Residents press Clackamas County on PGE Stafford transmission project; staff opens enforcement review

Residents from the Stafford Road area urged the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners on March 5 to halt or more closely review Portland General Electrics transmission work, citing clear-cutting, property-value loss and wildfire-safety risks.

Lanile Vandermolen told the board that PGE received a waiver from state regulators and criticized the county hearings officer for comments she characterized as biased toward the project. Vandermolen urged the county to retain outside counsel to review whether the hearings officer made legal errors and to give pro se litigants better access to records and resources.

"Both PGE and our County hearings display political and personal biases that contradict the stated goals of protecting farmland and the rural scenic resources of the scenic Stafford byway," Vandermolen said.

Kelly Bartholomew, who said she submitted a February 9 complaint alleging PGEs noncompliance with permit conditions, asked why the county had not yet acknowledged the complaint and raised a safety concern about the use of weathered-steel poles in areas where the hearings officers condition 5 had mandated ductile-iron poles for wildfire mitigation. She proposed pausing work until compatibility and enforcement questions are resolved.

"How can the company comply with the wildfire mitigation requirement while exempting part of the project? That does not seem consistent," Bartholomew said.

Ed Wagner, a Stafford resident, repeated concerns about transparency and the effect of new poles and clear-cutting on property values, and urged continued board engagement to seek alternatives with PGE.

In response, County Administrator Gary Schmidt acknowledged receipt of the February 9 letter and told the board staff is investigating the allegations through the countys normal code-enforcement process and will report back when that review is complete. Schmidt explained that the countys Zoning and Development Ordinance (ZDO) delegates land-use decisions to an independent hearings officer and that the case is currently on appeal to the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA).

Schmidt cautioned commissioners not to discuss potential litigation in public and said, under the current ZDO, the board may not lawfully suspend the permitting process without changing the ordinance first. "Because this matter is now before LUBA, they are reviewing appeal of the actions of the hearings officer," he said, adding that staff and county counsel recommend handling legal questions in executive session if appropriate.

The board did not take formal action on the PGE permit at the March 5 meeting; staff said it will email the residents who raised concerns with additional information and follow up after the enforcement review is complete.