Residents press Clackamas commissioners to probe PGE Stafford transmission permitting

Several residents urged Clackamas County commissioners on March 5 to reevaluate how Portland General Electric obtained approvals for a new transmission line near Stafford Road, saying the project threatens property values, scenic resources and wildfire safety.

Lenil Vandermolan told the board she and neighbors are appealing the Tonquin project at LUBA and alleged PGE secured waivers and avoided land-use scrutiny, and that the county hearings officer showed bias by suggesting clearcutting would improve views. "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," Vandermolan said.

Resident Ed Wagner and Kelly Bartholomew echoed those concerns. Bartholomew said a February 9 complaint about permit noncompliance — specifically a hearings-officer condition requiring ductile iron poles for wildfire mitigation — appears not to have been acknowledged by enforcement staff. "How can the company comply with the wildfire mitigation requirement while exempting part of the project?" she asked, urging the board to pause further work until that is sorted out.

County Administrator Gary Schmidt responded that staff have received the written submissions and are investigating potential violations, including whether poles currently installed comply with the ductile iron condition. Schmidt also explained that the county's Zoning and Development Ordinance (ZDO) delegates authority to an independent hearings officer and that because the matter is before LUBA and could involve potential litigation, legal deliberations should occur in executive session. "Because this matter is now before LUBA the Land Use Board of Appeals, they are reviewing appeal of the actions of the hearings officer," Schmidt said.

Schmidt told speakers enforcement staff will follow the county’s normal code-enforcement process and that he will email complainants with follow-up. He cautioned that the board cannot unilaterally suspend the permitting process without changing the ordinance, an action he said would set a difficult precedent.

Why it matters: Neighbors say the overhead route will be visually and economically harmful and raise wildfire risks; county staff say the dispute is currently constrained by administrative procedure and appellate review. If LUBA finds legal error by the hearings officer, the decision could be reversed or remanded.

What’s next: Staff said the code-enforcement review will proceed and that the matter remains in appellate review at LUBA. Several residents asked the board for greater transparency and for the county to evaluate options such as seeking outside counsel to review the hearings officer’s conduct.