I have three concerns about Energize Eastside that make me wonder if Puget Sound Energy (PSE) has truly considered the welfare and community values of citizens impacted by the project:

I worry about the health consequences of adding high tension power lines through our urban corridor. In the past 10 years, epidemiological data has been coming out of Great Britain showing an increased incidence of childhood leukemia in families living near high tension power lines.

What about environmental degradation and creation of new unsustainable models? Bellevue reportedly has only a 36 percent urban tree canopy, the thinnest on the Eastside. Mature trees are critical for biodiversity through absorbing rain, slowing stormwater runoff, providing shade to counteract Urban Heat Islands caused by our over-use of pavement, for cleansing the air and for providing beauty. Thinning our already thin canopy to install huge power poles and lines is unsustainable.

Resources are wasted not just through construction but by shuttling power around up in the air where we don’t need it and where it is lost due to laws of physics. I think we need to address how to have power at the points where we use it, much like instant-on water heaters.

My recent experiences with PSE have led me to doubt the company’s commitment to its customers. We have accepted construction of new substations and enormous power poles in my neighborhood that have not delivered on the promise of a reduction in power outages. When we do experience a problem, PSE’s automated phone system has eliminated our ability to get hold of a live representative.

This winter, one of our power outages lasted 47 hours. During an outage — always an isolating experience ­a landline is my only form of communication. I called PSE and received automated status reports which did not mention my neighborhood. I tried several times to reach a live person but the menu options informed me I should call back during normal business hours. When I finally spoke to a representative on Monday morning I was informed that the system was showing power to my neighborhood had already been restored, even though I insisted homes were dark all along the street.

PSE is not a public utility; it is responsible for returning profit to its shareholders. I am concerned about accepting solutions that, while profitable for a distant shareholder, are not in our best interest.

Tess McMillan