Dear Participants and Friends......
Tuesday, February 21st at 10 am and 7 pm, the Public Comment Hearings are scheduled at the Erickson Center off Patterson Drive.
This will substitute for the MVCAC monthly meeting.
The Hearings should be "on topic", which is the 500 kV transmission line running north from the proposed Longview site to a sub-station in Pennsylvania, where it will interconnect with the existing 500 kV line of Allegheny Energy.
Adverse electrical interactions could occur between the proposed Longview plant and the Ft. Martin plant on the shared transmission lines, due to voltage control and power line congestion. The competition between Longview and Ft. Martin can be costly to both, and ultimately costly to us, the WV customers for electricity.
The remaining issues from the Siting Certificate process, that are still active issues today and "fair game" for the public hearings, are as follows:
1. What is the Longview plant equipment layout, what will it look like up close and far away; will it be safe to Airport traffic with its tall 554 foot smoke stake; and, will the large steam plume from the cooling towers be an obstacle or an eyesore. {"plant layout", "visual perspective", "viewshed issue"} There will be warning lights on the smoke stack and substantial lighting in the rest of the plant, giving rise to "light pollution".
2. What about the noises from the plant, as an annoyance for the Ft. Martin community; what about all the additional car and truck traffic on the local roads, as a source of noise and congestion.
3. What are the risks of financial failure of Longview, who must raise about one billion dollars to build the plant; then, they plan to build and sell immediately, to maximize their payout.......... without "offending" the public interest of the residents of West Virginia.
4. How much will be the tax burden for the Longview plant; will it be fair to Longview; will it be just for the rest of us? [The Payment In Lieu of Taxes [PILOT] scheme of the Mon. County Commission gives Longview a special tax break.]
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P.S. I would propose we have a general meeting of MVCAC on Monday, March 6th, to start preparations for the Evidentiary Hearing to be in Charleston and the Mon-Earth concert......... ....... your comments, please!
Happy Presidents' Day. Horray; this month we have three President's Days, the 12th, 20th, and 22nd.