6 days ago
PGE disputes city's rejection of its Forest Park transmission line project
PORTLAND, Ore. () — Portland General Electric is disputing the city's decision to strike down the next phase of a project that would remove several acres of trees from Forest Park.
As first reported by , the Land Use Board of Appeals received the utility company's notice of intent to appeal on Wednesday. The notice is the latest update in the involving PGE's Harborton Reliability Project.
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The project aims to install a new quarter-mile transmission line and upgrade a pre-existing line in Forest Park by cutting 376 trees from five acres of the 5,200-acre site.
A Portland hearings officer approved the plan in March, despite testimony from several environmental advocates with concerns that the proposal would harm the urban park and its plant and animal communities. But city councilors tentatively granted Forest Park Conservancy's appeal against the project in April, before earlier this month.
The most recent appeal from the utility company 'introduces the possibility of mediation in pursuit of our shared interests in serving Portlanders,' according to PGE Vice President of Policy and Resource Planning Kristen Sheeran.
'This project is urgently needed and the least impactful — affecting about one-tenth of one percent of Forest Park when stacked against alternatives that would condemn private property, affect Forest Park and additionally impact other environmentally and culturally sensitive areas, all while increasing the cost of the project that all customers would bear,' Sheeran added in a statement. 'We need the City to work with us on this project that is crucial to maintain reliable power for Portlanders.'
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have argued it conflicts with Portland's 1995 management plan focused on preserving Forest Park's natural resources. Members of the Urban Forestry Commission have also highlighted the potential wildfire risks associated with the addition of transmission lines.
However, PGE has contended the proposed tree removal would actually prevent safety hazards.
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