Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : City Rejects Plan to Restrict Homes Near Power Lines : Lancaster: Council members praise the concept but say electromagnetic field health risks are unproven.

A Planning Commission proposal to restrict the construction of houses next to high-voltage power lines because of possible health hazards has been rejected by the City Council.

Council members, at a meeting Monday night, praised the commission for trying to protect residents, but said it is still uncertain whether power lines and electric substations pose health risks.

“I support what the Planning Commission was faced with,” Councilwoman Deborah Sheltonsaid. “They were trying to do the right thing.”

But she added: “I feel we need more time to study this issue.”

Councilman George Runner agreed, saying, “I just think it is a bit premature.”

The rules concerning electromagnetic fields, or EMFs, had been included in the city’s new subdivision law, which governs how land is divided and improved. The council removed the provision concerning EMFs, then unanimously approved the remainder of the ordinance.

In recent years, some studies have suggested that exposure to EMFs may increase the risk of developing cancer. But researchers have not established a causal link, and many of their findings are inconclusive.

Nevertheless, Planning Commission members voted last week to require that developers conduct a study on the possible effect of EMFs when they seek to build new houses next to power lines and electric substations. The developer’s consultant was to propose setbacks and other steps to protect residents from the electromagnetic fields.

The plan also set a limit on the level of EMFs allowed next to a new house, unless the builder could prove they posed no health risk to residents.

Representatives of the Building Industry Assn. and Southern California Edison objected to these rules, saying there is too much uncertainty about whether EMFs are harmful and what levels should be permitted.

“The Planning Commission acted in haste,” Denise Henderson, a Southern California Edison spokeswoman, told the City Council.

Brian Hawley, the city’s community development director, said he was not aware of any other California city that has imposed EMF regulations. But he said Lancaster’s planning commissioners opted for a cutting-edge position on this issue because they were concerned about the health of local residents.

“It was the commission’s thinking that we should approach this from the standpoint of prudent avoidance,” Hawley said.

While they rejected the EMF rules, City Council members instructed Hawley to monitor the issue.