Tucson has lined up against a controversial power line project proposal from Tucson Electric Power.
The City Council has voted to direct the City Attorney to intervene in the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee hearings on TEP’s Kino to DeMoss-Petrie high-voltage transmission line project.
The proposal for a 138KV overhead transmission line starting at a substation at 36th Street and South Kino Parkway has drawn significant opposition. The utility says the project is necessary to accommodate capacity needs to provide green power to the University of Arizona.
Opponents have protested the planned route through or near historic neighborhoods and have pushed for TEP to bury the line underground, a move TEP claims is cost prohibitive.
The City of Tucson has stated part of the line along a section of Campbell Avenue must be installed underground to satisfy ordinances protecting designated gateway corridors.
If required to install the Campbell lines underground, TEP has told the Committee it would prefer and alternate route that passes the university to the west.
The Committee’s initial hearing is scheduled for September 13th. (Source)
