Powerlines Threaten Protected Countryside
Published in the Middleburg Eccentric - October 25, 2006
Dominion Virgina and Allegheny Power plan to build a 500-kilovolt transmission line, linking Winchester to Aldie, complete with steel towers nearly 160 feet tall and a wide right-of-way up to 200 feet wide.
But the line doesn’t end at Aldie. In March, PJM Interconnection, and Allegheny Power asked the Department of Energy for an early decision on a “National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor” designation for the route.
Using national security and the need for redundant routing of power to the Capital and other major cities in times of crisis, the designation would allow the Federal Government to condemn property for the right of way, no matter what objections might be raised by property owners, or state, county, and local governments.
Bundles Murdock gave the Middleburg Town Council an early warning about the power companies plans in August. Noting the impact of such rights-of-way on the environment and public health, not to mention historic sites, viewsheds, and property values, she urged action. On September 14 the Council unanimously authorized the drafting of a formal resolution for distribution to the Department of Energy and all other important stakeholders, urging, at the very least, that an environmental impact study and public hearings preceed any Federal, state, or county action on the matter. The same day, at a Piedmont Environmental Council briefing at the Hill School, Council Member Mark Schneider urged development of a well-reasoned counter-plan to meet the power companies’ national security and redundancy arguments. The Council hopes to pass the resolution at a special meeting on September 27.
Member of both pro-growth and slow-growth factions on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisiors have joined forces against the “corridor.” Developers see the giant towers and humming lines as “sales killers.” Homeowners, already worried about real estate values, see them as “asset killers.” Politicians see them as “vote killers.”
Senator John Warner demanded a clearer definition of needs, the development of alternative approaches to meeting them, and a comprehensive environmental impact study before moving foreard.
Stonger language was used by both Judy Feder and Frank Wolf. Wolf’s letter to the Secretary of Energy was unequivocal. “Millions of federal, state, local and private dollars have gone into protecting the sanctity of the history of this region. An electric transmission corridor with a transmission line of the magnitude proposed would permanently desecrate the integrity of this landscape. We must not destroy this land.”
Yet to be heard from on the issue is junior Senator George Allen, who serves on the powerful Senate Committee on Energy and Resources. Supporters of former Navy Secretary Jim Webb, Allen’s opponent in the upcoming election, have noted Allen’s close ties to Dominion Power (Allen’s wife and Richmond Democrat Benjamin Lambert served together on Dominion’s Board of Directors). Allen has also been a strong supporter of the Bush administration’s current energy policy, which Pennsylvania Republican Rick Santorum bragged recently, could help an Allegheny Energy proposal “ . . . to build a $1.4 billion, 330-mile transmission line from West Virginia to Maryland to bring a more reliable energy stream to the East Coast”
Rep. Frank Wolf says "NO" to proposed Dominion Power Line through Clarke/Fauquier/Loudoun
Washington, D.C. – Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10th) today released the attached letter to the Department of Energy (DOE) opposing a proposed power line through the 10th District.
Wolf urges the DOE to deny the designation of a National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor (NIET) in the 10th District that would endanger this exceptional landscape.
“I cannot emphasize enough the historic, environmental, scenic and cultural importance of the lands within this section of the proposed NIET corridor boundaries,” Wolf wrote. “The importance of these lands is unparalleled, as evidenced by the vast amount of this area under federal and state protection.”
This region includes rural and conservation areas, federal and state recognized historic districts, historic sites and scenic byways, agricultural and forest districts, state parks, the Appalachian Trail, the Shenandoah River, and many Civil War battlefield parks.
The entire text of the letter is below:
September 14, 2006
The Honorable Samuel Bodman
Secretary, United States Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave SW
Washington, D.C. 20585
Dear Secretary Bodman:
I write today to express my deep concerns about the request by PJM Interconnection and Allegheny Power for the Department of Energy to designate a National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor (NIET) through one of the most protected landscapes in America. I strongly urge the Department of Energy to deny this NIET corridor designation request.
The eastern section of this corridor would cross parts of Frederick, Clarke, Warren, Fauquier, Loudoun and Prince William counties in the 10th Congressional District of Virginia which I represent. This 40-mile section has been proposed by Dominion Power (the local utility company charged with siting and building the transmission line) as the “Meadow Brook to Loudoun Station” line, and Dominion has publicly stated its intention to file a request to build with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) in spring 2007 as part of a larger 240-mile transmission line linking 502 Junction in Pennsylvania to East Coast markets.
I cannot emphasize enough the historic, environmental, scenic and cultural importance of the lands within this section of the proposed NIET corridor boundaries. The importance of these lands is unparalleled, as evidenced by the vast amount of this area under federal and state protection. Included are local comprehensive plans for rural and conservation areas, federal and state recognized historic districts, historic sites and scenic byways, agricultural and forest districts, state parks, the Appalachian Trail, the Shenandoah River, and more than 80,000 acres under conservation easement -- the highest concentration of privately donated conservation easements in Virginia and arguably in the United States -- pursuant to local, state and federal policies and incentives (see attached map of the designated study area).
The study area also contains lands preserved as Civil War battlefield parks. The blood that sustained a unified nation is in this land. This is the land that George Washington surveyed. This is the land that James Monroe walked. This is the land that Chief Justice John Marshall farmed. Throughout my 26 years in Congress I have worked diligently to preserve these lands for future generations. Millions of federal, state, local and private dollars have gone into protecting the sanctity of the history of this region. An electric transmission corridor with a transmission line of the magnitude proposed would permanently desecrate the integrity of this landscape. We must not destroy this land.
Before you proceed with the department’s review of the PJM request, I urge that you order an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). I understand an EIS is being prepared prior to designation of a NIET corridor through 11 western states, and a similar environmental study must also be conducted here. I believe an EIS will reveal that the environmental impact of the proposed corridor designation in Virginia would be unprecedented and threaten a longstanding federal, state and local effort to protect the landscape’s cultural, historic and scenic qualities.
Furthermore, as you may know, the Commonwealth of Virginia is beginning work on a comprehensive energy plan. The department’s action now to designate a NIET corridor in the state would impede that work and preclude the State Corporation Commission from having the necessary time to consider the comprehensive plan before ruling on a new power line siting for this area.
Thank you for your consideration of my comments. I would appreciate any updates you can provide as you review the NIET corridor designation and proposed transmission line request. Please contact me or Elizabeth Becker of my staff at (202) 225-5136.
Sincerely,
Frank R. Wolf
Member of Congress
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