SISSONVILLE, W.Va. — The second batch of open houses is underway on the proposed 260-mile Valley North transmission line project from Putnam County to Frederick County, Maryland.
Kanawha County residents had a chance on Thursday evening at Sissonville Middle School to learn and ask questions about the project. The 765-kiloVolt (kV) line is planned by Valley Link, a joint venture by AEP subsidiary Transource Energy, FirstEnergy Transmission, and Virginia-based Dominion Energy. It would begin at the John Amos Power Plant in Winfield, passing through numerous West Virginia counties on its way to Virginia and Maryland.
The line would end at a proposed Rocky Point Substation in Maryland. The proposed Welton Spring Substation in Hardy County, W.Va, would also be part of the Valley Link project.
Developers received more than 4,000 comments and questions during 23 open houses this summer, including a stop at Sissonville Middle in July. Valley Link spokesperson Lauren Siburkis said they have taken that feedback into consideration while devising a revised study segment.
Now, she said, they’re looking for even more input from residents.
“What we’re really looking for this round is for folks to continue to provide feedback,” Siburkis said. “Provide some of that information about their properties, on why it would or wouldn’t make sense to have this infrastructure along their property.”
Siburkis said they’re looking to develop two different routes, a preferred one and an alternate one, based upon the feedback received from residents. The goal is to file those routes with the Public Service Commissions of West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland early next year. Developers have said the line would keep up with the rising demand seen by PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission organization.
The project has not been well received by many West Virginians. There are plenty of concerns about the transmission line’s impact on farmland, in addition to its health effects on those who would live near the lines. While it wasn’t specifically made on the Valley North project, State Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt’s recent statement underscoring the importance of farmland in an era of economic development was welcomed by transmission opponents.
Doug Stalnaker, who lives in the Frame community of Kanawha County, contended that Valley North doesn’t benefit West Virginia. He said it’s for data centers in Virginia and Maryland. He also shared grave concerns about the line’s impact on health with the EMF (electromagnetic fields). He wondered whether Valley Link has shared all the research on the matter, stating that calls for a feasibility study have gone unanswered.
“It’s going to roughly take about 3,000 acres of beautiful West Virginia property, right down the middle of the state, by imminent domain,” Stalnacker said. “(They’re) at least 200 feet wide, and they’re going to destroy a lot of West Virginia farms, acreage.”
Community organizer and Belle resident Eric Caruthers told MetroNews that 303 landowners and 19 counties would be impacted. He said that people are concerned about the line’s impact on wildlife, as well as themselves. He said it’s unclear what changes the line could have to his aunt’s farm in Roane County.
Caruthers said that groups in each of the impacted counties are working to build a coalition in opposition.
“Nobody wants their land destroyed for this,” Caruthers said. “Everyone is concerned that it’s acting as a power cord for power going from John Amos to another state with no benefit to West Virginia. That’s a major concern.”
Siburkis said they’ve had “great conversations” with residents through the first couple of nights. She recognized that not everyone is in favor of the project. She disputed the often-used claims by opponents of the line, which are that the project won’t help West Virginia.
“This is a project that will not only provide grid reliability upgrades, but it also has a lot of other benefits, such as generating about $14 million annually in property tax revenues with about $9 million of that going to local schools,” Siburkis said.
Siburkis said they’re working hard to provide education on those benefits through these open houses. She said that added revenue is especially important in a time with cuts at the federal and state levels. She said Valley Link appreciates the open communication with the community and pledged that all the feedback will be taken into account.
The decisions will be made on the line to ensure it has the least impact on local communities and environment as possible, Siburkis said. As for what communities it would stretch through, she said it’s not determined at this juncture.
“We’re unable to say how many particular counties or customers would be impacted because we don’t have the final route,” Siburkis said. “But all of this outreach that we’re doing and refining of the study segments gets us one step closer to putting that final route together.”
Just outside the middle school, Stalnaker and others set up a table encouraging signatures on a petition against the line. While he’s against the line, he said, he encouraged his fellow protestors to behave properly while voicing their concerns.
“Try to just to be civil in approaching these oppositions, this protest, and just be nice to everybody,” Stalnaker implored. “We don’t want it to look violent in any way. I think it’s very important that we do this in a civil manner.”
There are eight open houses remaining in West Virginia and Virginia:
· Nov. 12 | Lovettsville Game Protective Association, 16 S. Berlin Pike, Lovettsville, Va. | 4 to 7 p.m.
· Nov. 12 | The Event Center at Brushy Fork, 929 Brushy Fork Road, Buckhannon, W.Va. | 4 to 7 p.m.
· Nov. 17 | Spencer Armory Facility, 206 E. Main St., Spencer, W.Va. | 4 to 7 p.m.
· Nov. 17 | Old Capon Bridge Middle School, 195 Capon School St., Capon Bridge, W.Va. | 4 to 7 p.m.
· Nov. 18 | Stonewall Resort – Roanoke Event Center, 940 Resort Drive, Roanoke, W.Va. | 4 to 7 p.m.
· Nov. 18 | Ranson Civic Center, 432 W. Second Ave., Ranson, W.Va. | 4 to 7 p.m.
· Nov. 19 | Gilmer County Recreation Center, 1365 Sycamore Run, Glenville, W.Va. | 4 to 7 p.m.
· Nov. 19 | Brunswick Fire Hall, 1500 Volunteer Drive, Brunswick, Md. | 4 to 7 p.m.