Letter: Transmission line could cut through south Butte

By Jeff Draper - 10/07/2008

Where do you think the Mountain States Transmission Intertie 500-kilovolt transmission line should be sited? The project could result in very tall (about 130 feet) lattice steel structures, spaced about every 1,500 feet, clear across south Butte, with their loud buzzing lines, potential electro-magnetic-field-related negative health effects, and the creation of a giant eyesore. And while some will be compensated, the MSTI certainly has negative impacts beyond the 220-foot right of way.

It is true that everyone in Butte-Silver Bow, in theory, would reap the benefits of property tax payments the MSTI could provide ($2 million for routes that pass through Butte). However, the A2 Parallel Colstrip Route, which bypasses Butte altogether, would also provide significant income to Butte-Silver Bow ($1.3 million). The difference between the two routes comes out to only 4 to 5 percent of the total property tax payments paid to Butte-Silver Bow.

The A2 Parallel Colstrip Route comes within 1,000 feet of only 32 houses, while the routes through south Butte would impact between 90 and 132 houses, which includes (as you might have guessed) houses in my neighborhood.

With the A2 route, Butte-Silver Bow would get, by far, the most tax income from MSTI per house impacted, with the (perhaps even greater) bonus of it not running through Butte.

I was surprised to learn that routes passing through south Butte would also result in potential impacts to future operations planned at Bert Mooney Airport and would require review by the Federal Aviation Administration. I would think the last thing the airport needs is more red tape.

The A2 Parallel Colstrip Route affects fewer people, avoids driving down existing residential property values in Butte-Silver Bow, and would still bring in significant property tax payments (a full 8 percent overall increase).

A wealth of information is available. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality Web site has a long address, so it is probably easiest to access by searching the Google with "DEQ MSTI MT." NorthWestern Energy also has a Web site at www.msti500kV.com.

Your comments count! Please send a quick e-mail by this Friday, Oct. 10, to DEQMSTI@mt.gov and tell them your opinion. It also would probably not hurt to let your county commissioner know if you support the A2 Parallel Colstrip Route for the MSTI Project.

Jeff Draper 110 Bluff Court Butte