Members of the State Board of Health,
Notice of my petition was posted in the Virginia Register of Regulations dated November 22, 2010. I am submitting this comment because the wording of my request was changed in the Register of Regulations to read
"The petitioner requests that the Board of Health adopt, promulgate, and enforce a policy aimed at educating the public and decision makers in the environmental and health effects of extremely low frequency magnetic fields located inside high voltage electric power line right-of-ways."
"Please adopt, promulgate, and enforce a policy aimed at educating decision makers and the public in environmental and health matters related to ELF magnetic fields located inside high-voltage (115 kilovolt and above) electric power transmission line right-of-ways."
My original text, "environmental and health matters," intentionally follows from Virginia Code § 32.1-2. The revised wording, "environmental and health effects," appears to limit the nature of my request to "effects," and does not allow for the additional, and very important, topics discussed on page one of my petition, including the IARC classification of ELF magnetic fields, field strength inside typical and specific high voltage right-of-ways, the uncommon nature of exposure doses inside high voltage right-of-ways, and EPA guidance for protection against possible health risks from power lines.
I feel that the revised wording posted in the Virginia Register does not align with my overall purpose. That is, provide the public and decision makers with the basic Notice-and-Guidance information required (1) to make an informed decision about recreating inside a high voltage right-of-way, and (2) to take action appropriate to that informed decision.
