EDISON DID IT RIGHT: PUT THE LINES OUT OF SIGHT

December 14, 2008 12:36 am

WARRENTON

--In 1882, when Thomas Edison introduced the electric light to New York City, the lines that connected his Pearl Street Station to customers were buried underground. As the electric power industry spread across the country, the electric lines came up from under the ground and climbed to the top of wooden poles and steel lattice towers. These towers, now up to 16 stories tall, crisscross the landscape and bring controversy to communities across the nation.

Recently, many smaller lines from substations to neighborhoods have returned underground, and it is now common for most new homes to be served by underground utilities. It is time that we expand the use of undergrounding to the higher voltages.

Across the country utilities are commonly burying line up to 230 kV. In Virginia, Dominion has existing 230-kV lines underground in areas around Arlington and Newport News, and it is involved in pilot programs to bury additional lines in Loudoun and Stafford counties. These underground facilities would replace 12-story-tall tower structures in sensitive areas. The technology available today can provide safe and reliable power delivered underground.

Compared with overhead lines these underground lines are less prone to weather-related problems, less prone to accidental or intentional human-created problems, and less likely to dominate the surrounding landscape. Ice storms alone can bring down the most carefully engineered lines, leading to power outages lasting for days or even weeks. Airplanes and automobiles can accidentally strike towers, and bring them crashing to the ground. Hurricane Isabel knocked out electricity for weeks in 2003.

In addition to being prone to failure, overhead transmission lines can have an immediate and long-lasting impact on property values within view of the line. In 2006, Virginia's Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee reported that overhead transmission lines can reduce property values by as much as 15 percent. While some compensation is granted to a person whose land is acquired for the right of way, there is no compensation for nearby landowners or the broader community.

Many of the lines in this area impact land in ways that cannot be measured in dollars. In instances where the value of the land is its historic, natural, or scenic quality, the measure of loss cannot be easily calculated. A Civil War battlefield, a registered historic district, or the viewshed from a national park loses its character when it is invaded by latticework steel towers. These kinds of intrusions can irrevocably alter the nature of the historic site itself.

Opponents of underground transmission cite increased cost, claiming a cost differential for underground versus overhead of anywhere from 4-1 to 10-1 (depending on the voltage). But the cost differential decreases significantly when you take into account the enhanced reliability of an underground line, the decreased cost of right-of-way acquisition, and the reduced negative effect on property values.

A builder might tell you that it would be cheaper to build your home with the plumbing and wiring outside the walls. His people wouldn't have to drill holes in the studs and it would be simpler to locate and fix any leaks in the pipes or faults in the wires. But our expectation is that in our homes the utilities will be out of sight. Edison had the same idea when he first wired New York City. Now it's time we listen to the father of the electric grid.

Robert Marmet works with the Piedmont Environmental Council on energy issues.