C4-12 Jeanette Pongratz-Doyle 2710 South Forks Road Nanaimo, B.C. V9X 1H3 August 4, 2008 Ms. Erica Hamilton Commission Secretary British Columbia Utilities Commission 900 Howe Street, Sixth Floor Box 250 Vancouver, BC V6Z 2N3 Dear Erica: Please find attached further Information Requests #4 that have come up in regard to IR 2 responses July 24, 2008. I am submitting them to Project No. 3698511. CVI Project. Thank you for your time. Jeanette Pongratz-Doyle
Reference: 2.16.1 Response..last line BCTC believes that interested persons are well aware of the Proposed route alignment. 2.16.1.1 You had a meeting with 3 people (2 from the area) only on that one day. We have 60 plus homes in our area, many being closely effected by your proposed route. The other 57 homes are misled and think the ribbons miles down the road, which mark out what we do not know, are the ribbons for your lines. Everyone in our community has the right to know exactly where your proposed line goes through. Again, when will you be marking the true route so all the public can See before this Procedural Hearing is decided and over? Reference: 2.18.1 Response.. As discussed in BCTC s response to Jeanette Pongratz-Doyle IR-2.4.1 BCTC considers the Harewood South Route a superior Route in terms of being able to meet an in-service date of October 2010. 2.18.1.1 Bottom line: Admittedly, placement of poles over sensitive area s can be undertaken for HWW Central just the same as it can be for HWW South. As per table provided for BCUC (2.84.3 in IR#2) HWW Central is better Environmentally than HWW South. HWW Central is cheaper than HWW South. All other rankings are equal except Property Values, which you insist to us directly that there is no effect to our Property Values and in Note #7 of 2.84.3 you ASSUME (which is a dangerous thing to do) HWW South has the lowest impact on Property Values but obviously it has a huge impact on Property Values on naked forest land with no people currently existing on it because it is Crown land and Timber Company owned. There again future sales of land being put ahead of people currently paying taxes on their own lands. Future Crown Land ventures put before people currently living on and nurturing those lands with reckless concern for peoples health who have worked and paid taxes on those lands
for more than 125 years. Making all humans not equal. Yet HWW South is superior for one reason only, because to Heck with human beings, we can meet an in-service date of Oct. 2010. I will lead you back to my very first letter to you dated January 25, 2008 on page 4, my reference to Reversed Racism and Discrimination. Which is on file and entered as Evidence with our group of letters from our entire community. It still goes without saying you are still taking the road of least resistance to get what you want, HWW South Route. You are fighting people in a small community with no Government backing with Treaties to make sure we are heard and no given funding for inconvenience of time and costs unless you are a lawyer. You are fighting people who have to put a full days work in already and spend the rest of their sleep time sitting up trying to save their community, not getting paid a full time big wage to make peoples lives a living hell and then go home and sleep at night and take the weekends off. You chose to fight people who already own and pay taxes on their lands and yet don t have the equal rights of not ever having their lands taken away from them for convenience or an in-service date of October 2010. You are fighting the people who are told, it you fight this and the Crown Land is turned down then we are going back onto the Private Lands of Dan and Shirley Gogo. You are fighting a small Group of people you hope will just give up and shut up. I guess I have a tamed version of my Uncle in me after all. Do you really feel you should have all the Power and Control over peoples lives for a perceived, panicked in-service date of October 2010 when it is clearly not the only route available? Reference: 2.18.1 Response. Last line of last sentence In terms of being able to meet an in-service date of October 2010. 2.18.1.2 With the housing market slowing down and all the houses up for sale here, is the panicked in-service date of Oct. 2010 actually for the true need of increased power or is it more to
the want of as much infrastructure through now for as many projects as possible (even for a sub-station that may not be needed or built for 25 years) before the possibility of regulations like Sweden, Madrid Spain, Connecticut and many other Jurisdictions have implemented because they are putting children s health concerns first? Reference: 2.24.a Response: Last 2 paragraphs. The Snuneymuxw First Nations expressed concern about the Harewood Central and Harewood South Transmission routing Options related to areas required for clearing to establish a new ROW. The Snuneymuxw First Nation indicated a preference for an option which would result in the least amount of loss of mature forests and resulting effects on wildlife and fisheries habitats. 2.24.b Since you by law have to listen to the First Nations concerns think about this: Most of the lands in the Harewood Central Route have been clear cut in the past and recent years. The lands in the Harewood South Route, Gogo s and the Crown Lands have not been clear cut. The Crown lands beside Dan Gogo have not been clear cut or had a Forest Fire that Dan knows of. Approximately half of the Crown Land and D & D Land and the top half or so of Dan s land in the early 1950 s had a major Forest Fire. From what Dan can remember as a young child it burnt approximately 10 15 hectares of land. He was young enough to have to be in school but his older brothers and his dad were on the Fire Line fighting that Forest Fire to save their homestead. That is why there is a definite tree line on the Crown Land and D & D Land above Dan and Mike Gogo s property where you have been taken on a hike with our Area Director Maureen Young. Where most of the Timber is small and young with no canopy overhead. Then on the side where you are going to push your High Voltage Power Lines through, stands the Timber that was saved where they managed to get the Forest Fire out. There stands one of the few area s left with Mature, Merchantable and coming Merchantable Timber available with a huge canopy over head. It is the same down the side of Dan s Property on the Crown Land on the other side of Boulder Creek. So in the end the only mature trees left
