Portland General Electric’s (PGE) plan to upgrade power lines in Forest Park was approved by a city hearings officer on Friday, March 7.
Construction union leaders supported the project, while environmental groups opposed it, arguing that PGE should have pursued alternative locations rather than harm five acres of the beloved public forest, wetlands, and frog and bird habitats. A Portland Permitting & Development (PP&D) staff report also recommended denying PGE’s environmental review.
In her decision, hearings officer Marisha Childs wrote that both sides made valid arguments, resulting in a “particularly complex legal quagmire.”
PP&D had said that PGE failed to consider alternatives and didn’t show that its proposed mitigation would be sufficient. Childs disagreed.
The approved plan reflects the third phase of the Harborton Reliability Project, a five-phase project to increase PGE’s electrical transmission capacity. This phase involves upgrading an existing transmission line that connects to the Harborton Substation in the Linnton neighborhood along the Columbia River, and adding a new quarter-mile transmission line.
Opponents have until March 21 to file an appeal, which would be decided by the Portland City Council.
