Township asked to fight PPL power plan

 

By Amanda Cregan, Intelligencer, March 4, 2009

Concern that a new power line route would ravage wetlands and forests in Springfield has stretched beyond its borders.

At their Tuesday night meeting, Tinicum supervisors were called upon to back Springfield residents in their fight against PPL's proposed cross country route, which primarily follows the length of the Tohickon Creek and crosses through a high quality watershed and mature forests.

"There has been an effort for some number of months opposing the PPL power lines through the upper Tohickon Creek. They are basically going right down there through the middle of the creek and crossing it," said retired engineer Robert Stanfield, who petitioned the board as a concerned resident and not in his official capacity as vice chairman of the Bridgeton-Nockamixon-Tinicum Groundwater Management Committee.

Tinicum supervisors were asked to sign a letter opposing the plan, which was drafted by citizens group Springfield Bucks Undesirable Land Use chairman W. Scott Douglas, who also serves as president of the Cooks Creek Watershed Association.

The letter, which has been circulating throughout area environmental groups, urges the chairman of Pennsylvania's Public Utility Commission to protect the community's natural resources and direct PPL to use an alternative route.

Tinicum supervisors Nick Forte, Boyce Budd and Gary Pearson said they would consider the matter.

"Personally, I'm not opposed to (PPL) putting in a line. I'm pro them putting a line down 309 or the railroad tracks," said Forte, referring to the other two placement options the utility giant had considered before deciding on the cross-country route.

Tuesday night, supervisors also discussed compiling a list of shovel ready projects if the federal government starts handing out checks at the municipal level as part of the new economic stimulus initiative.

"I think the important thing is that we've put a lot of paving projects off, and we should have a list of them ready to go if the township receives funding," said Pearson.

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