The 250 kV to 500 kV lines would pass from new substations in Ravendale, northeast of Susanville, and Round Mountain, east of Redding, through the valley to new substations in the Elk Grove and Tracy area.

Farmers are worried that the transmission lines would slash through their properties, making important cropland unproductive.

Ned Coe, the California Farm Bureau Federation’s field representative and an Alturas rancher, said “The biggest concern within the ag community, particularly in the Sacramento Valley, is the impact it will have on their existing orchards.”

He added “There are also impacts to field crops. It will increase the difficulty of using crop dusters in rice ground. You’re dealing with structures out in the middle of your fields, and then on down the list from that are the aesthetic issues of having a power line going through your property.”

Coe stated that one example of a map of a proposed path reveals a power line slashing across a Glenn County farm and passing directly over the home.

TANC officials have informed that no paths have been fixed, even though the agencies presume the lines to touch across several private and public properties. TANC operations manager, Patrick Mealoy, affirmed that he and others have initiated negotiations with domestic Farm Bureau offices to deal with farmers’ qualms.

Mealoy said “It’s something that the agency is very cognizant of. To do 600 miles of transmission through Northern California, some portion of it would have to be on ag land. We want to open up a dialogue in order to mitigate or limit whatever the impact will be on the ag community.”

Karen Norene Mills, the associate counsel for the state Farm Bureau and public utilities director, informed that the amount of farmland lost because of TANC has been projected at nearly 15,000 acres. Transmission lines cannot be present with orchards or timber, as trees cannot be kept under power lines.

She added that the new lines require access roads and individuals will have to walk on farmer’s property in order to inspect the system.