I had a major fight with TVA aka Tennessee Valley Authority over the transmission lines. I'm not anti progress nor a earth worshiper but I do have common sense and as well I demand honesty from government.
TVA proposed along with our local utility a new substation to serve our rural area. That meant TVA running a 2.5 mile 180,000 volt transmission line from the main 500K line. They bought a 1200' long by 100' wide right of way across my land on the ridge behind my house. I was fine with it. They came in and began cutting an almost 500' wide path cutting valuable Oaks and hauling them out. They were trying to go within 100' behind me on a steep ridge. I went up to the crew with a witness who had a camcorder going. I asked what are you doing cutting outside of the 100' line they said danger tress and were going further toward you. I said leave now get off my land and don't come back without a supervisor two grades above yours. They said it's ours now we'll bring a US Marshall with us.
They left and I went in the house and called my congressman, my neighbors who were on the route the line was going, and the media. I got a call the next day that the TVA real estate purchasing agent and a forestry expert was coming out to assess the damages and talk about what happened. They showed up and I told both of them you are cutting trees that are far off our contracted purchase agreement and their removal will endanger my home due to flooding and erosion and I wanted the cut stopped where they were at. They agreed and then paid for the land taken plus the forestry expert counted all the stumps and estimated timber loss and added that to it. Then he asked what do with the trees we cut outside the R.O.W. we said they will stay where they are to prevent erosion. The crew cutting the Right Of Way were contractors who were selling the timber.
They were supposed to reclaim the cut but didn't. Next Spring we had a 100 year flood caused solely by that cut. Springs shot out mud, streams flooded at record levels, and two persons died downstream. I called the right of way department and said get up here and reclaim this they said that's your problem not ours. I drove into Knoxville where the TVA HQ is and went to the Inspector Generals Office and made a complain. A couple days later the seeding truck was out there spraying the high dollar liquid seeds.
Like I said I didn't have issue about a power line but how they did it was wrong all the way around. They had go back and renegotiate with the other landowners over a mile of the Right Of Way.
Wow!
What a story!
So glad you were able to get such good response times and action on your problem there.