High-voltage power line proposal in Williamstown Twp sparks debate
WILLAMSTOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WILX) -A high-voltage power line proposal is sparking new questions in Williamstown Township.
The project proposed by the electricity company ITC would connect two substations with a high-voltage transmission line stretching 50 miles across mid-Michigan.
While the route isn’t finalized, the idea alone is already dividing opinions. In a township known more for open farmland, the conversation has now turned to energy infrastructure.
“Some folks get the idea that this is a whole spider web of new high transmission lines going through. And it isn’t,” said Ron Poth, Williamstown Township supervisor. “They’re just looking for one route between these two points.”
ITC, a major electricity company, is looking at a route that would connect two power substations with high-voltage electric transmission lines, stretching from Oneida to Sabine Lake.
At Wednesday’s Williamstown Township Board of Trustees meeting, leaders heard directly from the company on this proposed project.
“If you want to have growth, if you want to have, you know, new technology, that’s fine. Do you want to have agricultural processing, things like that? It’s a huge opportunity, right?” said Ben Tirrell of ITC. “I mean, those things just don’t happen in rural areas unless you have access to a sufficient, you know, power supply. So, it is a very big deal.”
But for many residents, the bigger question is what that opportunity could cost a rural community like theirs.
“How are they going to be compensated because their property value is going to dip,” said one Williamstown Township resident.
“All of the trees for that entire section are going to get clear cut, which he did say trees are going to come down, which I think is a big part of the community, I know that does affect property value,” said another resident.
Residents also cited concerns about possible health impacts from the power lines. One person says he’s unhappy that the routes are still undecided.
“I think he sat up here and just lied to this entire room, there’s no way he’s hitting substations between those two points when they don’t know what route they’re going yet,” said a Williamstown Township resident. “It’s all over the map and he’s telling you he’s feeding other ones. I don’t think that’s true.”
Residents say the concern isn’t just about power, but also about preserving the land they call home.
At the meeting, township leaders also approved a 12-month moratorium on data centers to give themselves time to set rules if such a proposal ever comes forward. This raises questions about how much growth a rural township like Williamstown wants and how it protects its small-town character along the way.
Residents will have another chance to weigh in on the electric transmission project soon. ITC is hosting a series of community listening sessions between Jan. 2 and February 5th.
To learn more about the sessions, click here.
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