Capon Valley Coalition

On Aug. 2, the Associated Press reported:

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - An Allegheny Energy Inc . subsidiary is seeking to gain easements for a proposed interstate transmission line, although the project has not yet won state approval.

Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line Co. is offering to purchase options for the easements from property owners along the path of the proposed 500-kilovolt line. The option price is usually 10 percent of the purchase price, Allegheny spokesman Allen Staggers said.

Property owners will keep the option money if the company does not exercise the option, he said.

“It’s a prudent step for us,” Staggers said. “We have more than 1,000 easements to acquire along the route of the line. When you take a look along the scope of that, it makes it impractical to start negotiations at the approval point. It’s prudent for us given the scope of the project and the time frame to do this work now and acquire these options.”

Allegheny asked the state Public Service Commission in March to approve the project.

The $1.3 billion Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line would be built by Allegheny and Dominion Energy of Richmond, Va. It would run 240 miles from Washington County, Pa., to Loudoun County, Va.

West Virginia’s segment would run about 114 miles through Monongalia, Preston, Tucker, Grant, Hardy and Hampshire counties, Allegheny has said.

“I was really shocked about the upfront money,” said Carol Petitto of Smithtown. “That kind of money may be hard to turn down for some people because the risk seems to be minimal, especially if the project doesn’t go through.”

Staggers said he did not know how many landowners had granted easements.

The original story can be found on AOL News.