SunZia line would harm landowners for little gain

MY FAMILY owns a 1,300-acre ranch south of Socorro that is in the path of the purposed SunZia transmission line. Because of the scarcity of good grazing, this land will only sustain five to six head of cattle.

Several years ago we decided to augment our income by remodeling an old abandoned stone house and turning it into an Airbnb. Its main selling point was its view towards the mountains across the canyon to the north. At the time the only thing obscuring the view was a SEC power line. At some expense we had the aboveground poles and lines removed and in its place underground lines installed, opening up the view.

Preliminary spotting by a SunZia rep has their line crossing our property — 1/4 mile north of the stone house crossing directly over a proposed building site of our son and his family. The footer to his future retirement home has been in place for several years now. It is our fear the line and poles will kill our one selling point for our Airbnb and make our sons purposed homesite untenable.

We asked a SunZia rep if they would be willing to purchase our excess generated electricity and were told no.

At closer observation we were not asked for an “easement” across our property but permission for a “400 ft. wide corridor.” A corridor right of way can be leased/sold to other companies.

We are all for the state having an outlet to sell ... renewable energies but at what expense? We were told it would provide jobs, but these jobs would be temporary while the line was being built and most of these will go to out-of-state contractors. After completion I doubt there will be more than a half dozen full-time employees, if that. I suspect most of the landowners affected feel the same way we do. We will be giving up a lot and getting nothing to very little in return.

JOHNNY PACK

Socorro