NORTHERN VIRGINIA. Hearing on Power Line Draws Vocal Crowd Supporters Say Project Is Vital to Success Of Area Economy; Foes Question Its Need By _Sandhya Somashekhar_ (http://projects.washingtonpost.com/staff/email/sandhya+somashekhar/) Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, July 27, 2007; Page B02
Heated testimony at a hearing yesterday about a proposed 65-mile high-voltage power line through _Northern Virginia_ (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Northern+Virginia?tid=inform...) provided a hint of the friction associated with the project and the tension ahead as the state begins deciding whether to approve it. Many people waited all afternoon at _Fauquier High School_ (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Fauquier+High+School?tid=inf...) in _Warrenton_ (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Warrenton?tid=informline) for the chance to address a State Corporation Commission hearing examiner, who will play a key role in deciding whether the 500 kilovolt line proposed by Dominion Virginia Power and Allegheny Power should be built. Although organized opposition to the project has been fierce and many speakers condemned it, a parade of business owners and representatives from Northern Virginia chambers of commerce endorsed it, saying the area's economy will depend on a reliable flow of electricity. "The success of the high-tech-driven economy in _Fairfax County_ (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Fairfax+County?tid=informlin...) and the rest of Northern Virginia" depends on maintaining the infrastructure, said William D. Lecos, president and chief executive of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, reading from a statement. "Without it, the economy of Northern Virginia cannot thrive." But William Arrington, whose southern _Fauquier County_ (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Fauquier+County?tid=informli...) farm could be sliced by the line, said that if _Fairfax_ (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Fairfax?tid=informline) needs power, that's Fairfax's problem "because that's where the over-development has been allowed to run rampant." The hearing was the first of eight scheduled this summer about the transmission line, which is planned for parts of _Frederick_ (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Frederick+(Maryland)?tid=inf...) , Fauquier, Rappahannock, Culpeper and _Prince William counties_ (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Prince+William+County?tid=in...) before ending at a substation in _Loudoun County_ (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Loudoun+County?tid=informlin...) . Without it, the region might face rolling blackouts within five years, Dominion officials have said. Since announcing the project last summer, Dominion has encountered well-organized, sometimes emotional opposition from landowners, conservationists and others who say the line would scar the landscape and encourage the construction of polluting coal plants. The company revised the line's route to avoid environmentally and historically significant areas, and the opposition has persisted. Led by the slow-growth _Piedmont Environmental Council_ (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Piedmont+Environmental+Counc...) , critics have promised to convince the state that the project is not needed for Northern Virginia. The Warrenton-based organization has raised about $1 million to fight the project, organizing rallies and commissioning studies that emphasize alternatives such as conservation. This month, Dominion has stepped up its efforts to convince residents that the line is essential for the health of Northern Virginia's electrical grid and that no alternative will suffice. Dominion commissioned and is heavily promoting an April study by KEMA, a _Massachusetts_ (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Massachusetts?tid=informline) engineering firm, that shows "there will be significant problems in the system that will require new transmission facilities by 2011." A full-page newspaper ad by Dominion this week said, "Without a new transmission line, Northern Virginians will need to reduce electrical use by 40%." And the company has been reaching out to business owners who support the line, asking them to speak out at hearings that are expected to be dominated by the line's critics. Six more meetings will take place next month -- in Bristow, _Winchester_ (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Winchester?tid=informline) and _Front Royal_ (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Front+Royal?tid=informline) . The commission will spend the fall studying the issue and will reconvene in January to hear arguments from attorneys for the different sides. If the commission approves the project, Dominion officials hope to have it built by 2011.
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Scores press SCC to reject Dominion plan
By: Don Del Rosso, 07/31/2007, Fauquier Times-Democrat
There seemed to be no end in sight.
For two days and more than 10 hours, they attacked Dominion Virginia Power's proposed transmission line through the Piedmont.
In speeches long and short, impassioned and measured, opponents from Fauquier, Rappahannock, Culpeper, Loudoun and elsewhere hammered away at familiar themes.
The utility has failed to demonstrate a need for the planned 500,000-volt line, they told the State Corporation Commission during a public hearing last Thursday and Friday in the Fauquier High School auditorium.
The proposed line would destroy vistas and pristine land under easement, diminish property values, degrade air quality and compromise agricultural operations, tourism and historic sites, critics told SCC Hearing Examiner Alexander F. Skirpan Jr..
Ninety-four of the 106 speakers asked Skirpan to recommend denial of the proposed line. Fifty-eight of the public hearing speakers live in Fauquier. (Skirpan will make a recommendation to the SCC's three-judge panel, which will decide the matter.)
