social rationality, or democracy, dictates that the costs of going overhead may be greater in social terms than the economic benefits. Because residents are concerned for their own health and welfare, community groups have opposed the utility's attempts to push the project through as planned.
Ultimately, every planner must decide between doing good and being right.
The two do not always intersect. The planner's "other roles as citizen and professional give him or her the right, and even the duty, of fighting for what he or she thinks is right and of using all means at his or her command, including political ones, for this purpose. 1140 There is a balance between doing good (morally, personally, or socially) and being right (in the eyes of those with power).
In this case, neither the "good" nor the "right" has been clearly defined.
Before the amendment to the Energy Facility Siting Act, Narragansett In the case of power line siting, the planner must be informed through a variety of sources and must be able to present the information in a format which may help both community members and political representatives make a better decision. It is a complicated task. While the only information available comes from a limited number of sources, including government-sponsored studies, power company-sponsored studies, and the power companies themselves, the potential to misuse, dilute, and fabricate information always exists. While planners may be able to obtain information, they cannot always verify the truth in the claims made by either side.
The lines in this battle are drawn and the opening moves have been made.
At some point in the future, there will be a resolution to this conflict. With tensions running high, neither side will be able to accept this standoff. In the meantime, the planners remain firmly entrenched in the middle, acting as mediators, negotiators, and technicians. In accordance with the provisions of R.I. Const. Art. 9, § 14 and R.I. Gen. Laws § 43-1-4, I am transmitting herewith, with my disapproval, S-0570 Sub A, as amended "An Act Relating to Health and Safety --High Voltage Lines". This Act finds that there is sufficient scientific information to link adverse health effects with the electromagnetic fields generated by high voltage power transmission 1 ines.
It would mandate the bur i a 1 of a 11 transmission lines of 69kV or greater within residential and school zones.
To date, most scientific studies do not support the findings that would be recognized and adopted were this bill allowed to become law.
According to two recent reports, conducted by Sir Richard Doll for the British Government and by th~ Oak Ridge Associated Universities, the evidence linking electromagnetic fields and cancer is weak, inconsistent, and inconclusive. Rhode Island's electric rates are already some of the highest in the nation.
Our electricity costs will continue to rise if Rhode Island's utilities are forced to pay 2-3 times as much as utilities elsewhere to construct transmission facilities. July 13, 1992 Page 2 At the recorrunendation of the Task Force, leg is 1 at ion passed last year gives the state's Energy Facilities Siting Board jurisdiction over the construction of all new transmission lines of 69 kV or greater capacity {R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-98). The permitting process requires an extensive application and hearing proceedure with rigid due process safeguards for all interested parties. This board is the proper forum for evaluating the request of any utility to construct new high voltage transmission facilities and for considering alternatives which would minimize the public's exposure to electromagnetic fields.
Nevertheless, I am sympathetic to the concerns of residents adjacent to utility rights-of-way. Unfortunately, the value of many homes has been substantially reduced by the fear generated over the scientific uncertainty regarding electromagnetic fields. This phenomenon is not unique to those affected by utility rights-of-way; property values frequently decline due to the construction of roads, the expansion of state f aci lit ies, or the disrepair of neighboring houses. For all these homeowners, the remedy lies with the local tax assessor, who should be asked to reassess property taxes based on the current value of the home.
For the residents of East Greenwich affected by Narragansett Electric's proposal to construct a new 115 kV tran~mission line to Quonset Point, an additional remedy is possible.
Narragansett Electric has agreed to propose to the Energy Facilities Si ting Board to locate the new line and relocate the existing lines to the western edge of the right-of-way along a segment of Route 4 in East Greenwich. This proposal will result in a significant decrease in electromagnetic field exposure from current levels.
In fact, it will result in lower field exposure than if, as this bill would reqyire, the new line were buried but the old lines left in their current location.
For the foregoing reasons, I disapprove of this legislation and respectfully urge your support of this veto. Sincerely,