ABQjournal: Power Project Ugly to Some; PNM Lines Won’t Be Underground By Aurelio Sanchez, Journal Staff Writer
Residents on Paradise Boulevard are upset about “unsightly” overhead power lines that Public Service Company of New Mexico plans to install along a 1.2 mile section of the road.
They’d like the power lines to be installed underground. …
But a PNM spokesman said to place the lines underground would double the estimated $225,000 cost of the project, a cost PNM would pass on to Bernalillo County residents. …
Weaver said neighbors are upset about the plans, especially coming on the heels of the neighborhood association receiving a grant to landscape Paradise Boulevard. He said neighbors also have never been shown cost assessments.
“Our feeling is that as there is new development in northwest Albuquerque, the developers should be asked to help pay for the cost of underground lines,” Weaver said.
Brown responded, “We do understand the concerns about visual impact.”
Brown said that in order for the lines to be placed underground, the governing jurisdiction? in this case the Bernalillo County Commission? would have to require PNM to do so.
“Then the entity requiring it would either pay the difference in the project costs up front, or PNM could pass the costs along to customers within that jurisdiction,” Brown said.
If the cost is passed on to approximately 45,000 customers in Bernalillo County, it would up individual bills by about 25 cents to 30 cents per month for a unspecified number of years.
Brown noted that in Rio Rancho, PNM customers are paying $1.80 a month extra for three years to pay for several underground power line projects the city required of PNM.
I’m with you, West Side. Power lines are gawd-awful and we need to keep them from going up in the air.
As a reader of the Abq Journal’s paper edition, I’d never have seen this story. The Journal deemed it relevant just to the West Side edition. However, kudos to KOB-4 and KRQE-13 for making this a top story last night.
The Journal doesn’t note, as TV did, that some residents claim PNM is contractually committed to underground lines.
It’s time to recognize this as a quality of life issue. I know we can’t pull all the lines down, but we can resolve never to put up another and to replace over time all those awful wires. I’d gladly pay extra to preserve/restore the vista.
Hang tough, West Side! mjh
