Category: Duke

FOX59 covers Duke’s abrupt start

Tuesday, Fox59 sent a camera crew to the Autumn Lake neighborhood to get resident feedback on Duke’s starting the substation construction:

Last fall, the City of Carmel passed an ordinance that, among other things, required Duke to get approval from the city’s Board of Public Works. However, that didn’t happen.

New Duke Energy substation worries homeowners in Carmel neighborhood

The city of Carmel has requested accommodations to block the view of the substation from the neighborhood, but Duke steamrolled through the city ordinances and moved heavy equipment onto the property without ever consulting with the city.

Current in Carmel covers beginning of construction

Construction begins this week on the new substation on Rohrer Road, and Current in Carmel reports that Duke has not been compliant with Carmel city requirements for the project:

In November 2017, the Carmel City Council passed an ordinance outlining steps for Duke to take before building a new substation along Rohrer Road. It requires Duke to consult with the city’s Board of Public Works to discuss the location of the new substation and receive board approval before beginning construction. It also states that the project should place utilities underground to the fullest extent possible.

Carmel spokesman Dan McFeely said Duke has “not followed the ordinance for the construction” and that the city has not filed a lawsuit at this time. Soon after the ordinance passed last fall, Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard said he anticipated it would be up for “a judge to decide” if Duke must follow the city’s ordinance.

Construction of Duke Energy substation on Rohrer Road set to begin next month despite Carmel’s attempts to stop it

In Indiana, unlike other states, our elected officials have no say in what power companies do, (though the officials at the state level could give themselves that power if they had the will to get it done).

Right now, utilities are bound only by the guidelines of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (a non-elected bureaucracy), and they have imminent domain. Those two things mean that Duke Energy is free to do just about whatever it wants, even ignore local ordinances and run roughshod over individuals’ freedoms.

The only tool we have is to complain loudly and often. If we make Duke afraid that we’re angry enough to vote in representatives that will curtail their power, they’ll back down. So complain, complain, complain!

(P.S. Keep an eye on Fox 59 news tonight for a segment on this project.)

New Location for Duke Substation

On August 17, 2018, Duke Energy sent a letter to homeowners about the new location that has been chosen for the substation construction. Click the pictures at the bottom of this post to see a picture of the letter in this post.

Instead of constructing the substation near the existing substation by the Monon trail head, Duke has purchased property south of the Autumn Lake subdivision for the substation. This new location should not require the trees along the east side of Rohrer Road to be cleared to make way for the 69-kV transmission line to connect the new substation to the existing lines that cross US 31. The new location is adjacent to US 31 already.

Construction on the new site is expected to begin in October 2018 with intent to have the substation operating in spring 2019. It could get pretty noisy pretty soon.

The Carmel City Council will review the plans once they are filed with the city. The Council will be pushing for the substation to be positioned as far from houses as businesses as possible and for Duke to plant vegetation to screen the site from view.

City council adds another hindrance to Duke’s plan

The Carmel city council has taken another step to try to prevent Duke’s plan to add a substation and high-voltage transmission line to our neighborhood.

The ordinance passed Nov. 20 states that the council believes Duke Energy’s proposed power line path is not “in the public interest” and as a result Duke will need to receive approval from Carmel’s Board of Public Works before proceeding.

You can read the full story in Current in Carmel here:

Carmel City Council stops Duke Energy from building new power lines near Rohrer Road

Write Your State Representatives

We’ve gotten the support of the City of Carmel, now we’re ready to ask our state representatives to join our fight. It’s time to start writing letters!

Here’s what we recommend:

Step 1: Write your letter

We’ve put together a template you can personalize, or of course you can write your own letter from scratch.

Step 2: Send your letter

Your letter will help whenever you send it, but if you want to add to a flood, we are timing sending our letters to arrive between November 27 and December 8.

Step 3: Follow up with a call

A couple days after you send your letter, give the office a call. The staffers at these offices are very nice and easy to talk to; it’s not as intimidating to call as you might think!

  • Representative Torr: 317-232-9742
  • Senator Delph: 317-232-9400
  • Governor Holcomb: 317-232-4567

Current in Carmel covers city council meeting

Current in Carmel covered presentations at the city council meeting about the urgent need to stop high-voltage transmission lines from going in next to our homes. The meeting was very well-attended:

Neighbors expressed concerns about tree removal, unsightly poles and cancer potentially caused by proximity to lines.

Carmel Fire Dept. officials handed out tickets at the Nov. 6 Carmel City Council meeting because seats were full and space was standing-room only.

Residents pack Carmel City Council meeting to speak out against proposed Duke Energy power lines

Our community—and our city council—agrees that none of the proposed routes for this high-voltage lines are acceptable. Thanks to everyone who came out to have their voice heard, and don’t stop fighting!

UPDATED ADDRESS! City Council Meeting Nov 6

IMPORTANT! The meeting will not be held in the usual location due to construction. Instead, go to:
Carmel School Administration Building
5201 E. Main Street
Carmel, IN

Several members of the Autumn Lake HOA are planning to speak about Duke’s proposed high-voltage line and substation project during the public-comment section of the Carmel City Council meeting on Monday, November 6.

We need to pack the hall with people who are affected by this issue–YOU! We don’t need everyone to speak (though of course you can); we just need a room full of people who will raise their hand when our HOA president says, “who in this room is affected by this project?”

Since this project could involve clear-cutting trees on the Monon trail, everyone in Carmel is affected!

We’re shooting for at least 200 people at the meeting. We want to show how big the impact this project is, and that it is worthy of the Council’s time. Please join us if you can, and bring as many people as you can find.

*Kids are great to bring! Not only will they get a chance to see their local government at work, but the leukemia risk brought by these high-voltage lines affects the children most of all.

Click to see a PDF of the flyer we’ve been circulating: Make Your Voice Heard Flyer (revised with correct meeting location)

WTHR’s segment on our fight

Channel 13 sent a crew out to cover our fight against the damaging high-voltage power lines that Duke wants to put in our neighborhood.

“Our position is we don’t want it,” said Jeremy Brown, who lives just off Rohrer Rd. “The reason why is all the trees in the area taken down to put them in which would change the entire look of the neighborhood.”

He’s also worried about the impact on property values and the potential health concerns, given the close proximity to the line.

Some Carmel residents unhappy about utility’s plan for power lines

WRTV 6’s Coverage of Our Fight

WRTV 6 covered our neighborhood’s concerns over the high-voltage transmission lines on Thursday night’s broadcast.

Brett Henk, president of the Autumn Lake Homeowner’s Association, said many people oppose the 65 to 70-foot towers.

“Those large transmission poles would essentially be in their backyard, possibly, most likely decreasing their value of their homes and resale. So, that’s a huge impact,” said Henk.

Duke Energy transmission line sparks concerns in Carmel.