Power to the people

Keeping a proposed high-voltage, regional power line out of the Piedmont area and Culpeper County will require residents to stay informed, vocal, articulate and united.

About 50 residents heard that message Wednesday night from Piedmont Environmental Council President Chris Miller at the Jeffersonton Community Center.

“We’ve got to hang together and share information, because they want to divide and conquer,” Miller told the group.

In October, Virginia’s State Corporation Commission approved construction of two portions of a 500-kilovolt power transmission line through northern Virginia, saying the line is necessary to meet demand and ensure reliable electricity delivery for the region. The line’s routing would cross through northern Culpeper County along U.S. 211 in the South Wales area.

Proposed jointly by the Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line Co. and Dominion Virginia Power, the line would run 240 miles from Pennsylvania through Virginia, then on to West Virginia. The project carries a $1.3 billion price tag.

West Virginia officials have already approved their portion of the line, and Pennsylvania regulators gave their OK to part of the project last month. The Warrenton-based PEC filed an appeal with the Virginia Supreme Court last month.

The project’s supporters say bringing reliable power to the people of the Piedmont is their chief concern. They say the new power line is needed immediately to bolster the region’s strained electric grid.

Miller spoke for about 15 minutes about where the project and the appeals process stands before opening the floor for discussion.

A handful of people at the meeting said they had recently been contacted by project officials. They included Tom Thorpe of Fauquier County, who said he met with representatives on Wednesday.

“It’s nothing but bad,” Thorpe said of the project. He went on to describe his meetings and communications with project officials as “nasty.” Another woman said that she discovered that trees on her property had been tagged with survey markers without her knowledge.

Also at issue for those opposing the line is that the power companies might use eminent domain and utility laws to profit by selling electricity to areas outside the region.

“This isn’t like a road or school or public library that we all have access to,” Miller said. “Essentially our community is bearing the results of interstate commerce and not being compensated.”

“A lot of things have happened in the last couple months and this is just a time to update everyone on what’s going on,” Miller said. “You guys have been great about keeping the pressure on,” he continued, adding that more than 200 people have written to the attorney general requesting an appeal of the SCC’s decision.

Georgia Herbert, the PEC’s general legal counsel, also said that the project could open the community up to other large-scale utility projects in the same corridor. Herbert and Miller also suggested that residents need to take the initiative and retain their own legal representation if they’re worried the project’s impact on their individual properties. Miller also stressed that the PEC is handling the big picture in appealing the project but can’t assist with each individual case.

Besides the concern about the location of the lines, many residents expressed frustration at their proposed size and the impact they would have on what the group dubbed the “viewscape.” Early reports indicate that some of the towers could be about 175 feet tall. Miller explained that engineers say the height is necessary to protect both the lines, which sag as they heat up under the electric load, and people and structures on the ground below.

Nate Delesline III can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 110 or .