The Daily News Journal-Petition opposes TVA plan
The Daily News Juurnal
Originally published May 10, 2006
Petition opposes TVA plan
Organizers want to gather 1,000 names
By BYRON HENSLEY
hensley@dnj.com
— Byron Hensley 278-5162
Opponents of TVA's plans to put a 500-kilovolt electric substation in rural southwestern Rutherford County are signing petitions to be delivered to the utility's Murfreesboro office Thursday.
Petition organizers hope to gather 1,000 signatures against the power supplier's plan to build a substation at one of two sites, either just north of Eagleville or in the Patterson community in easternmost Rutherford County near Williamson County.
"This project, consisting of a 50-plus acre substation and dozens of miles of transmission lines throughout our pastoral countryside is not welcome here," the petition states.
Organizers plan to deliver the petition at 1 p.m. Thursday to the TVA Customer Service Center at 650 Middle Tennessee Blvd. TVA wants to build the new substation to deal with the growth in Rutherford and Williamson counties.
The petition lists potential effects on health, land values, the environment and rural lifestyle, along with concerns that TVA is "prepared to force the sale of family farms and businesses where it does not have easements on."
A TVA line could come through the property of Pauline Arnold of the Patterson community, a mile off state Route 96 West (Franklin Road). The property has been in her family for many years, and she would like to continue to live there surrounded by family.
"My parents lived there since 1932. Growing up, I went to school here," she said. "I gave my daughter two acres to build a house. I gave my grandson two acres, and my granddaughter lives in my rental house."
Joan Fields and her husband moved to their 30-acre property a half-mile from state Route 96 seven years ago. She doesn't think they could find another place they like as much.
"My husband and I are getting old," she said. "We moved out here to retire.
"We've got a creek in our front yard," she said. "You can sit on the front porch and watch the creek flow. We have deer and turkey run across our yard every day. We can't find another place like that. It's country, and we like it."
So does Anita Scott, also of the Patterson community, who said the issue affects Rutherford and Williamson counties.
"It's not just our community, it's the Rockvale community and a whole lot of the College Grove community that will be impacted by the high-power lines that will be coming through," Scott said.
A Williamson County community newspaper, the College Grove Courier, has played a large role in the petition drive.
"It's been very interesting," said Courier Editor Jennifer Schwartz. "There's a lot of people up in arms about TVA taking acreage from family homes, century farms, organic farms and it's all been swept under the carpet, drastically. We're trying to change that."
Power lines from the substation would run south of College Grove on easements already owned by TVA, Schwartz said.
"But with these people on the Rutherford County side, they have no easement, no land that's been sold to the TVA. There's the fear that TVA will use eminent domain to take land for pennies on the dollar. Stopping the substation in Rutherford County would in turn stop the transmission lines from going through College Grove."
Owners of land sited as potential locations for the substation only learned of the plans at a TVA open house April 11 and were given 30 days to respond.
Joining the call for TVA to reconsider the location is U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon, who stated misgivings about the project in a May 8 letter to TVA Chairman Bill Sansom.
"As it has been proposed by TVA, this line will cut through a large portion of Rutherford County, significantly harming farms and other private property, economic growth, and the environment," Gordon wrote. "I believe this project as proposed will do more harm than good for the residents of Middle Tennessee."
Gordon has asked TVA to consider alternative routes and provide detailed estimates of costs associated with each alternative and to extend the public comment period on the project, which ends Friday.
"TVA appears to have ruled out the solution of upgrading existing lines on existing rights of way in Williamson County, which would require less capital investment and have less environmental impact," Gordon stated. "Instead, TVA appears determined to go a more expensive and disruptive route of acquiring miles of new right of way in Rutherford County."
Copies of the petition may be signed at the Rutherford Farmers Co-Op at 1217 N. Main St. in Eagleville. Completed petitions are being collected at the College Grove Grocery in downtown College Grove and should be turned in by 8 p.m. at a box beside the newspaper rack.
Copies of the petition may also be downloaded from www.poweroutrage.org, a Web site set up to organize opposition. If you would like to have a copy faxed to you, contact Scott at 395-9294 or Schwartz at 615-330-8757.
