The Sacramento Municipal Utility District has an admirable goal to provide 37 percent of its electricity using solar, wind, geothermal and other renewable sources by the year 2020.

But to achieve this goal, SMUD may need new power lines if the alternative energy sources are distant from the Sacramento region.

In fact, such a project for new transmission line corridors already is being considered by the Transmission Authority of Northern California, and SMUD is one of the 15 publicly owned utility members.

The proposal is to construct new large-tower, high-voltage lines from northwestern California to Redding, Sacramento, Tracy, and Santa Clara.

Unfortunately, TANC has identified three potential powerline corridors that would:

• Slice and dice the Cosumnes River Preserve, cut through the Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge and then bisect the Yolo Basin Wildlife Area;

• Hook around Winters and run up the east side of the Blue Ridge before weaving through the Capay Valley; and

• Abut the eastern edges of Woodland and Davis.

The Central Valley is critical to migrating waterfowl, shorebirds and other waterbirds. These proposed routes would affect as much as 35,000 acres of wetlands important to wildlife, including the Upper Butte Basin, the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, the Sutter National Wildlife Refuge, and the Llano Seco Unit of the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge.

In addition, dozens of private wetlands and habitat conservation easementswould be affected. Sacred sites would be violated.

While new transmission lines may be needed, they should only be built without desecrating the incredible remnant habitat areas in our region. In addition, new lines should not be located close to homes.

There is clearly a solution that avoids these impacts.

SMUD simply needs to co-locate new powerlines along existing powerline routes.

Several existing north-to-south powerline routes already cover the same part of the Central Valley. It just makes common sense to reduce the human and environment impacts of newlines.

You'll hear SMUD give reasons why they don't want the new lines to share rights-of-way with existing lines. Things like "system reliability" or "security" are given as excuses.

But it seems that perhaps the real issue is that SMUD, like many public utilities, may simply not want to work cooperatively with private utilities such as Pacific Gas & Electric to co-locate power lines. But preserving institutional turf is not sufficient reason to destroy vital habitat and people's lives.

The bottom line: We don't need multiple power line corridors littering the landscape just so that each utility company can have its own dedicated lines.

So far, the TANC environmental review process has been seriously flawed.

Many landowners did not receive adequate notification of the proposed project, and elected officials in cities and counties were left in the dark. In an effort to appease these concerns,a31-day extension to the legal "scoping" process was granted (the new deadline for public comment is May 31). However, this is not sufficient response to the defective process to date.

What is needed: Restart the planning process and involve the public in a meaningful manner.

Let's begin by defining the need. Then, let's gather information on important and protected resources, and add in the locations of people's homes and communities.

Where are the wetlands, oak woodlands, forests, conservation easements and sacred areas? Ducks Unlimited, the Nature Conservancy, Audubon California, the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians and others know, and all these parties have committed to participating in this process if allowed to do so meaningfully.

No doubt there are hopes for stimulus dollars to drive this project forward. Still, we must not blindly proceed apace.

The flawed environmental review process has just started, but it's already time to back up and restart a real, more honest process that incorporates all of the affected parties as co-equals. Yes, time is important.

However, a short delay at the front end will most certainly save time at the back end.

We hope that SMUD and TANC will accept this offer and trust in the mutual planning effort that can be established. No one wants a power line that destroys the environment and people's lives. If it turns out that new power lines are really needed, let's work together to build lines that work for people, preserve California's environment and usher in a new age of renewable energy.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

You can see maps and documents on the proposed new power lines at www.wapa.gov/transmission/ ttp.htm. The public may send comments on the proposal by May 31 to David Young, Western Area Power Administration, Sierra Nevada Region, by e-mail (TTPEIS@wapa.gov) or mail (114 Parkshore Drive, Folsom, CA 95630).

Bob Schneider is the president of Tuleyome, a conservation organization based in Woodland.