Title
Authorizing the joint City Council Committees on Public Safety, Public Health & Human Services, and Environment to hold public hearings reviewing and investigating major planned construction by PECO to build a massive electric substation at 2000 N. 59th Street in West Philadelphia.
Body
WHEREAS, On March 7, 2017, at approximately 2:00 p.m., a massive fire broke out at the PECO substation located in the Tioga section of North Philadelphia, located on the 2600 block of Westmoreland Street. As a result of this fire, thick plumes of black smoke followed by massive power outages resulted in the evacuation of a nearby apartment complex and loss of power to more than 36,000 residents, as well as closures to schools, businesses and medical facilities; and
WHEREAS, The massive fire in North Philadelphia was not the first dangerous incident to occur at a substation operated by PECO. Three months prior on December 2, 2016, shortly before 1 p.m., at the PECO substation located at Juniper and Waverly Streets in Center City, a transformer glitch at the substation triggered the release of massive amounts of fire-suppression foam into the streets outside of the facility. In total, 2,700 Philadelphia residents lost power; and
WHEREAS, Electric substations are used to step down high voltage that is generated in power stations for domestic and commercial usage. These high voltage lines transmit radiation called the "electro-magnetic field" or "EMF." Whenever a current passes through a conductor, an EMF is always associated with it. There are two types of electromagnetic fields produced by overhead and underground cables and the substation equipment itself; and
WHEREAS, Measured electromagnetic fields, such as those produced by substations, have been associated with health effects such as cancer, depression, dementia, infertility, miscarriage and heart problems; and
WHEREAS, An electric field traverses the air and starts oscillating human cells at high fr...
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