Just 12 people, representing Northern Virginia businesses or organizations such as the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, the Prince William Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Vienna-Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce, testified in favor of the proposed line.
Dominion insists the line must be in place by 2011, or Northern Virginia faces the prospect of rolling blackouts. Its 1,000-page application to the SCC includes a 70-page analysis by Massachusetts-based KEMA Inc. that argues a transmission line would provide the only practical solution to meet Northern Virginia's immediate and long-term electricity demands.
The proposed line would link substations in Frederick and Loudoun counties. It would parallel an existing transmission line but require Dominion and its partner, Allegheny Power, to acquire substantial additional rights of way from private landowners.
Besides Frederick and Loudoun, the proposed 65-mile line would cut through parts of Fauquier, Rappahannock, Culpeper and Prince William counties. The alternative route would connect the same substations along Interstate 66, using Virginia Department of Transportation right-of-way.
Under either scenario, the line would be suspended from steel towers that, in places, could exceed 150 feet.
Dominion's "credibility" should be tested, said Kathleen King, a retired federal government lawyer from Broad Run. She claims the utility has given no specifics about the precise location of the proposed power line.
"There are absolutely no straight answers," she told the hearing examiner. "I have no idea how close I am to those (proposed) power towers (along I-66), but I'm close....We can't get information from the applicant to tell us where the power line is going."
Like many others, King believes that conservation methods and more efficient technology would eliminate the need for a new line.
Her remarks elicited cheers and clapping, which Skirpan quickly squelched with a stern reminder.
Before the hearing started Thursday afternoon, he explained to the audience that the hearing would be operated similar to a courtroom proceeding. Speakers, which he called witnesses, would be sworn in and could be subject to questioning by SCC staff and lawyers and attorneys representing various interests.
"It's not a situation where we have audience participation," Skirpan said. "I don't want applause, boos or any types of comments from the audience."
If necessary, he would evacuate the auditorium and listen to speakers individually.
William Arrington of Catlett called the proposal "ill-conceived." Arrington contended that Dominion has yet to demonstrate a need for the line, which he claims would violate the sanctity of conservation easements.
He also said the line would produce electromagnetic fields, posing "unacceptable health risks to the general public."
If Northern Virginia indeed needs substantially more electricity, then build a power plant there, Arrington suggested.
William Stribling of Markham said the I-66 alternative would devastate an area rich with historic and agricultural importance, undermining Fauquier's agribusiness and tourism economies.
Harry Atherton, who represents Marshall District on the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors, spoke as a private citizen. He pointed out that Fauquier has one of the highest concentrations of conservation easements in the nation, with more than 77,000 acres permanently protected from further development.
Moreover, he said it claims 29 sites on the Virginia Landmarks list and National Register of Historic Places, two scenic rivers, 10 Civil War battlefields, 17,000 acres in historic districts, 8,000 acres in state management reserves, 1,800 acres of state park land and 1,000 acres of county park land.
"This is not by accident, but the result of many decades of public and private efforts to preserve this historic and beautiful part of [Virginia]" he concluded. "If the end result of these efforts is that the county has become the corridor of least resistance for the transmission line of power to the Mid-Atlantic, this seems both unfair and unnecessary."
Fauquier's population stands at "just over 60,000" and thus isn't "a significant contributor to congestion on the Northern Virginia [power] grid," Atherton also noted
To the contrary, Fauquier has been part of the solution to the area's energy needs, because it approved two natural gas-fueled generators near Remington that operate during the hottest and coldest days, he claimed.
Katherine Kristie of Rappahannock County focused on air quality and health-related issues.
The proposed line would transmit electricity generated by some of the nation's "dirtiest" coal-burning plants, Kristie said.
"Why?" she asked. Because "it is much cheaper for the power industry to continue to rely on some of the dirtiest plants than to utilize cleaner-generation energy plants located closer to northeast customer demand."
Kristie continued: "But when public health costs and environmental impacts are considered, is this truly the cheapest solution?"
She and other critics also believe Dominion wants the line chiefly because it would reap huge profits from electricity destined for the Northeast.
The KEMA report does not address the line's financial implications for Dominion.
KEMA's Jeff Palermo, who helped prepare the transmission line study, said Northern Virginia, a "big-time" importer of electricity, would be the primary beneficiary of the line, not the eastern seaboard.
Northern Virginia's business community was represented in force at the hearing.
Virginia Chamber of Commerce President Hugh Keogh said the continued robust expansion of the region's economy depends the "predictability and availability" of electricity.
Northern Virginia generates high-paying technology jobs that provide spinoff financial benefits for the entire state, Keogh said. A perceived lack of energy in the next decade could threaten future economic development opportunities, he added
Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce William D. Lecos called Northern Virginia the state's "economic engine."
