What is FirstEnergy doing in Pike County?
- Putting massive high-voltage towers on private land, public parks, and even residential neighborhoods
- Threatening to seize property rights through Eminent Domain
- Clear-cutting the forests we all love
- Changing the rural, countryside nature of our area
What is the Shawnee-Walker 69kV Line?
- A newly planned, extremely high-voltage transmission line crossing Pike County and Monroe County.
- This is not a normal power line. We're talking about a huge high-voltage system on massive towers.
- Cuts across private land without the consent of property owners.
- Cuts right down the middle of Akenac park
What towns are threatened?
- Delaware Township
- Dingman Township
- Lehman Township
- Milford
- Shohola
- Bushkill
- Middle Smithfield Township in Monroe County
Is my community threatened?
Yes, if you live in any of these communities:
- Birchwood Lakes
- Meadow Ridge Acres
- Wild Acres
- Pocono Mountain Water Forest (The piece on Rte. 2001)
- Woodland Lakes
- Traces of Lattimore
- And many more! We are still investigating the full impact of this project
What are the health risks?
- A 2015 study in the International Journal of Engineering & Technology found that exposure to overhead high voltage power lines increases negative health outcomes:
- Variety of childhood and adult cancers
- Miscarriages
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Childhood and adult leukemia
- Specific types of heart disease
- Tumor growth
- Genetic defects
- Immune system deficiency
- And other health issues! For a complete list, read the article here: Effect of High Voltage Transmission Lines on Human Health
- A 2019 study in the International Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine found that living within 1000 meters (3281 feet) increases the risk of female infertility.
Is there a danger of forest fire?
- Yes. 69kV is a lot of energy. If a line touched down for even a moment, it would result in temperatures thousands of degrees high, and instant fire.