KCP&L makes power line route decision

Northern Platte County landowners say lawsuits coming

Jeanette Browning Faubion
Citizen Reporter/Editorial

The community reaction is outrage after Kansas City Power and Light’s (KCP&L) announcement last week that it plans to pursue construction of a high-voltage transmission line in northern Platte County.

Concerned Citizens Against KCP&L Segment 62 was formed late last year to combat the utility’s proposal to build Segment 62, which runs northeast from Iatan, crosses Highway M and parallels Highway H as it travels east. It then crosses both I-29 and Highway EE before turning southeast into Clay County to a substation in Nashua. It would cross directly through New Market and just to the south of Dearborn.

About a year and one-half ago, KCP&L outlined several possible routes for new high-power transmission lines to the public, generally snaking southeast from Iatan around the Camden Point area before ending at Nashua. Based on negative feedback from property owners, last October the utility hosted public forums in Weston and Dearborn to announce the addition of Segment 62.

Property owners in the path of Segment 62 mobilized in November and have since gained the support of the cities of Dearborn and New Market, numerous churches and businesses and the Platte County Commission.

The concerns of Concerned Citizens fall into a few general categories: that the transmission line would have a direct, negative effect on the farm business in the area; it would decrease property values and deface the land; there may be adverse health effects; an underground liquid petroleum line and an overhead transmission line would create dueling electromagnetic fields to the detriment of everyone; and it may interfere with a nearby doppler radar station for Kansas City International Airport. At a Concerned Citizens meeting in December, District 29 state Rep. Galen Higdon suggested the group be ready to fight KCP&L’s action in court. So, now they are.

According to Concerned Citizens president Chris Dutoit, the group has retained Platte City attorney Scott Campbell and held a closed meeting with about 50 area residents and property owners Monday evening to strategize.

“As you can imagine, our reaction is outrage, anger, hurt — all of those combined,” Dutoit said. “I think the group consensus was that we’re not backing down. We’re going to make it as hard for KCP&L as we can.”

KCP&L Vice President Chuck Caisley said he can understand citizen concerns, but that the line has to go somewhere.

“I completely understand why customers don’t want a transmission line on their properties and we will still work with those residents to see if we can resolve any or all issues in regards to the lines,” Caisley said. “We will continue to engage with citizens with a spirit of collaboration, even if that’s not the mindset they have.”

According to Dutoit, that is indeed not Concerned Citizens’ mindset. “We understand that KCP&L, like any other utility, needs to build service infrastructure, but really they are just paying lip service to us that they will listen when they really know they can put the line anywhere they want,” Dutoit said.

Caisley said KCP&L did listen to citizen input and chose the line its staff felt would be least disruptive to citizens and cause the least issues.

“Had we chosen another segment, there would be citizens against it there too,” he said. “There will be people who won’t like any decision we make. At the end of the day, the common theme is that if you ask “person A” where they want it, they will say it should be built on “person B’s” property, and vice versa.”

Dutoit said KCP&L is somewhat between a rock and hard place itself in that the transmission lines must be built and people must have electricity, but he feels the utility has still not explored all the options. Additionally, he contests KCP&L’s assertion that the placement of a transmission line does not have a tremendous adverse effect on property values. He also doubts KCP&L will offer a fair price for the use of the land it requires.

“It gets you fired up when you see farmers who have worked hard all their lives on the land and then KCP&L comes in and takes the land for pennies on the dollar,” he said.