On Thursday, June 6, 2024, the Norco City Council sent a formal letter to the Riverside City Council urging the Council Members to vote to reconsider undergrounding the Riverside Transmission Reliability Project (RTRP). The letter follows the Riverside City Council’s action on May 14, 2024, in which the Council Members considered options to move the RTRP forward and ultimately voted to proceed with the project design as originally approved—constructing above-ground transmission lines in a fire-prone area along Norco’s portion of the Santa Ana River. Click here to read the letter.
The City of Norco is extremely disappointed in this decision and continues to strongly advocate for the full undergrounding of the RTRP to protect public safety and decrease wildfire risks to Norco and surrounding communities. Residents may contact the Riverside City Council Members to voice their support for undergrounding the transmission lines along the Santa Ana River in Norco and urge the Riverside City Council to reconsider their vote.
For more information, contact the City of Norco at (951) 270-5623 or info@ci.norco.ca.us.
What can I do to support undergrounding the RTRP?
- Email the Riverside Mayor and Council Members
I want to show my support, but what should I say?
The City of Norco is asking that the Riverside City Council…
- Reconsider undergrounding the Riverside Transmission Reliability Project
Some other key points for calls or emails:
- Southern California Edison has promoted the benefits of undergrounding power transmission lines to mitigate wildfire risk (https://bit.ly/4c2PHU8).
- Multiple fire experts have said that fire risk is very high in our area and has gotten far worse in recent years.
- Installing new overhead power transmission lines creates additional fire risk and does not make sense for this fire-prone area.
- Evacuations during fires in Norco are complicated by the Santa Ana River blocking escape to the north, hills to the east, narrow streets, and the many horses and animals that would also need evacuation.
- Residents should share their own experiences with fires in the area of the proposed RTRP route (essentially the area of the Santa Ana River and headed east into La Sierra).
- The proposed towers, nearly 200 feet tall, will diminish property values and impact the disadvantaged communities in La Sierra.
- We support Riverside's need for a second connection to the State's electrical grid, but that should be built with underground lines, not using dangerous, unsightly overhead transmissions lines.
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