Indiana Michigan Power is planning the Greentown–Sorenson 765-kV transmission project. We understand that additional electric infrastructure is coming. We are not asking I&M to stop providing the electricity Indiana needs. We are asking them to choose a better route. Clearly, less intrusive options exist.

These are not empty spaces on a map. These are people's homes, farms, woods, hunting grounds, and family properties. They are places where people have worked hard, raised children, grown food, built homes, and planned for the future. We choose to live in rural areas and have invested significant time and money into properties specifically because of their rural setting.

Now one of the proposed transmission routes would run directly through my property and the properties of others. These aren't empty fields that happen to appear on a map. Ours is an actual building site on which a family is preparing to build. A proposed line runs very close to my home. These massive transmission lines will destroy everything we have worked for. They will fundamentally change our lifestyle.

The specific line that crosses our property is not without other concerns. Directly across the road is an old county landfill. Methane monitoring wells are located around the landfill and on our property, and methane is being monitored in the area. The landfill has had documented environmental concerns, including leachate issues.

Our property is also located in a 100-year floodplain. Why put a massive transmission project, including towers, foundations, access roads, grading, and construction activity, in an area that already has these environmental considerations when other routing options may exist?

Many surrounding properties, including ours, are enrolled in Indiana's Classified Forest program. Clearing a large transmission right-of-way through wooded property would fundamentally change the land and its use.

And the impacts don't stop at our property line. A 765-kV transmission line can mean:

• Permanent towers and transmission lines dominating the landscape
• Clearing and loss of wooded areas
• Loss of privacy
• Impacts to wildlife and natural areas
• Noise pollution
• Changes to hunting and recreational use
• Restrictions on how surrounding landowners can use their own property
• Potential impacts to property values and long-term financial investment
• Permanent changes to the character and way of life of our rural community

We understand that I&M has to build the transmission infrastructure. But that does not mean every possible route has the same impact. We are asking Indiana Michigan Power to seriously consider existing utility corridors, transportation corridors, industrial areas, already-disturbed land, and other lower-impact alternatives before selecting routes through private homes, farms, wooded properties, and environmentally sensitive areas.

If a proposed route passes near an environmentally sensitive area such as the former landfill, we believe I&M should be able to demonstrate that the potential impacts have been thoroughly evaluated and that the appropriate environmental agencies have been consulted.

We need to work together now to make sure a better solution is found.

We ask Indiana Michigan Power to reject routes that unnecessarily cross private residential, agricultural, wooded, and environmentally sensitive properties and instead select an existing corridor or other lower-impact route that minimizes harm to landowners and our communities.

We are asking our neighbors, fellow landowners, farmers, hunters, outdoor enthusiasts, and everyone who cares about the future of our communities to stand together. The more people who speak up, the harder it is to overlook the people and communities who will live with the consequences of this decision for generations.