standing you are going to enilate with your 300 swath for your Right Of Way all for the sake of time and convenience. I do not believe this Route falls under their concern for the least Impact on Mature Forests and then that is also the protective habitat for our amazing Roosevelt Elk because most of the other good forest have been clear cut. For the Parliament of owls that live in those trees beside and behind Dan and Shirley Gogo has there been any studies done to see if any of those owls are Spotted Owls that may nest, live or visit there since they are almost extinct, apparently there are only 20 owls left with only 6 mating pairs remaining. References: 2.85.0 Environmental Review Process EMF 2.85.1 Guidelines Etc for the States of Massachusetts, Florida & New York 2.85.2 Constraints on EMF in Florida (TLSA) 2.85.3 Niagara Power FERC No.2216 2.85.4 Standards and Guidelines Madison, Wisconsin 2.85.5 National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences National Institutes of Health. 2.86.0 Canadian Electricity Association 2008 EMF Workshop May 13, 08 2.86.1 Best Management Practice Document 2.85.1.1 I will start by referring to Power Line Health Facts, New EMF Information which I submitted as evidence along with my letters to Health Canada and World Health Organization stating Reasonable Doubt in their statements of No Ill Health Effects. See Power Line Health Facts, Page 3 Top Line.Q Why given all the above evidence why is there still a perception that power lines are not dangerous?...a because rich corporations handsomely reward lobbyists and scientists for distorting the scientific evidence in order to advance corporations economic interests as discussed in this June 2005 Article in the Scientific American. It seems to me that whenever BCTC is asked about information that may give some negative facts or new information on EMF and it s effects their standard issued reply is: we have not investigated so can not report (see 2.85.2 and 2.85.3), see last answer, refer to last answer (see 2.85.4, 2.8.5.5, and 2.86.1),or, does not consider it appropriate to introduce this into
evidence in this proceeding, Documents such as Guidelines, Acts and Best Practices of other Jurisdictions, that are not in effect in British Columbia particularly when there is no BCTC employee who has knowledge of the development or status of the requested information (see 2.85.1, 2.86.1). Correct me if I am wrong You are a Crown Corporation (BCTC) in charge of building all Transmission Lines in our Province providing safe, and according to (2.94.1 Response) OCP Goal #6 Creating a vibrant and sustainable Economy (which you can not do if people are sick) for both communities and the Province together. The health and safety of every Citizen in B.C. is to be acknowledged by you with the level of Safe Practices Your Company Uses. Is this true? 2.85.1.2 And yet you claim there is not one employee at BCTC (never mind an entire Department) that is keeping a vigilant eye on new and updated information about EMF s and it s harmful or otherwise effects even if it is from other Jurisdictions? You will only keep the STATUS QUO and use the Ostrich Exercise (bury your head in the sand and it will not be there) for the rest of the information because for now Health Canada and The World Health Organization are the ones saying what you want to hear. Who does this benefit the most, the people of British Columbia or YOU, so you can stifle peoples rights and push HV Power Lines where ever you want them? 2.85.1.3 It seems our Process was not the only Process to be missing a step, there also seems to be a Process missing in BCTC. There should be an OBLIGATION TO ALL Citizens of B.C. to be open to all aspects (good and bad) of EMF and Health Issues from all Jurisdictions. If you are going to Preach Health Canada then you should have to learn from all Jurisdictions across Canada. If you are going to Preach World Health Organization then you should have to learn from all Jurisdictions from around the World. If you know of New Health Information or better safety guidelines being implemented in other Jurisdictions because they have decided to put Kids Health first because of the growing acceptance of both sides (good and bad) of EMF and Health Effects then accountability and Liability should fall
directly on you to report, educate and update your practices to the safety of the public. If you do not, it is negligent. Many Jurisdictions like Connecticut are coming up with EMF Best Management Practices for the construction of electric Transmission Lines like theirs dated November 5, 2007 that even with all the controversy on Page 4 of their draft under iii. Policy of the Connecticut Siting Council the Council will develop its precautionary guidelines in conjunction with Connecticut Public Act 04-246, enacted by the General Assembly to call SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THEIR CONCERN FOR CHILDREN. The Act restricts the siting of overhead 345 kv Transmission Lines adjacent to residential area s, Public or Private Schools, licensed Child Daycare Facilities, Licensed Youth Camps or Public Playgrounds. Also Madrid, Spain and Sweden prohibit High Voltage Power Lines near Residential areas, Schools, Daycares, Hospitals etc. because they are putting kids FIRST. Even Ontario in 2005 stopped a 230kV line from going near residences and a Private School. More and more Provinces, States and Countries are acknowledging concern about Health Effects which puts even more REASONABLE DOUBT to the NO ILL HEALTH EFFECTS statements from anyone. Why are we not putting the Children of our Province before convenience speed, and negotiation with the First Nations for a PERCEIVED panick stricken in-service date of October 2010? Reference: 2.87.2.Response to BCUC 2.87.0 IR#2 Does the possibility exist of stray leakage current outside the Right Of Way? Response: Last sentence.while most of this effect occurs underneath the conductors where the distance to the ground is the least, a small amount of leakage current to ground can occur outside of the Right-Of-Way. Question 2.867.2.1 What is the Max. distance this leakage can travel outside of the Right- Of-Way?
Reference: 2.87.3 (Reference to BCUC 2.87.0 IR#2) Are there any Dairy Farms near the transmission line Route? Reference 2.87.4 (Reference to BCUC 2.87.0 IR#2) Last. Would BCTC please explain if these identified values of Leakage currents will have any impact on Dairy Farm Operations? Please explain. 2.87.4.1 BCTC s answer to both questions was simply, there are no Dairy Farms adjacent to or anywhere near the proposed line. For there to be so much concern over milking cows there is obviously Documented information somewhere on the electrical current effect on milking cows, which must affect the hormone level in milking cows considering that is the basis of Milk Production. What is this information being covered and if it affects cows this way why would it not transfer to other animals hormonal health, not just Milk Production, which are in the area or for that matter to Humans Hormones that are anywhere from the threatened 100m 500m from these lines?