High-voltage transmission lines are essential for delivering electricity from generation sources to support homes, businesses and critical services. As demand rises, especially with data center growth, modernizing and expanding high-voltage transmission infrastructure is critical for supporting both our digital lives and local economic development.
However, these projects often face public opposition over environmental, land use and potential health concerns. Uncertainty about the decision-making process and limited opportunities for input can further intensify resistance.
Incorporating a comprehensive public involvement process that focuses on proactively addressing concerns early, while highlighting benefits, can help utility and development companies build trust, reduce opposition and work toward a more collaborative process.
Common Ground on Scenic Impacts
Aesthetic impact is one of the most immediate concerns raised by communities near proposed high-voltage transmission lines. Tall towers and wide easement corridors that must be clear of vegetation and structures can alter scenic views, disrupt the character of neighborhoods and affect property values. These visual changes often elicit emotional responses, especially when residents feel blindsided or excluded from the project development process.
Energy companies can ease this opposition by engaging the public early, explaining the need for the project, and exploring alternative routes, material and design options to reduce visual disruption. Public involvement can further support this by identifying valued viewpoints, landscape features and concerns of the community prior to identification of line routes.
Through the routing process, incorporating tactics such as visual simulations at open houses, offering side-by-side comparisons of design options and offering opportunities to meet with the project team and gather feedback on visual preferences are all effective tactics to address aesthetic concerns through community-driven solutions.
Health and EMF Fears
One of the most sensitive areas for the public and their view on transmission lines is the fear of adverse health effects from electromagnetic fields (EMFs). Though transmission lines do emit EMFs, they ultimately emit less than household appliances when distance is considered. Current research has not proven a direct link between EMF exposure and serious health conditions.
The scientific community continues to explore EMF impacts, especially from long-term exposure. Most areas near transmission lines fall well below national and international safety thresholds, though some states, like California, have adopted EMF mitigation measures as an added safety precaution.
Public involvement plays a critical role in shaping how these concerns are addressed. By offering ample opportunities for input, energy companies can encourage community members to voice their questions and concerns, while also offering transparent, evidence-based responses with additional information and even EMF monitoring programs in certain areas. Public and landowner feedback can influence design, like increasing the distance from homes to address concerns. Early contact and timely updates build trust and encourage collaboration, helping shape better-informed project decisions.
Transmission Lines and the Environment
Transmission easements can affect local ecosystems, particularly when new lines require vegetation clearing or cross through sensitive habitats. These changes can influence wildlife movement, plant communities and landscape aesthetics.
Energy companies are addressing these concerns by implementing more environmentally responsible practices. These efforts may include routing lines to avoid environmentally and culturally sensitive areas, restoring habitats after construction and incorporating avoidance and minimization strategies during design.
Involving landowners, conservation groups and regulatory agencies helps inform routing decisions that avoid sensitive habitats and protect natural and cultural resources. Early public outreach through media notices, letters, stakeholder briefings and open house meetings helps build awareness of project goals and creates opportunities for community feedback. Continued communication throughout construction and operation ensures concerns are addressed and fosters more sustainable, community-supported outcomes.
Property Rights and Land Use
Transmission lines may need to cross private land, either through new or existing easements. Energy companies often work with landowners to secure these easements, which are legal agreements that support the safe construction and operation of infrastructure while allowing landowners to maintain ownership.
While some landowners may have concerns about how transmission projects affect their property or agricultural operations, proactive collaboration can lead to more positive outcomes. This begins with clear explanations of the project scope, how the land will be used and what steps will be taken to minimize disruption.
Tailored outreach to landowners may include one-on-one meetings, property-specific briefings, field visits, interactive mapping tools and dedicated project team members made available for comments and questions. Timely updates through newsletters, mailings or interactive project websites help keep landowners informed as the project progresses.
Transparency and Inclusion
Perhaps the biggest source of tension in transmission line projects is the lack of transparency. Communities often feel decisions are made behind closed doors, with limited opportunity to ask questions or influence outcomes. Public meetings may be poorly advertised or held at inconvenient times, and the complex, technical nature of the projects can make it difficult for non-experts to feel comfortable engaging in the process.
Many residents feel they shoulder the burdens of transmission lines—such as visual impacts or decreased property values—without receiving any local benefits. This can cause frustration and mistrust, especially if they feel left out of the decision-making. However, transmission projects generally bring value by improving power reliability to homes, businesses and critical infrastructure. By increasing reliability, the local area may see economic growth through job creation and increased tax revenue.
The public should have the opportunity to provide feedback on transmission line projects through open houses and open comment periods. It is important to educate the public that overall influence from comments and feedback are one factor as decisions are also based on technical and regulatory factors. Outlining expectations beforehand through early education, transparency and community involvement is vital.
Building Trust for Project Success
Transmission lines are vital to a cleaner, more reliable energy future, but they can’t be built at the expense of trust or local interests. Prioritizing public involvement throughout the development process is essential not just as a regulatory requirement, but as a foundation for building lasting support. Community feedback and input leads to better design decisions, opportunities to ease community and landowner opposition, which in turn helps to prevent project delays and offers collaborative outcomes.
Identifying key stakeholders, providing educational and visual materials, and sending timely notifications are important first steps. Offering translation services, hosting stakeholder briefings and open houses, and keeping landowners well informed throughout the process can further help make engagement more inclusive and effective.
Public involvement is crucial for infrastructure projects, helping build trust, reduce conflict and improve outcomes. As transmission needs grow, meaningful engagement is key to overcoming opposition and developing projects with community support.
Article originally published in the Summer 2025 issue of Currents. Subscribe today to stay current on environmental insights and regulatory updates that impact your projects.