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PATH meets the public in August
The State Corporation Commission has set Aug. 5 and 6 for public hearings in Purcellville on the Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline, the proposed 765-kilovolt overhead transmission line that will cross Frederick, Clarke and Loudoun counties.
The commissioners assigned Alexander Skirpan as hearing examiner. There is no indication that any of the three commissioners will attend the hearings, as requested by local elected officials.
“I think that's unfortunate,” said Supervisor Sally Kurtz (D-Catoctin), who has led the fight to prevent the overhead lines from crossing Loudoun just north of Lovettsville. “Their decisions have a large impact on quite a few people.”
U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, who has criticized the commission's perceived bias in favor of the companies it purports to regulate, fired off a letter to the three commissioners, reiterating his May 26 request “that at least one commissioner be present at each hearing … these citizens deserve to be heard as their homes and lives could be significantly altered by a project of this magnitude.”
His faith, Wolf wrote, and that of his constituents that the commissioners can “fairly balance citizens' views with those of the industries it regulates has deteriorated.”
Alexander Skirpan will conduct hearings and take public comment Aug. 3 and 4 in Winchester and August 5 and 6 at Loudoun Valley High School in Purcellville.
Allegheny Energy and American Electric Power have applied to regulators in Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland for approval to build a 275-mile transmission line from Putnam County, W.Va., to an as-yet-unbuilt substation south of Frederick, Md.
As proposed, the line will cross 10 miles of the northernmost tip of Loudoun, from the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship in Neersville to the Potomac River north of Point of Rocks. The route as proposed takes the line through two areas that are protected by conservation easement. Allegheny Energy is mapping alternate routes to avoid the Blue Ridge Center and to steer clear of easements along the Potomac River north of Lovettsville, should its efforts with local, state and federal governments to rewrite the easements be unsuccessful. Loudoun's Board of Superivisors has made it clear it is not interested in undoing the easements the county holds.
Opponents of the project charge the line will ruin their properties, endanger their health and is not needed. The real purpose, they say, is to move electricity from a coal-fired plant in West Virginia to lucrative east coast markets. Alternatives, they say, include putting the lines underground or building smaller, more modern facilities to generate electricity closer to demand.
The companies contend that putting the lines underground is not possible and that radiation from high tension lines has never been proven to be a health hazard. If the PATH line is not carrying electrons by mid-2014, the companies contend, the entire east coast delivery grid could fail.
Maps on the proposed PATH route are at www.pathtransmssion.com . Opposition to the overhead lines is organized as NoToPath, www.notopath.org.
Thank you Shannon for keeping the public informed! I urge everyone to attend the meeting. You are all at risk for the health issues caused by the fallout of the coal plants and guaranteed higher electric bills!
Posted by ValleyMom
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Send a letter to the SCC opposing these lines! Letter can be located at www.NoToPATH.org/sccletter.pdf
COMING SOON TO AN AREA NEAR YOU!
According to PEC, it has also heard that Dominion plans on pursuing two new 230-kV transmission projects -- one is an upgrade between Arcola & Middleburg, briefly crossing through Prince William, the other would be a brand new line between Middleburg and Hamilton.
Arcola to Middleburg -- Dominion wants to upgrade an existing line between Arcola and Middleburg from a single-circuit 115-kV line (57ft tall) to a double circuit 230-kV line (110ft tall).
Hamilton to Middleburg -- PEC also heard rumor of a new 230-kV proposal between Hamilton and Middleburg. Dominion's routing consultants, Burns & McDonnell, have begun sending out letters to potentially interested parties.
We need to stop this madness in our County! How many power lines must be tolerate! Are you ready for lower property values, health risks, enviromental damages along with scenic nighmares!
Your electric bill WILL increase - act now to stop it!
Posted by NoToPATH
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