*Taken from:* http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/fa/sf/emfstbckprotocol.asp
*Last modified:* *Wednesday, October 13, 2004* 	
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  Electromagnetic Field Setback Exemption Protocol

  	  	

*California Department of Education, School Facilities Planning Division
July, 2004*

The /California Code of Regulations/, /Title 5/, Section 14010(c)
contains school site approval requirements for schools proposed near
electric transmission lines. /Title 5/, Section 14010(u) allows
exemptions to this section and other /Title 5/ sections. The California
Department of Education (CDE) has developed an administrative protocol
to help process an electromagnetic field (EMF) exemption request. The
/Title 5/ exemption criteria will allow school districts to evaluate
potential school sites with a comprehensive approach to all EMF sources
at a given site rather than only sources from electric transmission lines.

The protocol includes the development of a site specific EMF Management
Plan. The EMF Management Plan will be used by the School Facilities
Planning Division (SFPD) to consider, on a case-by-case basis, exemption
requests to the EMF setback requirements.

Below is a summary of the major steps school districts should follow to
request a /Title 5/ exemption to Section 14010(c).

   1. School districts first need to identify special circumstances that
      would justify the exemption request. Special circumstances
      include, but are not limited to, urban areas where:
         1. It is necessary to locate new schools in a particular area
            in order to serve educational needs of the community.
         2. The size of the available school sites, given the urban
            setting, is such that the site plan often calls for the
            entire site to be utilized with minimal setbacks.
         3. Transmission lines on utility poles (frequently 66kV lines)
            run along most of the streets bordering the available sites.
         4. Selection of an alternative acceptable site would require
            costly eminent domain proceedings.
         5. The previously approved school site had use restrictions
            placed on portions of it due to the power line setback
            requirements of /Title 5/.
   2. With the special circumstances documents, the district will
      consult with the local utility provider and retain an EMF
      consultant. The consultant will study the site, evaluating all
      potential sources of EMF, and develop an EMF Management Plan
      (EMF-MP) specific to the site. This plan will provide a list of
      EMF site mitigations that, when completed, will allow the EMF
      consultant and the school district to conclude that:
         1. The EMF-MP has fully evaluated the proposed school site and
            identified both external and internal EMF sources that will
            exist on the school site.
         2. Implementation of the EMF-MP recommendations will result in
            projected average EMF levels for the entire useable portion
            of the site to a level that does not exceed either:
               1. The average personal exposure levels as defined in
                  Zaffanella, Luciano E., 1998, /General Public Exposure
                  <http://www.emf-data.org/rapid6-report.html>/, or
               2. The average residential background EMF levels in the
                  vicinity of the proposed school site as professional
                  determined by the district EMF consultant.
   3. The school district board of trustees passes a board resolution
      requesting an exemption to /Title 5/ Section 14010(c) setback
      requirements pursuant to /Title 5/ Section 14010(u), exemption
      provisions. The school district resolution certifies that 1)
      student health and safety are not adversely affected, 2) the
      district will complete the mitigations contained within the
      EMF-MP, and 3) no student use of the facility will be permitted
      until the mitigations have been completed.

      This resolution may be included as part of a district's California
      Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) adoption process or as a separate
      action.
   4. When the SFPD receives the board resolution, it will review the
      EMF mitigations and the documents submitted. If the exemption
      request meets the exemption protocol, SFPD will approve the /Title
      5/ exemption request with the following statement on the SFPD site
      approval letter:
          * The (district name) has requested an exemption to the power
            line setback requirements of /Title 5/ Section 14010(c)
            based on the information contained in the district letter
            dated xx/xx/xx. The specific power lines are located at
            (address).
          * The district agrees to complete, prior to student occupancy,
            the EMF mitigation provisions contained in both the board
            resolution and the EMF Management Plan, prepared by (name of
            the firm), for this specific site. The district further
            agrees that students will not occupy the buildings until
            compliance with these provisions has been completed to the
            satisfaction of the school district board of trustees.

The SFPD EMF setback protocol does not intend to establish numeric
standards for any acceptable exposure to EMF levels.

 

  	  	  	 

Questions: Michael O'Neill | moneill@cde.ca.gov
<mailto:moneill@cde.ca.gov> | 916-322-1463