Against the Grain II
We must look out for Southside residents in power transmission line development
I was ecstatic to see the development, construction and completion of the solar panel field at the I-10 and US 75 exit. While not a tree-hugger per se, I am concerned about our environment to the point where I wondered why there were not more solar panel and wind turbine fields popping up over the last decade.
As for solar panels, the technology has greatly advanced. Not to forget the solar panel tax credit initiatives, which seem to be bringing down the prohibitive costs of maintaining an operation over the past few years. (Note that the initiatives are being launched to combat the increasing problem of climate change. This is also done to educate common folks on global warming.) As a result of such benefits, it is becoming increasingly common for homeowners to install solar panels with the assistance of a Solar panel company in St. Petersburg FL (or any other locally based firm). By doing so, they may reduce electricity costs and make a significant difference in reducing global warming.
Recently, I attended a city hall meeting in a town in Gadsden County. There was a presentation made by the Florida Power & Light company (FPL) about transmission lines crossing the panhandle. To my best understanding, they were trying to get the power from the generators, including the solar panel farm, which are in northeast Florida to the west. FPL has played a critical role in this process, by enhancing a battered energy grid in northwest Florida that was pummeled by Hurricane Matthew.
Even so, the development of the transmission path is where my eyebrows were raised.
FPL has already bought up terrain along I-10 going west. Their acquisition includes property on the north side of I-10 through Gadsden County. Construction is well under way on the transmission to that point.
My concern is what happens when that power line comes to the borders of Leon County? With the development along I-10 in Tallahassee, there is no way for a straight path through town of these transmission lines. Deductive reasoning leads to an alternate path through some developed area of Tallahassee.
Unfortunately, Blacks have been labeled conspiracy theorists in general, but given the history of America’s use of the culture as guinea pigs, it is natural to exude skepticism to anything that is brought to bear when it involves our community.
The electromagnetic charges emitted from transmission line proximity is present in prominent spaces on the Website of the National Cancer Institute, suggesting that it causes increased susceptibility to Leukemia in children exposed to 0.4 tesla units or more of radiation. That is the conclusion from nine different pooled studies analysis.
Who in Leon County is going to carry around a gauss meter, constantly measuring the radiation coming from these lines? How many tesla units will we allow to come through the neighborhoods chosen as path for the transmission lines?
Kudos to Leon County Commissioner Kristin Dozier for raising a red flag on the issue. Listening to her constituents in the Tram road area, she immediately brought the project to the attention of the county commission and it began to delve into the specifics of the project and planned path of the transmission lines.
When evaluating the probability of the lines destroying property value, adding unattractive construction and endangering the health of the citizens who reside near the structures, is it a wonder that the planned path is through an area heavily populated with Black folks on the Southside?
