H-0643.2          _______________________________________________

                                  HOUSE BILL 1547

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State of Washington              52nd Legislature             1991 Regular Session

By Representatives Holland, Hine and Heavey.

Read first time January 31, 1991.  Referred to Committee on Energy & Utilities.Establishing interim conditions for electric and magnetic fields produced by high voltage electric transmission lines.

     AN ACT Relating to electric and magnetic fields; and adding a new chapter to Title 70 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.      The legislature finds that scientific work to date on examining the human health effects of exposure to electric and magnetic fields produced by high voltage electric transmission lines is inconclusive, but that the effects of these fields is a cause for concern and requires further scientific research.  The legislature further finds that, pending scientific determination of whether there are human health effects from exposure to these fields, an interim policy of regulation should be established to limit new or upgraded transmission lines in such a manner that electric and magnetic fields of the new or upgraded lines will not be greater than existing lines.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.      For purposes of this chapter, high voltage electric transmission lines are those of one hundred ten thousand volts and higher.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.      The following interim conditions for electric and magnetic fields produced by high voltage electric transmission lines are established commencing ninety days after the effective date of this act:

     (1) Any modification to a high voltage electric transmission line shall be accomplished so that electric and magnetic fields from the modified line are not greater than those from the existing line.

     (2) New high voltage electric transmission lines shall be constructed so that electric and magnetic fields from the new lines are not greater than existing lines of comparable voltage and power capacity.

     In determining compliance with the interim conditions, measurements of electric and magnetic fields from modified or new high voltage electric transmission lines shall include at least two measurements of each of the electric and magnetic fields taken at the same distance from the conductors as measurements of the fields from existing reference high voltage electric transmission lines.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.      Costs attributable to mitigating electric and magnetic fields from high voltage electric transmission lines shall be included in the rate base of regulated utilities and, for consumer-owned utilities, included in the cost of providing electricity.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.      If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6.      Sections 1 through 5 of this act shall constitute a new chapter in Title 70 RCW.