PEC briefs Rappahannock audience on power line issues

Commentary

By Paul Farmer and Gale Johnson

The Piedmont Environmental Council on Monday evening held the first of two meetings in our immediate area related to the Dominion/Trailco high-voltage electric transmission line project now approved by Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The meeting at the county library was targeted primarily to landowners facing loss of right-of-way to Dominion in Rappahannock and adjacent counties and secondarily to all interested citizens.

PEC was represented by President Chris Miller, staffer Bri West, attorney Georgia Herbert, Rob Marmot, and local Conservation Field Officer Don Loock.

PEC, Fauquier County, Culpeper County, Virginia’s Commitment, and locally, PLA (Power-line Landowners Alliance) supported by RLEP (Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection) and CCC (Concerned Culpeper Citizens) are appealing the power line go-ahead decision of the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) to the Virginia Supreme Court.

PLA, PEC, and others believe there are strong arguments that can be presented before the Virginia Supreme Court that if sustained would require the SCC to re-examine its decision under new guidance. PEC also briefed the current and future environment (economic, energy, policy) that we find ourselves in and that will likely lead to future additional proposals for East-West high-power transmission lines to be built through Pennsylvania and Northern Virginia.

While the recent decision of the Virginia SCC is unsupported by the facts and testimony of the case and is detrimental to Virginia electric utility rate-payers, the Piedmont environment, and Virginians in general, we believe there is reason to hope that the decision can still be reversed at the State level.

There are lessons to be taken from this episode of poor management of energy resources and failure to respect and protect natural and environmental resources. Down-the-road we are hopeful and confident that you will see PLA, RLEP, and PEC leading locally with lessons learned and proposed actions that can be taken short- and long-term that will help ensure better stewardship of local resources, better protection of local landowners and residents, and better defense against large outside corporate interests to the detriment of local ones.

In the meantime, PEC, PLA, RLEP, and CCC need your financial help to carry this fight forward to its next stage, the Virginia Supreme Court. Please consider making a generous end-of-year donation to one or more of the following:

PEC

PO Box 460

Warrenton, VA 22186-0460

www.PECva.org

PLA

PO Box 422

Washington, VA 22747-0422

www.thePLA.org

RLEP

PO Box 94

Washington, VA 22747-0094

www.RLEP.org

CCC

General Delivery Jeffersonton

Jeffersonton, VA 22724

PEC’s next meeting on this subject is 6-8 PM, December 3 at the Jeffersonton Community Center. See the PEC website for more information.

Paul Farmer is a Director of PLA and a Rappahannock resident. Gale Johnson is Chairman, PLA, a Director of RLEP and RCCA, and a landowner near the proposed new power line in Rappahannock County.

-- Admin

Posted: November 25th, 2008 under News & Commentary.
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