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Chino Hills Wins Battle Against SCE
Katy Grimes: The city of Chino Hills has won an important battle. I just received word that Southern California Edison has been ordered by the California Public Utility Commission to provide alternatives to their Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project in Chino Hills. SCE has until January 10 to provide alternatives to the CPUC.
The ruling directs SCE to prepare alternatives to the current plan, where they have been constructing 200 foot tall electrical transmission towers near people’s homes in the city of Chino Hills. It was completely unnecessary to do it this way. Nowhere in the country has any utility installed 200 foot tall, 60ft wide towers, energized with multiple 500,000 volt power lines near residential communities. The monster towers were erected so close to homes, that Chino Hills residents were fearful of potential damage and health risks from the massive electricity lines. Chino Hills filed suit against Southern California Edison, but also spent a great deal of time and money to have utility electrical engineers prepare alternate routes for the transmission lines. Neither the CPUC nor SCE would bend from the original plan. The CPUC ruled in SCE’s favor despite the very reasonable alternate plan the city presented taking the lines through the nearby state park. Chino Hills representatives said they were left with no other option than to submit a Petition for Review to the California Supreme Court in a property rights case against SCE. The city also submitted two project modifications to the CPUC to stop further construction, and to reopen the record. (Amicus Curiae letter in support HERE) Representatives from the city of Chino Hills told me that the city is in a unique situation because SCE rushed to build the segment in Chino Hills, consequently jumping to the middle of the project. This exposed the actual impacts upon the city much faster than if the utility company had built the project as planned. The other objection Chino Hills had with the CPUC was that their request for a rehearing by the CPUC was never allowed. Today’s ruling, signed by CPUC President Michael Peevey, is a landmark case in citizen activism. Credit goes to the Chino Hills citizen group, Hope For The Hills. A battle has been won by the little guy, but I don’t think for a moment that it is over. The alternate plans are due January 10. With the close ties between SCE and the CPUC, and the global warming special interests behind these renewable projects, this may just be an attempt to get the people of Chino Hills to let their guard down. This could just be a little sleight of hand to thrown everyone off. UPDATE: Read the exciting posts by residents on the Chino Hills Facebook page HERE NOV. 10, 2011
Tags: AB 32, Arnold Schwarzenegger, budget deficit, California, CPUC, Democrats, global warming, Katy Grimes, legislature, Prop. 23, regulations, renewable energy, Republicans, Sacramento, SCE, tax increases, waste Comments(21) |
May 25, 2013
Once again, thank you Katy for your continued support and helping us get the word out. You’re very much appreciated.
Thank you for reporting on this monstrous project that runs through our city! You have played a part in our eventual success!
Thank you so much, Katy, for your continued coverage of our struggle with Edison and the CPUC. We all sincerely appreciate your time on a matter that is so important to Chino Hills! We also sincerely hope that Michael Peevey is being honest and above-board with this stay of construction and request for alternate routes. None of us that have been fighting the fight believe it is over and we certainly are not going to let our guard down. We will continue our course as planned! The champagne won’t be popped until we win!
Thanks a lot katy for being instrumental on our fight! We love Chino Hills!
THANK YOU Katie
We are not giving up until the last tower goes down!!!
Thank you Katy for your continued reporting of this injustice served upon Chino Hills. We have made it over a BIG hurdle, but have more to leap. I have learned something out of all this….People can make a difference! We are doing it! I love the quote we have on our webstie; “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
Katy, you are correct, this is a huge victory for Chino Hills. As President of Hope for the Hills, we have fought this battle collectively as a community with all success attributable to the undying spirit of our members. In addition, we have the best city government team anyone could ever imagine. The relentless work and support from our Mayor, City Council and City Manager have been instrumental in getting this far. This has truly been a collective victory for all. Your support from the beginning to get our story out in print has been vital as well. We cannot thank you enough! We do have more work to do and rest assured we know this is not over. We will be back at it tomorrow morning continuing to execute our plan. Thank you again for all your time, energy and support for our cause.
Thank you Katie for you continued support! Today we cried and cheered! Tomorrrow it’s back to work. Don’t worry about us Katie! We won’t let our guard down until that last Monster is re-routed or buried. You are the best and will forever be in our hearts!
On a side note, does anyone happen to know whether the CPUC approved SCE’s request to impose a rate increase on customers to replenish their employee pension fund losses as a result of the Wall Street meltdown?
This would be like handing someone $10,000 of gambling money for a weekend of fun in Vegas with a promise to reimburse any losing bets they might incur.
If the CPUC allows this – we are no longer a free society.
Thank you for keeping your eyes on Chino Hills
Katy,
Thank you so much for being our public voice when no one was listening to us. You have been with us from the beginning, and never gave up on reporting the injustice. The people of Chino Hills will be forever grateful to you for your honesty, integrity and courage. We will continue the good fight, and not let up until the towers are removed far from our homes and children. Thank you for making a BIG difference.
Ruby
Katy,
Thank so much for your support. You have been an integral part of this process we are going through… You have unceasingly been putting the word out there for all of California to see.
We are so grateful to have someone like you.
Thank you and God Bless You,
Agnes
You are so appreciated! I remember the first time we connected and you found our story worth looking into. From that day, you’ve been our most noteworthy advocate! You along with our Local Politicians, City Mayor/Manager & staff, our community leaders within HopeForTheHills.org, our residents, our families and friends have ALL made a DIFFERENCE. We wouldn’t be here today without all the energy and tenacity to fight for what is RIGHT and for what is DECENT! You ROCK Katy!!
Thank you Katie for your continued coverage! YES, we won’t stop fighting.
Thank you so much for your support. Lets continue the fight until all untility poles are dismanteled and removed from our neighborhoods.
Katy,
As far as I’m concerned, you deserve a Pulitzer!
Thank you for bringing our injustice to the public’s eye.
We need to make sure this doesn’t happen to any other city in America.
God bless you.
Thank you Kathy for your support, God be with you
Thank you for your continued support to the residents of Chino Hills! You’ve brought much needed attention to our situation and we appreciate you and your great work!
Happy for those who fought for this, but hope that everyone is prepared to get solar or find a way to produce their own energy. Can’t imagine what the rate increases will be like for us through the years, especially when Chino Hills has now caused extreme expense and delay to Southern California’s largest green energy project.
[...] the following media reports for details: Cal Watchdog, ChinoHills.com (1), Renew Grid, ChinoHills.com (2) and Contra Costa [...]
Thanks Katy, great Job!!! To the Hills Resident above, who cares about the extreme expense and delay to Southern California’s largest green energy project. Our city looks like Crap and the wires aren’t even up!
Not to mention the extreme danger to the people who live next to the Monster towers and the lowered home values that affects everyone across the city!!
I think the extra cost will be worth every penny to have the “green energy” MONSTERS TORN DOWN!!!
Thanks to Hope for the Hills, The city of Chino Hills, and the CPUC for working so hard to change this disastrous atrocity happening in Chino Hills!
http://youtu.be/3hDwt4mgEMU