Concerns Regarding PECO High Voltage Lines
To The Swarthmorean,
Like many of our neighbors, we are shocked and deeply concerned about the extreme removal of trees, as well as our health and the financial hazards that will be caused by PECO’s high voltage lines set to go through our yards and residential streets this month.
Talking with staff from Davey Tree of Wilmington (subcontractors to PECO who are tagging trees for removal and trimming) in our yard last week, we were told, “Oh no, these high voltage poles are not like anything you’ve seen in this town before. These require a full 10-foot clearance on each side of the line. Trees will have to go.” Ten of our mature trees were tagged, including two 100-year-old rare native beech trees.
The entire side of our yard on Wellesley Road will have no trees, only high voltage lines. This is decimating “Tree City USA,” and radically cutting the character of Swarthmore.
How will we ever sell our houses? Many people won’t even look at a house near high voltage lines. Who will compensate us for the documented drop in market value? (In England and Ireland, damages are routinely granted to homeowners when high voltage is installed on their property, based on the documented declines in market value.)
What health impact is there for our family with children who command the yard?
The entire town will have to re-apply for homeowners insurance. When we purchased new coverage last summer, one question was, “Do you have high voltage lines on or in the vicinity of your property?” Will we even get coverage and at what cost? How will we be compensated?
How can we get a permanent reduction in our substantial real estate taxes, since we will not be able to enjoy use of the entire dead zone, 20-foot strip down our lot?
Can high voltage fires be handled by our loyal fire company—even on high voltage lines being installed behind houses without road access, as PECO has targeted behind N. Swarthmore Ave. homes?
This first phase of PECO’s high voltage lines is now hitting College Ave., Benjamin West, Garrett, Elm, Ogden, Hillborn, S. Swarthmore, and N. Swarthmore (rear) avenues; Parrish, Chester, and Riverview roads; Walnut, Forest and Cedar lanes; and Wellesley Road and Widener Way.
We need to postpone until funding from the infrastructure bill, earmarked for electric utilities, can be used to redesign an adequate substation or put the lines underground.
In this climate crisis, each of our mature trees reduces CO2 and pumps out enough oxygen for 10 people to breathe per day. This happens from leafy treetops, not the stumps.
We have been told that in West Philadelphia, homeowners complained to PECO about extreme tree removal and the project was stopped.
Raise your voice to Mayor Marty Spiegel at swarthmoremayor1@gmail.com.
Tell PECO to postpone this high voltage project: William Patterer, Director of PECO Regional Electrical Operations, william.patterer@exeloncorp.com.
If PECO is not helpful, any PECO customer can file a complaint with the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission.
Sincerely,
Barbara G. Drebing and Neil B. Kauffman
Swarthmore
