Wiring The National Parks

Picture in your minds eye a scenic vista in one of our national parks.  Mountains, trees and perhaps a river, all pristine as far as the eye can see.  Signs of human intervention are sparse, if they are seen at all.

Now, picture the same scene with power lines strung overhead, cutting a dark slash across the wooded countryside.  That is potentially the view that will be seen if DOE-proposed energy corridors become a reality.

ENS link

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, June 18, 2007 (ENS) - Newly proposed energy corridors could damage national parks and their scenic views, and worsen air pollution, a nonprofit conservation organization said today.

The National Parks Conservation Association, NPCA, testified against the proposed siting of new electricity transmission lines in or near parks at the public meeting hosted by the Department of Energy, DOE.

The DOE is considering the designation of two new energy corridors, which would allow construction of power lines and other facilities across public and private lands in multiple states.

In the east, the proposal covers numerous contiguous states, creating the potential for a large impact.

The proposed Mid-Atlantic Area National Corridor includes counties in Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Virginia, and all of New Jersey, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.

Cinda Walbuesser of the NCPA:

As proposed, the New York Regional Interconnect, part of the Mid-Atlantic Area National Corridor, would pass through 73 miles of the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River and impair the resources the park was established to protect, said Waldbuesser. "National parks and other protected lands should be considered off-limits."

More specifically:

The construction of new electricity corridors is proposed within the scenic viewsheds of Gettysburg National Military Park, Antietam National Battlefield, Monocacy National Battlefield, Shenandoah National Park, Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.

In the southwest, the proposal includes parts of California, Arizona and Nevada.  Perhaps wires accross the Grand Canyon?

Public comments will be accepted through July 6, 2007. Visit: http://nietc.anl.gov/