THE CANADIAN PRESS — RED DEER, ALTA.
Lethbridge Herald June 20 2012.
Critics of a proposed power line that would run through central Alberta have told a hearing that they are worried about tornadoes. Lawyer Raymond Bastedo, who speaks for a group of landowners, said they have concerns about what impact twisters or other severe weather would have.
He said it’s important which route AltaLink’s proposed $1.4-billion transmission line would take.
AltaLink’s preferred option runs through an area that already has a lot of power lines. Bastedo said that a tornado in an area with a number of twinned lines could have a severe mpact on service.
The Alberta Utilities Commission is hearing arguments for and against the AltaLink proposal for a line between the Edmonton and Calgary areas.
Bastedo questioned AltaLink representatives over whether they had enough data about the probability of tornadoes. AltaLink said it chose its route because it “most effectively minimizes or mitigates impacts” by crossing the least amount of cultivated land, having a low environmental impact and parallels 211 kilometres of existing lines.