The Arkansas Public Service Commission Administrative Law Judge is given up 60 days following the close of the hearing to give her decision, so today is the day she must rule whether or not to approve the AEP/SWEPCO application to build a highly destructive extra high voltage 345 kV power line through my small community. I became involved when I was informed that one of their proposed routes would clear cut my 11 acres from one end to the other and leave land barren in perpetuity of natural forest growth, 75 feet from my deck. How could I not be disgusted? And being trained in my own creative capacities, how could I not act? Do you know how it feels to love something and have someone take it away for no reason but their own greed?Corporations in America will let nothing stand in the way of their profits, and judges, too, can be swayed by the pressures to act against the best interests of citizens of their states. So we rose up as a community to defend ourselves, raised and spent a huge amount of money to stop SWEPCO, and have all been spending sleepless nights concerned that the judge might still find some loop hole that allows her to rule against us.
My fingers will be crossed throughout the day until I hear one way or the other. If she decides against AEP/SWEPCO I'll be jubilant. Our whole community will erupt in celebration. If she decides against us, we will be working on appeal. No company can be allowed to do to us what they are trying to do.
Yesterday in the wood shop, I made a stationary plane that mounts in a vise and cuts grooves for sliding lids in Froebel gift boxes. It didn't work as well as I hoped until I began using a push stick to push the wood through the cut.Today I will be finishing lids and a box for an article in Wood Magazine. I decided to put a concealed compartment in the base of the box.
The photo at the top shows the various layers used to make a stationary plane. The photo immediately above shows the results of the cut.
Make, fix, create... teach others to do likewise...
Doug,
ReplyDeleteMay the judge be fair and decide for your community.
Mario
Amen to that Mario...
ReplyDeleteI hope the judge comes to her senses and rules in your favor
ReplyDeleteI hope things go your way.
ReplyDeletePraying for justice. ~Jeff
ReplyDeleteDeveloped nations need to get their minds around reducing consumption of energy, not ever increasing the supply. If not, some one is bound to be impacted by the power lines, pipelines, etc.
ReplyDeleteJim B
Doug, we're all waiting to hear :))))) Hope things are going well...
ReplyDeleteI have been on pins an needles all day, waiting on the judge's decision, and the state law says that the commission must report its findings to all parties within 60 days. Unless I misunderstand state law, subchapter 23-18-519 which reads as follows: "(e) A copy of the decision and any order issued therewith shall be served upon each party within sixty (60) days after the conclusion of each hearing held under this subchapter," the commission is running the risk of being in violation of state law. The hearing was declared closed on November 18. Would a state commission violating state law surprise anyone?
ReplyDeleteI just learned that the judge ruled in favor of the power company. I guess it should have been expected, but it will not go down without a fight. We are getting ready for our appeal.
ReplyDeleteIn further reading of the Judge's ruling, I found that all was not as dire as I had suspected. The judge approved a route that passes from Arkansas along the Missouri border for nearly 30 miles. The power company is not licensed to operate in Missouri, and the Missouri Public Service Commission would have to be stupid to give permission for a power line to pass through the state without benefiting the residents of Missouri. Unlike the situation in Arkansas where the power line proposal was sprung upon us like a steel trap, we have been working hard to make sure that Missouri residents are forewarned and armed with information to stop it.
ReplyDeleteWhile I had hoped that the judge's ruling would bring a stop to AEP/SWEPCO's nonsense, it only means we will fight them on a larger field of battle.
Sorry ..courts are blind to real people and seem to see Big Business owners...
ReplyDelete