School districts across the U.S.A. are taking a stand to protect children from high-voltage transmission lines near schools- a growing national issue as communities and policymakers nationwide are pushing back against new power lines that would cut through neighborhoods and farms.
This is a policy blog by Theodora Scarato, MSW, Director of the EMF Program at Environmental Health Sciences.
First, California…
The Temecula Valley Unified School District unanimously adopted a resolution opposing San Diego Gas & Electric’s routing of a 500 kV high voltage transmission line directly behind Vail Ranch Middle School. Importantly, this resolution lists several scientific research studies that link the EMF emitted by high-voltage power lines to cancer.
“A 2022 systematic review by Brabant et al. in Reviews on Environmental Health found that long-term exposure to magnetic fields above 0.4 µT (4 milligauss) was associated with increased risk of childhood leukemia, particularly acute lymphoblastic leukemia.”
The Temecula resolution also references how California’s regulations require a 350-foot setback between schools and 500 kV transmission line easements. California is currently the only state with this important safeguard. However, in the case of this particular proposed 500 kV line, it does not apply. Why? The state regulation is a directive for school districts when they acquire school property, but not for utility companies. A regulatory loophole.
Watch a video about the Temecula high-voltage powerline below.
And, the 49ers.
Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers, whose playing facility is next door to an electric substation, have signaled that they are looking for a new location. They say they have “outgrown” their current site.
I believe that the players and staff looked beyond the industry spin and took the time to educate themselves.
Meanwhile, on the East Coast…
The Loudoun County, Virginia, School Board, which was already working to stop a proposed 500 kV transmission line from being routed next to the Rock Ridge High School and Rosa Lee Carter Elementary School, has now joined forces with a nearby homeowners’ association to block the route from running through their neighborhood.
EMF exposure has been one of numerous concerns raised by the residents who argue that the route would place the lines near “sensitive locations,” including an early childhood education center and daycare.
Industry-paid consultants spin a fairy tale of EMF safety
In the Loudoun County, Virginia case, the utility hired Gabor Mezei, M.D., Ph.D., from Exponent, a well-known “science-for-hire” product defense firm, to counter EMF safety concerns. During the 1990s, Exponent was retained by the tobacco industry to argue that secondhand smoke was not harmful. Mezei has served as an expert witness in several cases involving asbestos and talc. Talc in baby powder has been found to cause cancer in several lawsuits. Johnson & Johnson worked for years to downplay the fact that asbestos was in their baby powder talc.
Before joining Exponent, Mezei worked for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the research arm of the electric utility industry, where he submitted comments to NIOSH questioning the strength of the evidence linking lung cancer to welding-related exposure of hexavalent chromium, the carcinogen made famous by Erin Brockovich.
In his Virginia testimony, Mezei cited the industry’s IEEE and ICNIRP sky-high EMF limits, which are only for short-term high-intensity effects like nerve stimulation but are not designed to address cancer risk. He then downplayed the peer-reviewed scientific research linking power line EMF to childhood leukemia.
Industry incorrectly states there is “a consensus for safety” with non-ionizing EMFs. If that were true, then why do other countries have policies to reduce EMF to levels below those linked to cancer? The EMF Scientists Appeal includes over 240 scientists calling for more protection. If there is a consensus for safety, then why does the Netherlands buy up houses under high voltage power lines and near substations, stating that:
“…just as was the case for children, leukaemia may occur more frequently in adults who live close to overhead power lines. The Health Council considers this to be an additional argument in support of the existing precautionary policy…”
The industry playbook. From tobacco to asbestos, lead, PFAS, and EMF, companies spin a fairy tale of safety by bringing forward their consultants to downplay credible science linking exposure to harm and reassure the public. The strategy is simple: create doubt, delay protective regulation, and avoid liability.
Every day that they keep accountability at bay is worth millions of dollars. They know that, with enough time, they might avoid all responsibility through loopholes, federal preemption, or liability shields, exemplified by the Supreme Court’s recent glyphosate ruling.
Hundreds of scientists urge caution with EMFs.
Dr. David Carpenter is Director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany, New York. He received his MD at Harvard and has published over 400 papers on environmental health issues, with decades of research on EMF and health. He also serves as an ICBE-EMF Commissioner.
In this video, he shares the results of his research review, which found that industry-funded studies more often find no effect. Whereas government-funded studies more often find effects. However, the U.S. was defunded from its research and never set safety standards.
