Activists protest power line

Thursday, April 3, 2003 | 10:11 a.m.

A proposed 500-kilovolt power line route would affect the Las Vegas Wash, Lake Las Vegas, Sunrise Mountain and other environmentally sensitive areas, federal officials were told Wednesday night.

The proposed $50 million power line would extend for nearly 50 miles, linking the Harry Allen substation near Apex, 15 miles northeast of Las Vegas, with the Mead substation south of Boulder City.

At a public meeting Wednesday, hikers, environmentalists and other activists said the line would have a negative impact on some scenic natural areas in eastern Las Vegas. Among the sites that could be affected are the popular destinations of Gypsum Cave and the Rainbow Gardens, they said.

The Bureau of Land Management is assessing the potential environmental impacts of the route, which runs along the eastern edge of the Las Vegas Valley, BLM project manager Scott Powers said at Wednesday night's meeting in Henderson.

"It's going to be a very thorough review," Powers said.

Nevada Power Co., Reliant Energy Co. and Calpine Corp. would chip in to build the line, although Nevada Power customers won't notice an increase in their monthly electric bills due to the outlay, said Larry Luna, Nevada Power's project manager.

The route runs mostly on federal lands, but about a dozen private property owners would be affected.

If the BLM finds no significant environmental impacts, construction would start in April 2005 and the line would carry electricity by April 2006, Luna said.

A group called Citizens for Active Management of the Sunrise-Frenchman Mountain Area opposes building transmission towers near the Rainbow Gardens, retired state Sen. Tom Hickey said Wednesday night.

"We want them to follow the National Environmental Policy Act," Hickey said. "That does not mean we want to be obstructionist, but I think there are compromises and alternatives."

Geologist Nick Saines echoed Hickey's comments, noting that the Valley of the Pillars, a volcanic and red sandstone area that could be affected by the power line project, offers some of the most spectacular hiking trails in the region.

If the line could be shifted east and lower transmission towers installed, some concerns about obstructed views from the hiking trails could be eased, Saines said.

The BLM needs to do a thorough environmental review, called an environmental impact statement, environmentalist Jeff van Ee said.

"Who wants to hike in wilderness under 185-foot towers and transmission lines?" he said.

Bruce Sillitoe of the Clark County Parks and Community Service Department said the power line route would cross the Las Vegas Wash where the county is trying to restore 2,500 acres of desert wetlands.