East Phillips improvement coalition policy statement summary in opposition to Xcel Hiawatha powerline proposal

At the request of the EPIC Board, Carol Pass, Board President, submitted a 35 Page Position Statement to the State Of Minnesota Office Of Administrative Hearings For The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) expressing the community's strong opposition to these Overhead High Voltage Electrical Transmission Lines.

The brief focused on three issues:

Health:

• The U.S. National Academy of Science, National Research Council report (1997) stated that the link between power line wire-code rating and childhood leukemia "is statistically significant (unlikely to have arisen from chance) and is robust".
• While the risk to human health at the current state of research appears to be small, the statistical significance of health study findings is that there IS a risk.
• The Children of Phillips are already at risk from multiple sources and issues, of which we are well aware, especially since the education we all received in facing down the Midtown Burner.

Economic Issues:

• Dean Dovolis of DJR Architects,  architect and developer stated: "I am convinced through work with these and other developers .... that overhead high voltage power lines will severely damage future prospects for development investments anywhere nearby. In addition, such power lines could undo much of the valuable work that has already gone on. The increased risk of loss of market value and probable insurability problems would be enough to cause developers to put their future investment elsewhere."
• "It should also be considered that those who own homes, businesses and rental property would undoubtedly suffer a serious economic loss in potential resale value. The area as a whole would suffer long term damage resulting from the loss of future transit-oriented and other development," Dean Dovolis reported.

Ethical Issues:

• The ethical issues involve the subjection of this ethnically diverse and economically challenged community to the probability of more health and economic threats for the purpose of allowing Xcel Energy the cheapest way of providing power to its largest electrical customers.