Beatty Residents Press NV Energy on Dust, Lighting During Greenlink West Update

Shahzad Lattef, NV Energy's project director for Greenlink West, told the Beatty Town Advisory Board on Feb. 23 that one crew is raising roughly three transmission structures per day north of Cold Creek Road along U.S. 95, and that the pace will pick up within a month. Residents were not content to simply receive the update.

The board gathered to hear progress on the 500-kilovolt transmission line connecting Las Vegas to Yerington, which is advancing along the U.S. 95 corridor. "Construction is just north of Cold Creek Road right now," Lattef said. "We have one crew working, and they're erecting about three structures per day, but that pace will increase over the next month."

The question of tower lighting drew pointed concern from at least one resident who invoked one of Beatty's most valued qualities. A Beatty resident asked whether lights on towers could affect the area's dark skies, saying, "I remember hearing that this project would be dark-sky compliant. If those lights are visible from Oasis Valley, that's going to be a disturbance to the night sky." Lattef said lighting decisions are being determined by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense. "If there is anything acceptable to them that reduces lighting, we will consider it," Lattef said. "Our intention is to preserve the dark skies as much as possible while maintaining aviation safety."

The lighting question carries specific technical weight near Beatty. The Department of Defense is requiring NV Energy to place FAA-compliant lighting on towers and lighted marker balls on the transmission wires. Resident Laura Cunningham also asked where lighted marker balls on the transmission wires might be located. "We don't have a complete map yet," Lattef said, explaining that determinations are still pending for hundreds of wire spans along the route.

Dust from active construction sites was among the other concerns residents raised at the meeting. Dust emissions have already been documented at the Sagebrush Substation construction site, even with water truck spraying underway, as of late February in Amargosa Valley. Board members also asked about what will happen to roads and staging areas built during construction.

NV Energy plans to construct approximately 70 transmission towers in the 16-mile area of restricted airspace near Beatty, a stretch where the project has been in a holding pattern because Air Force flight paths around the Nevada Test and Training Range north of Beatty approach the height of the Greenlink transmission towers, which are under 200 feet tall.

Before adjourning, the board completed routine business. The board voted to submit its annual comment letter to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection regarding renewal of the U.S. Ecology Resource Conservation and Recovery Act permit. The board then adjourned the meeting.