FORMERLY THE ROCKY VIEW FIVE VILLAGE WEEKLY
Volume 35, Number 29	OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER FOR THE MD OF ROCKY VIEW #44	Tuesday, July 15, 2008
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Court gives green light to landowners’ appeal
Enrique Massot

A group opposing the construction of a high-voltage power line between Alberta and the U.S. hailed the ruling of a court of appeal as a victory for landowners across Alberta.

"This is a huge victory for us," said Joe Anglin, chairman of the Lavesta Area Group. "This is more than a significant property rights issue; we believe it is a fundamental issue dealing with due process of law and civil rights."

On July 3, the Alberta Court of Appeal granted landowners leave to appeal the former Alberta Energy and Utilities Board’s (EUB) decision to license the Montana Alberta Tie Link’s Ltd. (MATL) proposal to build a high voltage electrical transmission line from Lethbridge to Great Falls, Montana.

"The applicants raised serious and arguable issues of law and jurisdiction," said Justice Peter Martin of the Alberta Court of Appeals.

"I am inclined to grant leave on this issue."

However, the company in charge of building the power line is confident that the leave to appeal will only briefly delay the construction of the line.

"(The appeal) will not materially affect the economics of the MATL project since the transmission line is a 50-year asset," Tonbridge Power Inc., a Toronto-based developer of electrical transmission facilities, stated in a release on July 4.

Anglin says the 800-member Lavesta group is not opposed to economic growth; however, he added, the group wants due process and a fair and transparent hearing.

The group became notorious to power plants near Edmonton by its staunch opposition to another power line proposal, to be constructed between there and Langdon, in southeast Rocky View.

Last September, Lavesta uncovered private investigators were sent by the EUB to Rimbey’s community centre, where landowners watched proceedings on AltaLink’s 500 kilovolt transmission line proposal.

The Lavesta Area Group found the MATL case shares similar landowner issues as the AltaLink transmission line proposal.

"The MATL proposal is a classic case of competing private interests," said Anglin.

MATL is a Calgary-based energy transmission company that is constructing the Montana Alberta Tie line, a 215-mile transmission line that will interconnect the electricity markets of Alberta and Montana. It will be the first-ever merchant power transmission line between Alberta and Montana.

The 230-kilovolt line will run from a substation outside of Lethbridge to Great Falls, Montana. It will allow energy flow in both directions, ensuring more reliable supplies of electricity which will make both Montanans and Albertans less vulnerable to power outages.

Northern Montana and Southern Alberta are home to some of the best wind energy sources in North America. Montana is rated number five for wind-energy potential in the United States. The MATL line, Tonbridge stated, will enable the development of new wind-energy projects by linking this renewable and emission-free source of power to consumers across North America.