Originally published May 10, 2006
Petition opposes TVA plan
Organizers want to gather 1,000 names
By BYRON HENSLEY
hensley@dnj.com
— Byron Hensley 278-5162
Opponents of TVA's plans to put a 500-kilovolt electric substation in rural southwestern Rutherford County are signing petitions to be delivered to the utility's Murfreesboro office Thursday.
Petition organizers hope to gather 1,000 signatures against the power supplier's plan to build a substation at one of two sites, either just north of Eagleville or in the Patterson community in easternmost Rutherford County near Williamson County.
"This project, consisting of a 50-plus acre substation and dozens of miles of transmission lines throughout our pastoral countryside is not welcome here," the petition states.
Organizers plan to deliver the petition at 1 p.m. Thursday to the TVA Customer Service Center at 650 Middle Tennessee Blvd. TVA wants to build the new substation to deal with the growth in Rutherford and Williamson counties.
The petition lists potential effects on health, land values, the environment and rural lifestyle, along with concerns that TVA is "prepared to force the sale of family farms and businesses where it does not have easements on."
A TVA line could come through the property of Pauline Arnold of the Patterson community, a mile off state Route 96 West (Franklin Road). The property has been in her family for many years, and she would like to continue to live there surrounded by family.
"My parents lived there since 1932. Growing up, I went to school here," she said. "I gave my daughter two acres to build a house. I gave my grandson two acres, and my granddaughter lives in my rental house."
Joan Fields and her husband moved to their 30-acre property a half-mile from state Route 96 seven years ago. She doesn't think they could find another place they like as much.
"My husband and I are getting old," she said. "We moved out here to retire.
"We've got a creek in our front yard," she said. "You can sit on the front porch and watch the creek flow. We have deer and turkey run across our yard every day. We can't find another place like that. It's country, and we like it."
So does Anita Scott, also of the Patterson community, who said the issue affects Rutherford and Williamson counties.
"It's not just our community, it's the Rockvale community and a whole lot of the College Grove community that will be impacted by the high-power lines that will be coming through," Scott said.
A Williamson County community newspaper, the College Grove Courier, has played a large role in the petition drive.
"It's been very interesting," said Courier Editor Jennifer Schwartz. "There's a lot of people up in arms about TVA taking acreage from family homes, century farms, organic farms and it's all been swept under the carpet, drastically. We're trying to change that."
Power lines from the substation would run south of College Grove on easements already owned by TVA, Schwartz said.
"But with these people on the Rutherford County side, they have no easement, no land that's been sold to the TVA. There's the fear that TVA will use eminent domain to take land for pennies on the dollar. Stopping the substation in Rutherford County would in turn stop the transmission lines from going through College Grove."
Owners of land sited as potential locations for the substation only learned of the plans at a TVA open house April 11 and were given 30 days to respond.
Joining the call for TVA to reconsider the location is U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon, who stated misgivings about the project in a May 8 letter to TVA Chairman Bill Sansom.
"As it has been proposed by TVA, this line will cut through a large portion of Rutherford County, significantly harming farms and other private property, economic growth, and the environment," Gordon wrote. "I believe this project as proposed will do more harm than good for the residents of Middle Tennessee."
Gordon has asked TVA to consider alternative routes and provide detailed estimates of costs associated with each alternative and to extend the public comment period on the project, which ends Friday.
"TVA appears to have ruled out the solution of upgrading existing lines on existing rights of way in Williamson County, which would require less capital investment and have less environmental impact," Gordon stated. "Instead, TVA appears determined to go a more expensive and disruptive route of acquiring miles of new right of way in Rutherford County."
Copies of the petition may be signed at the Rutherford Farmers Co-Op at 1217 N. Main St. in Eagleville. Completed petitions are being collected at the College Grove Grocery in downtown College Grove and should be turned in by 8 p.m. at a box beside the newspaper rack.
Copies of the petition may also be downloaded from www.poweroutrage.org, a Web site set up to organize opposition. If you would like to have a copy faxed to you, contact Scott at 395-9294 or Schwartz at 615-330-8757.
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