Whisnant proposing power bill amendments

Amendments are being drafted to Senate Bill 413 that would allow electrical companies to bypass county land use regulations, according to the office of Rep. Gene Whisnant, who represents Central Oregon’s District 53 in the House of Representatives.

SB 413 was introduced in January at the request of Central Electric Cooperative (CEC) following their unsuccessful effort to upgrade power lines to the Sisters area across the Cyrus property east of town.

CEC wanted to install taller steel for the new lines, action that the Cyruses opposed because of their belief that the towers would degrade scenic views. CEC claimed that the new transmission lines were needed to meet the growing demand for electrical power in the Sisters area.

The bill passed the Senate on April 11 by a vote of 23 to 5, with Senator Ben Westlund who represents Central Oregon’s District 27 casting one of the “no” votes. It is now being assigned to a House committee.

Deschutes County approved the CEC plan, but that decision was reversed after the Cyruses appealed the county’s decision to the Land Use Board of Appeals and won. The Cyruses went on to defend that decision in the Oregon Court of Appeals.

Whisnant testified against the bill before the Senate Committee on Business and Economic Development. “I don’t think we should overturn a court ruling,” he said at the time. “I think it should be decided at the lowest level.” He hoped that CEC and the Cyruses would work out their differences themselves, but that has failed to happen so far.

CEC then filed a Measure 37 claim of more than $7 million against the county for lost value. SB 413 was introduced to allow the upgrade.

“The building boom in Central Oregon has created conflict between private property owners and electrical companies,” Whisnant said. “Since the Legislature is now involved in this issue, the solution must be fair to residents who are upset about having 90-foot steel power poles in their front yard and to the electrical companies that are trying to meet the growing demands for power in our communities.”

Without providing specific language, Whisnant said that the amendments will address capacity, pole height, location and the public process involved in placing power poles on private property.