Opposition to power grid growing

The British weren't happy when Elizabeth Whittaker warned American forces at Fort Stephenson that British troops were on the way. Gunboats heading down the Sandusky River after the British defeat at the fort shelled her trading post and destroyed it.It has been about 200 years since that 1813 incident, but history buffs and conservationists say Whittaker's old home is under attack again — this time from an energy giant. FirstEnergy is proposing to run a transmission line through Peninsular Farms, which now stands on the site of Whittaker's former home. The company's plans call for building the Hayes-West Fremont Transmission Project, as the project is known, as a 138-kilovolt line running in an east-west direction for about 30 miles, from an existing West Fremont Substation to a planned new Hayes Substation in Erie County that would be located on U.S. 4 between Fox Road and Bogart Road."Nothing has been decided yet," said Patti Michel, a FirstEnergy spokeswoman. "We haven't chosen a specific route. We are still studying the area, including Peninsular Farms, and what would be the best route."Read about the growing opposition to FirstEnergy's plan and how quickly the power company wants to get it done in today's Register. Click here for the ePaper, for home delivery or buy a Register daily at a newsstand near you.