Power Line Hearings Come to Loudoun
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Residents Question Need for Project
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Dozens of Loudoun County residents spoke out Wednesday against plans for a high-voltage transmission line through the county, saying that the line's steel towers would ruin the landscape, drag down property values and hurt the environment.
About 75 people gathered at Loudoun Valley High School in Purcellville for the first Loudoun session of the State Corporation Commission's public hearings on the proposed line.
Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline, known as PATH, is a 765,000-volt line that would stretch from an Allegheny substation near St. Albans, W.Va., to a proposed substation near Kemptown, Md. It would cross Virginia twice — first through Frederick County and then through a 10.5-mile portion of Loudoun from the West Virginia border east to Lovettsville.
Public hearings for PATH took place Monday and Tuesday in Winchester and continued Wednesday and Thursday in Loudoun.
The line's final route has not been determined, and utility officials need approval from authorities in Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia.
PATH is a joint venture of the Pennsylvania-based Allegheny Energy and Ohio-based American Electric Power.
Richard A. Lipski
Lipski Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) holds a public hearing at Loudoun Valley High School to get feedback on the proposed Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline known as PATH. Local residents have a chance to express their view to two SCC commissioners, Judge James Dimitri (top left) and Judge Judith Williams Jagdmann (2nd from top left) and Hearing Examiner Alex Skirpan (top right).
PATH would run parallel to two existing power lines, a 138,000-volt Allegheny line and a 500,000-volt Dominion Virginia Power line. Utility officials say the project is needed to relieve the strain on the two lines and meet growing demand for electricity in the country's eastern region.
At Wednesday's hearing, residents, mostly from the Lovettsville area, questioned the need for the $1.8 billion project, especially because it would not serve Loudoun homes and businesses directly.
But utility officials said the line would feed into the overall electricity grid and could help prevent blackouts in the Lovettsville area, as well.
Other residents spoke about the environmental effects of the proposed line's coal-burning power plant. Most expressed concern about the line's impact on Lovettsville's rural landscape.
Purcellville resident Edythe Dunn, who owns 33 acres near an alternative route in PATH's application with Virginia's State Corporation Commission, said the line would mar her family's scenic vista from their dream home.
"PATH not only interrupts our lifestyle, but our complete retirement plan," she said.
Even if she wanted to, Dunn said, she could not afford to fight PATH in court because the utility is backed by corporate dollars.
"This process is inherently biased," she said.
Malcolm Baldwin, a co-owner of a small sheep farm and vineyard a quarter-mile from the proposed power line, said his business is often used for weddings and other events. A power line nearby would "adversely affect the attractiveness of our event business," he said.
Other businesses expressed support for PATH.
Shannon Morris, an employee of Springfield-based AutoGate Electric, said the proposed power line would help ensure the success of her company, which installs automated gates for homes in the Washington region.
Without PATH "commercial and residential development will slow down and falter," she said.
Utility employees also spoke in favor of the proposed line, saying that the project would boost the local economy.
"This project will provide much needed jobs in West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland," said Jon Rosenberger, a utility worker and local union representative from Hagerstown.
Lovettsville Mayor Elaine Walker said that PATH's steel towers would mar the rural charm of her town, which is three miles from the Maryland state line and is considered the gateway to Virginia.
"This is not going to be a very pretty picture for our town," she said.
PATH officials said they hope to have the line in service by June 2014.
Tagged: Board of Supervisors, Dominion Power, Loudoun Valley High School, meeting, power line
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Other than show up and posture for the cameras I hope Burton finally puts some real effort into this case and the County hires the necessary experts to challenge the need for this line. If the County's whole case is that the towers are ugly the residents will lose.
Posted by LoudounModerate (anonymous) on August 8, 2009 at 10:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Local citizens and governments should be the final decision makers on where the power lines go. Not utility, their workers, and other non-Loudoun residents who happen to work in industries related to the Power Company.
Posted by lacolleen (anonymous) on August 9, 2009 at 8:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
We the citizens of WV, VA, & MD suffer from Allegheny Energy's pursuit of 14.3% rate of return on the $1.8 Billion PATH of destruction. Allegheny lies about the details of PATH and keeps the affected homeowners and landowners as unaware as possible. Allegheny is "in bed" with numerous politicains who got votes on "clean energy" issues. I live near the proposed 765kV substation and Allegheny will answer none of my questions about exact size, scale, location. They know all the answers but do not want us to know! We get hurt by PATH and pay for it too!
Posted by krivos2 (anonymous) on August 9, 2009 at 9:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Do what Fauquier did with the Dominion line and get property owners to place their property in conservation easement in the direct path of the proposed line.
Posted by apain2di (anonymous) on August 10, 2009 at 10:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Conservation easements won't stop PATH. They are already trying to cross 2 such easements in Loudoun and have proposed "routes" around them - this only affects more homes. They are trying to pit neighbor against neighbor on something that is NOT needed. They need to go offshore with a cleaner alternative than the dirty coal from WV. VA SCC is responsible for VA - not WV, MD, PA or NJ and their economy. None of this "power" is being directed to VA, why should ALL OF US pay higher rates so that Allegheny can make a profit and keep polluting our environment - both ecologically and visually!
Posted by DriversFriend (anonymous) on August 10, 2009 at 12:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
East Virginians, fear not. Over 200 citizen intervenors are now full parties in the West Virginia PATH case before the WV Public Service Commission. The PSC's chairman said today at a hearing that he had never seen this level of public involvement in his 35 years as a utilties lawyer. We stand by you and will stop PATH. You are not alone.
Posted by bhres (anonymous) on August 10, 2009 at 9:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You can't stop this. The SCC has already stated they have to approve this by LAW because they have shown a need for power grid stability.
The SCC is broken and needs to be replaced. These are the same folks who keep approving the Greenway fees!
The SCC sits in Richmond unaffected by their decisions here. Maybe it is time for a Tea Party in Richmond!
Posted by bschweiker (anonymous) on August 11, 2009 at 10:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
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