Councilman Bill Rosendahl is having a forum on electromagnetic fields in response to community concerns regarding the proposed LADWP Olympic Scattergood Underground Transmission Line. (Big-ass underground power lines in residential communities, in layman’s terms … aka 12 mile 230kV single circuit line of conduit with 50 maintenance holes.)
The forum will feature Dr. Leeka Kheifets of the UCLA School of Public Health and focus on health impacts and research on EMF safety. Dr. Kheifets headed the World Health Organization’s Radiation Study Program and co-authored “Establishing a Dialogue on Risks from Electromagnetic Fields”. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010, 6:00 pm
West LA Municipal Building Hearing Room 200
1645 Corinth Avenue, West LA, CA 90025
Update 1/11/10:
ROSENDAHL WINS FULL REVIEW OF CONTROVERSIAL POWER LINE PROJECT
DWP Pledges to Conduct EIR for Scattergood-Olympic Power Cable Project
At the urging of City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) has agreed to a community request to conduct a full and thorough environmental review for its proposed Scattergood-Olympic underground power line project.
Rosendahl announced today that David Freeman, general manager of DWP, agreed today that his department would complete a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the utility project, which had drawn the outspoken concern of residents from West LA, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Playa Vista, Westchester and Playa del Rey.
“This is fantastic news,” Rosendahl said. “I am grateful that DWP is listening to the concerns of my constituents, who also happen to be its shareholders.”
Local residents voiced concerns in recent weeks that DWP was rushing a project without sufficient concern for the impact on local residents, and without sufficient study of the potential impact of electromagnetic fields generated by the power lines.
The proposed DWP Scattergood-Olympic Line I project consists of approximately 12 miles of underground cable connecting the Scattergood Generating Station in El Segundo at Vista del Mar and Grand Avenue, and Receiving Station K (RS-K) at Centinela Avenue and Olympic Boulevard. The 230,000-volt transmission line would provide a reliable, backup power source to supplement the Scattergood-Olympic Line II currently in existence.
The proposed project runs from RS-K in the north to Scattergood in the south, from Inglewood Boulevard in the east to Vista del Mar in the west, with commercial and residential areas directly adjacent on both sides of most of the alignment. The underground circuit route begins at RS-K near the intersection of Olympic Boulevard and Centinela Avenue. The line is planned to end at the El Segundo Scattergood Generating Station.
Members of several neighborhood councils formed an ad hoc committee last year led by Chuck Ray and Denny Schneider to find the safest route for laying the cable around the City’s current infrastructure and address health concerns about the impacts of electromagnetic fields produced by high-voltage power lines.
Supporting the community’s call for an EIR, Rosendahl has asked DWP to evaluate multiple alternative routes for the project. DWP will be soon meeting with community stakeholders to initiate this process. Click here to view the project’s documents online.
