YOUNGSTOWN - The Ohio Power Siting Board met on Thursday to approve an electric transmission line project for Youngstown and Campbell.

The Board authorized the construction and operation of a new 138 kilovolt (kV) electric transmission line by American Transmission Systems Inc. (ATSI) to connect the Lincoln Park Substation to the Riverbend Substation.

The project is designed to improve the reliability of the electric transmission system in Youngstown and the surrounding area, and will affect roughly 15,000 customers.

An earlier version of this project faced criticism in 2022 because of plans to run the line over the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre. This negative feedback prompted the ATSI to change the project's proposed path.

This version of the project still left some residents concerned, with some worrying that the large utility poles and power lines would lower their property values, and others expressed environmental concerns.

ATSI says this version of the project is the least impactful option.

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