Rocky Mountain Power said Monday it will go to court to try to force the town of Willard to allow it to build a high-voltage transmission line through the city despite concerns that electric and magnetic fields from the project could harm the health of nearby residents and damage property values.

The utility plans to ask a 1st District Court judge to bar the town from interfering with its construction schedule after the Willard City Council late last week voted 3-2 to deny it final approval to build the line.

"It was an astounding vote," said Rocky Mountain Power spokesman Dave Eskelsen, who contended the city in early November already had approved the permit. "It certainly caught us by surprise."

Although Willard represents only a tiny segment of the 135-mile-long line that will run from southeastern Idaho to just west of Salt Lake City International Airport, the utility contends the city is now threatening its entire $600 million project. It says the line is needed to ensure the company has enough capacity to serve its Utah customers, whose demand for electricity continues to increase.


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