That's vital, McCombs said, because the United States may be heading for a power generation crisis. But no one is building larger coal, nuclear, and hydroelectric systems. Since composite towers have small footprints, they are able to share rights of way with railroad tracks. The system is designed so even if a car jumps the track and takes out up to three towers, the fiber-reinforced cable will remain intact. Even utilities that want to build large coal-fired plants meet resistance.
Environmentalists oppose railroading Western coal.
Large shipments can close down intersections for more than an hour, cutting towns in half while blanketing them with dust. The reality of new coal production in Wyoming and Montana is that it is stranded. The solution, said Composite Power's president, Bill Arrington, is to generate power near coal deposits. Making the Most of Right of Ways Taking advantage of right of ways is harder than it sounds. In the past, infrastructure costs have proved prohibitive, especially when work had to be done in remote regions where there are few right of ways.