“The evidence that magnetic fields increase the risk of cancer is neither inconsistent nor inconclusive. Furthermore, adults are also at risk, not just children, and there is strong evidence for cancers in addition to leukemia, particularly brain and breast cancer.”
-David Carpenter M.D. in the scientific review “Extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields and cancer: How source of funding affects results” published in the journal Environmental Research
Sunshine is the best disinfectant.
Local governments are calling for rigorous review.
In Texas, 42 state legislators signed an Amicus brief supporting a motion by American Stewards for Liberty calling for a pause and full review of proposed 765-kV line projects to ensure all alternatives are fully evaluated.
In central Virginia, eight out of nine Virginia counties impacted by the 115-mile Joshua Falls to Yeat 765-kV Valley Link Project have formally opposed its approval. This May, a regional coalition of counties submitted a joint multi-county intervention filing to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which notably includes the Fluvanna, Culpeper, Goochland, Orange, and Louisa County resolutions opposing the project.
Watch one of the community groups public awareness clips below.
Orange County sent a letter stating, “The existence of high voltage power lines is of great concern. Many Orange County residents have voiced grave concerns with the proposed power lines and the potential impact on animals, humans, and natural resources.” They also listed references to numerous peer-reviewed scientific studies, asking developers if the studies impact their plans.
I found numerous school boards opposing irresponsibly placed power lines.
As I delved in, I found several more school boards with formal positions. The FERC filing includes the Orange County School Board opposition letter (page 56). And just as the Louisa County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a resolution in opposition to the Valley Link transmission project, on June 2, the Louisa County Public Schools (LCPS) school board followed as well!
The Prince William County school board also sent correspondence urging Dominion Energy to avoid using school property at their Patriot High School campus, citing a Virginia state guideline that says:
“…the location of schools near electric transmission lines or other environmental hazards should be avoided.”
In April, the Florence Independent School Board of Texas registered its opposition to a proposed 765‑kV line that would route near an elementary school, stating:
“the District objects to the proposed placement of the transmission lines, and is concerned that the proposed location of these lines may endanger the safety and well-being of the students and staff who attend and work at the school.”
The Chambersburg Area School Board, Pennsylvania, has been battling a proposed 230-kV high-voltage power line project near its Falling Spring Elementary campus since 2017 and most recently at the packed June 23 meeting they began consideration of a proposal to become a formal intervenor.
High-voltage power lines bring numerous risks.
Communities are raising concerns about children’s health, property values, eminent domain, farmland preservation, noise, safety, impacts on wildlife, visual blight, herbicide use, inadequate public participation, and whether these massive projects are truly necessary.
Fire is also an issue. The California Fire Local 2881 Firefighters’ letter opposed the SDG&E Golden Pacific Powerlink Project because it brings “additional ignition risks in communities that already face the threat of catastrophic wildfire.
This is no longer just a local issue. It is a national issue… and bipartisan.
I have been in touch with families across the country. From West Virginia to Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Georgia, and Texas, utility companies are aggressively pushing new power lines and substations, routed next to (and sometimes right on top of) homes, farms and schools. Many of these projects involve 765 kV lines. These are 765,000-volt transmission lines running on massive towers the height of 15- to 20-story buildings. Democrats, Republicans, Libertarian, Green or Independents, folks becoming united.
Image from a Facebook post from the group NO 765kV Line working on the on the MariBell Transmission Project. Table at the farmer’s market in Viroqua Wisconsin.
Everyone says the same thing. “We are not opposed to technology and of course we all need electricity. But the process needs to be fixed.”
“Build with us, not on top of us” an impacted man from Texas told me.
The 49ers can move.
But children often do not have the choice.
Reminder: The Santa Clara Youth Soccer field is also next to the substation. Will that be moved as well?
Video: My testimony to the Montgomery County Council on high voltage transmission lines and health.
We need policies that put children’s health first.
All states should, at a minimum:
- Establish minimum setbacks between schools, homes, and high-voltage transmission lines and substations.
- Require independent baseline and projected EMF measurements and full public disclosure from the beginning of the process.
- Prioritize under-grounding.
All children deserve safe schools. And of course, safe neighborhoods.
So stay tuned as I take a deep dive into U.S. state regulation of transmission line EMF. There are safer alternatives. Solutions exist.
Theodora Scarato, Director of the EMF Program at Environmental Health Sciences
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