Landowners in Houston County urge board to press Dairyland, MISO over proposed Maribel transmission line
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Summary
Several Houston County landowners told commissioners the proposed 765 kV Maribel transmission line could devalue farms, harm wildlife, and raise health and road‑damage concerns; commissioners agreed to investigate a moratorium and prepare questions for Dairyland, MISO and the PUC.
Several landowners from across Houston County used the board’s public‑comment period to urge county commissioners to press Dairyland Power and MISO for detailed justification and environmental, health and road‑repair assurances before the so‑called Maribel transmission line advances.
"I'm calling on all of you to hold Dairyland and MISO accountable," said David Gettzinger, who said the line is proposed near Jefferson Ridge and cited a Crawford County resolution and an independent Potomac Economics review that he said questioned the project's stated customer benefits and recommended postponement.
Sheila Schrader of Wilmington Township said the line would run through four of her family’s parcels, that towers would be roughly 200 feet tall and that the combined corridor (she said) would carry a 765,000‑volt line above existing 161 kV circuits. "We're going to be the guinea pigs," Schrader said, adding that she worried about lost building sites for future generations and about farming operations being disrupted by electromagnetic interference with GPS.
Tammy Dearson of Houston County said the line would cross five parcels of her best farmland and raised health‑impact concerns she said are reported in international studies linking electromagnetic fields (EMF) with childhood leukemia and other conditions; she also warned that heavy construction equipment could damage township roads and cause erosion. "The future, that's my biggest fear," Dearson said, "that it will open the way for a power‑line corridor across Houston County."
Commissioners and staff responded that many permitting and route decisions are controlled at the state or federal level but said the county can take local actions such as issuing a resolution, compiling formal questions for the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and considering whether a local moratorium is legally feasible. One commissioner described preparing a list of questions to send to Dairyland and MISO and asked staff to research the legal mechanics of a moratorium.
County staff confirmed they had received copies or links to a Crawford County resolution and offered to distribute documents provided by residents to appropriate county contacts. Commissioners also discussed possible permit conditions, bonding to cover road repairs and requiring restoration of fences and right‑of‑way maintenance by utilities.
Next steps: Commissioners directed staff to investigate the legal authority and feasibility of a moratorium or a formal resolution requesting information from Dairyland, MISO and the Public Utilities Commission, and to report back with recommended language and possible permit or bonding options. No formal county action to block or approve the project was taken during the meeting.