VAN BUREN COUNTY, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Consumers energy is looking to install 20 miles of new electric lines to run through Van Buren County, but the proposed project has several residents upset and worried.
The high-voltage transmission line proposal, which would place lines between the villages of Mattawan and Lawrence, has one concerned that they would run through residential properties, meaning that they would lose their privacy through the removal of trees, along with feared disruption of wildlife and the wires themselves being too close to their homes.
A Navy Veteran is also voicing concerns that the project would include tearing down a memorial he installed in the front yard of his house that he built 20 years ago.
However, Consumers Energy Spokesperson Joshua Paciorek says the project itself will support the growth of Van Buren County.
He says also that Consumers Energy is hosting another another upcoming meeting for residents to voice their concerns, besides the one held on Tuesday, February 21. That one is scheduled for February 28.
Officials went onto say that if plans are finalized, Consumers Energy anticipates construction to begin in 2025.
