Jul. 3--A 1st District Court judge in Brigham City has cleared the way temporarily for Rocky Mountain Power to continue construction of a high-voltage transmission line through Willard City.

Judge Ben Hadfield on Thursday signed an order that allows the utility to construct access roads, build base pads for power poles, perform geotechnical survey work and undertake final site surveys, according to a statement by Rocky Mountain Power.

The utility sought the order, which will remain in effect until late July, after the Willard City Council by a 3-2 vote declined to give the company final approval to build the transmission line through the community.

The council's decision followed a presentation by independent consultant Cindy Sage of Sage Consultants in Santa Barbara, Calif., that raised concerns about the adverse impact the electromagnetic fields emitted by the high-voltage lines could have on the health of nearby residents.

Jay Aguilar, Willard's city planner and spokesman, said Thursday evening that city staff had yet to be notified of the judge's order. "We have a briefing scheduled for Monday afternoon."

Rocky Mountain Power said it needs the line, which will run from southeastern Idaho to a substation just west of Salt Lake City International Airport, to ensure it has enough capacity to serve its Utah customers, whose demand for electricity continues to increase.

Court documents indicated the judge granted the order after

lawyers for both the utility and the city agreed to the terms.

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