Save Stafford Road from high voltage power lines

We are neighbors on Stafford Road, a beautiful semi-rural road south of Portland, Oregon. We were informed by PGE in late May and early June 2023 that they intend to run a 115 kV high voltage transmission line from the Rosemont substation to the new substation in Tonquin, via Stafford Road. This represents over 10x expansion of the current electrical capacity. The new poles will be 100-140 feet tall, replacing the current 40 foot poles. Many trees and other vegetation will have to be removed or topped, including those that are home to fragile species. We are also extremely concerned about fire safety in the area and don't want our community to become another Lahaina, HI or Paradise, CA, burnt to the ground by outdated overhead lines.

We are hoping to raise funds to hire land use lawyers, environmental/ecological lawyers, electrical utilities experts, fire safety and hazard experts, and condemnation lawyers. We'd ultimately like to find alternatives such as burying the lines underground (in several locations if necessary to handle the voltage). We also need to keep demanding information from PGE about how these decisions were made regarding where to site the project and the total amount of power required. We need to explore what alternatives are available to the currently unacceptable plan. Funds from this effort will go towards hiring a legal team, making signs and other neighborhood outreach, and fees associated with gathering information. If you'd like more information, or can help us with your expertise or efforts, please check out www.savestaffordroad.org, where you can contact us directly.