As its high-tech sector grows, so must critical infrastructure such reliable electricity sources to sustain business, Lecos said.
"There's every reason to believe this trend [of economic growth] will continue," he said.
Representatives of the National Association of Industrial Office Properties and several businesses spoke in support of the power line.
SCC hearings will continue during the next two weeks in Prince William County, Winchester and Front Royal.
Dominion Spokeswoman Le-Ha Anderson said the hearing offered no surprises. "We feel that, frankly, it was an example of why the SCC process is fair," giving people a chance "to talk as long as they wanted to" about issues that concern them, Anderson said.
"It was nice to hear from independent organizations, businesses and associations" that support the line, she added.
Despite widespread objections to the proposal, Anderson said "We still believe the need is great. We're steadfast in the belief the need is real."
The hearing turnout and "quality of testimony" impressed Chris Miller, president of Piedmont Environment Council, which plans to spend more than $2 million to fight the project.
"Are the hearings meaningful?" Miller said. "Yes. You're getting hundreds of people testifying about the [line's] impacts on their lives. The quality of testimony is very high. There's a lot of information that otherwise would not be on the record."
Some people waited up to four hours to testify, he said.
"The intestinal fortitude was high," Miller said.
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Tuesday, August 14, 2007 Power struggle Area residents denounce line proposal By Drew Houff, The Winchester Star WINCHESTER — The first day of local hearings regarding a proposed 5 50-kilovolt transmission line that may pass through Frederick County seemed at least slightly different from previous hearings in Warrenton and Bristow. For one, none of the 32 speakers at James Wood High School on Monday supported the proposed joint project from Dominion Virginia Power and Allegheny Energy’s Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line Co. subsidiary. The hearings in Warrenton at least had a few contractors and developers who appeared to back the project, which power company officials say is needed to provide for increased electricity needs in Northern Virginia. The general theme from the first day of public testimony at James Wood suggested that neither Allegheny nor Dominion had provided information to support the claim that the new lines are needed. No one from either company testified. That testimony will come in evidentiary hearings beginning on Jan. 14 in Richmond. Alexander F. Skirpan Jr., the hearing examiner for the State Corporation Commission, will listen to all of the testimony at each hearing and then file a recommendation with the commission, which will decide the fate of the proposal, said Andy Farmer, the SCC’s education resources manager. Skirpan reminded people attending Monday’s morning and evening hearings that this was a court of record for the testimony and that audience participation, including clapping in favor of some remarks, would not be viewed favorably. He confirmed that position during the morning hearing when the audience applauded testimony from Wingate Mackay-Smith of White Post. She said she was speaking with mixed emotion, but reminded those in attendance that approval of the proposal was similar to giving the 800-pound gorilla a banana. "There’s no evidence that Virginia has any need for new lines to avoid blackouts in 2011, as the companies claim," Smith said, drawing some enthusiastic cheers. Skirpan quickly responded, reminding everyone that he could close the hearings if they continued to interrupt testimony. He encountered no such problems in the evening session. Clarke County Board of Supervisors Chairman John Staelin, the lone local officeholder to speak on Monday, said his board had opposed the possibility of a high-voltage line through his county a year ago, leading to a unanimous resolution in opposition. "I came here today because I want to make sure you know this is not a ‘Not in my backyard’ issue," he said. "This power line may have moved out of Clarke County’s backyard, but that does not suddenly make it a better idea for either Clarke or the rest of the citizens of the commonwealth." Elizabeth Tate of Star Tannery offered a theme that was echoed by many, noting that Allegheny’s treatment of the landscape had decreased the values of property. She said her family had tried to leave behind the visual clutter in Virginia Beach for the unscarred environment of the northern Shenandoah Valley, but added that the proposal would put a gash in the trees and bring other unsightly problems. Eleanore Boudreaux of Stephens City agreed, noting that she had lost livestock and value to her property because of moves by Allegheny. Ellen Rivers of Frederick County said Virginia has to set a good example, evaluating the effects of the lines before approving them. Barbara Smith of Stephens City said another potential concern for the lines would be their impact on tourism, particularly the effect on sightlines near the Cedar Creek Battlefield and Belle Grove Plantation near Middletown. Stanley M. Hirschberg, president of The Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation, agreed, noting that tourist dollars may disappear along with the views if 120-foot-tall power lines are installed. The hearings at James Wood will continue today at 9:30 a.m. Additional public hearings are scheduled at the North Warren Volunteer Fire Department near Front Royal on Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday’s hearings will begin at 1:30 p.m. and reconvene at 7 p.m, and Thursday’s hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m.
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