OAR 345-024-0090: Siting Standards for Transmission Lines

To issue a site certificate for a facility that includes any transmission line under Council jurisdiction, the Council must find that the applicant: (1) Can design, construct and operate the proposed transmission line so that alternating current electric fields do not exceed 9 kV per meter at one meter above the ground surface in areas accessible to the public; (2) Can design, construct and operate the proposed transmission line so that induced currents resulting from the transmission line and related or supporting facilities will be as low as reasonably achievable. (3) If the proposed energy facility is a transmission line or has, as a related or supporting facility, a transmission line of any size, the applicant must submit the following: (a) Information about the expected electric and magnetic fields, including: (A) The distance in feet from the proposed center line of each proposed transmission line to the edge of the right-of-way; (B) The type of each occupied structure, including but not limited to residences, commercial establishments, industrial facilities, schools, daycare centers and hospitals, within 200 feet on each side of the proposed center line of each proposed transmission line; (C) The approximate distance in feet from the proposed center line to each structure identified in (3); (D) At representative locations along each proposed transmission line, a graph of the predicted electric and magnetic fields levels from the proposed center line to 200 feet on each side of the proposed center line; (E) Any measures the applicant proposes to reduce electric or magnetic field levels; (F) The assumptions and methods used in the electric and magnetic field analysis, including the current in amperes on each proposed transmission line; and (G) The applicant’s proposed monitoring program, if any, for actual electric and magnetic field levels. (b) An evaluation of alternate methods and costs of reducing radio interference likely to be caused by the transmission line in the primary reception area near interstate, U.S. and state highways.