Facts about MSTI

Save Scenic Jefferson Valley Coalition

Strobe lights and balls are a feature of 500 kV facilities.

This is how a 500 kV transmission line affects a village in Bangladesh.

These are facts you did not receive at NorthWestern’s “Open House” Meetings:

 

MSTI’s Impacts on Ratepayers - NorthWestern can’t guarantee that Montana rate payers will not be left holding the bag on MSTI.  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is now indicating that the ratepayer base may have to provide support in the form of a societal tax for projects like MSTI.  If MSTI were built, NorthWestern’s ratepayer base would have to compete with high value markets for Montana’s power generation.

New tax abatements are in place for wind energy transmission - The public is catching on that NorthWestern has been claiming tax benefits for local government that may never materialize.  NWE says MSTI is for renewable energy, but those projects now have property tax abatements.  Wind energy project?  Or tax boon for counties?

NorthWestern’s “Preferred Route” is a Rejected Route  -  NorthWestern’s preferred route for MSTI is based on what is best for the company, not the citizens of Montana.  NorthWestern is ignoring the very real health concerns of private property owners, as well as the public’s interest in our open, scenic landscape.  BLM has recently rejected NWE’s request for federal designation of the Boulder/Jefferson Valley routes.  There is no evidence that the existing federal corridor on public land cannot be used.  NWE says it’s too narrow.  If the corridor is too narrow, the United States Forest Service (USFS) should be made to comply with the Energy Policy Act of 2005, instead of punishing the public for the agency's failure to do so!

Draft EIS for MSTI Now Delayed for a Short Time—Release of MSTI’s DEIS has been delayed, giving our community more time to fear, dread, and organize.  The Montana DEQ and BLM continue to assess the massive impacts of hundreds upon hundreds of 14-story structures on the open and scenic character of our valleys.  This continues even while the public has never seen an environmental analysis demonstrating the need for a 500kV line in the first place.  Are you concerned that our landscape, health, tourism, and property remain threatened while doubts about MSTI’s benefits and rate impacts grow?

 

Concerns About 500 kV Transmission Lines

 

Citizens are concerned about 500 kV towers and transmission lines in greater Whitehall and the Jefferson Valley for the following reasons:

1)        Permanent loss of the open and scenic character of the land and landscape that Jefferson Valley residents treasure;

2)        Health effects from the Electromagnetic Fields (EMF’s) and consequent risks to children, livestock, and wildlife corridors;

3)        Abuse of eminent domain powers to transfer wealth from ranchers and the general public to corporations;

4)        Inadequate compensation to greater Whitehall and Jefferson Valley public for loss of future growth and economic development (e.g. tourism, recreation) caused by visual pollution;

5)        Lack of notification and consideration to landowners and other residents about the project and its proposed routes;

6) Loss of grazing and farm land to towers, rights-of-way, EMF fields, and maintenance roads.

 

Is Jefferson Valley a “Public Land Option?”

The “Jefferson Valley” has been misleadingly labeled as a “public land option,” thereby minimizing the serious impacts of MSTI on the landowners and residents in greater Whitehall as well as the Jefferson and Boulder Valleys.  Within Jefferson County, the vast majority of the proposed Whitehall/Jefferson Valley route is on private property, and does not even approach the principle of “Public Land for Public Benefit.”