In the cross-hairs: Rappahannock County included in new plan for “national interest” electric transmission corridor
Rappahannock County lies within the target area of a newly proposed “national interest” electric transmission corridor that could give utility companies a new way to win approval for siting high-voltage power lines even if state authorities do not approve such a request.
In designating, for the fist time ever, two new “national interest” transmission corridors, the Federal Energy Department on Thursday held out the prospect that utilities which find their transmission lines delayed or denied by state authority could turn to a federal agency to override state authority and approve the power lines.
This new authority could give the utility companies, such as Dominion Virginia Power which has proposed a controversial new power line through this region, a trump card to use in fighting local opposition to their plans for the transmission lines.
Dominion only last week submitted to Virginia’s State Corporation Commission its formal application to build a new 500-kilovolt transmission line through the Virginia Piedmont, including Rappahannock County, along an existing right of way. The company plans to pursue the normal state approval process through the SCC and has not said it will seek to use the new federal authority. But the establishment of a “national interest” corridor here would give Dominion another avenue to pursue if it is not satisfied with the state’s decision.
The proposed change in the rules for siting electric transmission lines came in a Thursday announcement from U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman in Washington. Bodman, invoking new authority enacted in the federal Energy Policy Act of 2005, said he has designated two “national interest” transmission corridors–one in the mid-Atlantic region that includes Virginia, and another in the Southwest.
In these regions, he said, electrical transmission capacity constraints and congestion are threatening power interruptions that adversely affect consumers and the economy, and thus the “national interest.” Creating the national interest corridors to serve these areas will help assure adequate power supplies in the future, Bodman said.
Rappahannock County Administrator John McCarthy confirmed that the county is included in the designated Mid-Atlantic corridor and thus could be affected by the new federal power-siting authority. He noted that under the new process, the states would have one year to approve a power-line proposal such as the pending Dominion application, and if the state does not approve, the utility could turn to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for approval.
Previously, there has never been a way for utilities to override state authority by turning to the Federal government; that new authority was granted in the energy policy act that Congress passed in 2005, with strong backing from the Bush Administration.
“These draft designations set us on the path to modernize our constrained and congested electric power infrastructure, Secretary Bodman said. “They are a crucial step toward realizing President Bush’s goal of a modern, more efficient electric power delivery system. I am confident the Department’s actions will help facilitate the infrastructure growth necessary to meet the demands of our growing economy.”
The proposed Mid-Atlantic Area National Corridor includes counties in Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Virginia, and all of New Jersey, Delaware, and the District of Columbia. The proposed Southwest Area National Corridor includes counties in California, Arizona, and Nevada.
The Energy Department said a 60-day comment period will allow comment from state and local authorities and the general public before finalizing plans for the two new national interest corridors. A public hearing on the Mid-Atlantic corridor will be held May 15 in Arlington, VA. (To register to attend the hearing or submit comments, go to the Piedmont Environmental Council website.)
The Washington Post reported Friday that two influential Virginia Republican Congresssmen, Rep. Frank Wolf and Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, support a bill that would do away with the “national interest” designations, and that they have drafted a second bill that would at least require the federal government to consider the impact on private property, historical sites and other factors before designating a national interest corridor.
A spokesman for Rep. Wolf, who has opposed Dominion’s plan to build the new high-voltage line in this region, said the Energy Secretary’s decision indrudes on the rights of states to decide what is best for their residents.
“Shouldn’t a state have a say instead of being run roughshod over?” spokesman Dan Scandling said. “That’s the crux of the issue. While there may be a need in New England, does that mean the pristine areas of Virginia should be destroyed for the sake of New York City?”
-- James P. Gannon
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