Progress (Of a Sort): Manchin, DOE & WV PSC
CVC Cochairman Bill Golemon reports:
Gov. Joe Manchin
Governor Manchin came to Romney on Monday afternoon, May 14, to make some scholarship awards and meet with some citizens’ groups. Grady Bradfield, Jim Matheson, Steve Slonaker and I spoke with him and detailed our opposition to the proposed power lines and the NIETC designation by DOE, and of the great amount of opposition to it, including our petitions and the letters of protest and filings with the PSC.
I made the point that there is now proposed legislation in Congress to repeal the NIETC designation provisions of the National Energy Policy Act and asked him to reconsider his position and withdraw his support of NIETC expressed in his letter of last year. His response was noncommittal, and I don’t think he’s interested in our cause. He did ask his aide to make a note to suggest that Billy Jack Gregg at the WVPSC get in touch with us and perhaps meet with our group.
U.S. Department of Energy
I did attend the DOE hearing in Arlington on Tuesday, May 15, and spoke for our group for my allotted two minutes, along with many dozens of other people. I didn’t see anything about it in the Washington Post the next day. I called them and asked why but didn’t get an answer, other than that they couldn’t report everything.
PEC (Piedmont Environmental Council, an ally) had several speakers and did a very good job. They have a good report of it on their Web site.
Virginia Congressmen Wolf and Davis spoke, and Congressman Hinchey of New York made a great speech, ignoring the moderator’s efforts to limit his time. Their testimony is available on PEC’s Web site, along with Wolf’s letter, supported by over forty other congressmen, asking DOE to extend the hearing time-period and increase the locations.
(I made the point that there were no meetings in WV, which of course they already know).
WV PSC
I spoke on the phone with Caryn Short, the lead PSC attorney on the case. They have not had an acceptable proposal from a consulting firm to do an Environmental Impact Study, and may have to do it themselves with the help of the appropriate WV state agencies.
The ending date to intervene hasn’t been determined yet. I will continue to try to find an attorney, and I do realize the clock is ticking.