Capon Valley Coalition

WV Public Broadcasting reported yesterday:

State Public Service Commission prepares for lengthy hearing on proposed high voltage power line
By Cecelia Mason

Here is the transcript of the report. You can listen to the report on the WV Public Broadcasting Web site.

Studio lead: The state Public Service Commission will spend most of
the next two weeks trying to determine whether to approve a high
voltage power line across north central West Virginia. Allegheny Power
in partnership with Virginia’s Dominion Power wants to build the line
to bring more power to the eastern U-S. Cecelia Mason has more:

Mason: The Trans Allegheny Interstate Line would cross six West
Virginia counties on its 114 mile journey linking southwestern
Pennsylvania to northern Virginia. The state P-S-C will begin 10 days of hearings Wednesday to determine whether the line is necessary. P-S-C spokeswoman Sarah Robertson says the witness list is lengthy:

Robertson: Obviously there are several witnesses for the company, for
TRAILCo. There are several pro se interveners which like I said are
citizens who have a vested interest in the case. There are witnesses
from the Sierra Club, CPV Warren, Consumer Advocates Division,
homeowners groups.

Mason: Allegheny Power subsidiary TRAILCo applied last March for
permission to build the power lines. Since then the P-S-C has
conducted a dozen hearings in six different cities so the public could
comment. Robertson says the list of concerns is long:

Robertson: It goes from people not wanting it to be on their property.
There are environmental concerns. They have medical concerns. What is
the high voltage power line going to do to their land, the animals, the
run off. There are just so many concerns that these interveners have.

Mason: Consultants and Public Service Commission staff have also
expressed concern. They are recommending the Commission not approve
the line. Robertson says despite the staff and consultant’s
recommendation, the Commission could still approve
it.

Robertson: The Commission will have to decide whether it’s in the
public’s convenience and necessity to have this power line put in. Is
it needed? Is it convenient? Is it necessary? These are the things
that the Commission has to look at. And we’re not talking about 20
people. We’re talking about the northern part of the state.

Mason: The big picture is some are saying it is necessary for the
power grid on the east coast. Does this Commission think about that or
are they only concerned with whether it’s necessary for West Virginia?
Robertson: Obviously the Commission is charged with, concerning itself
with the needs of the people of West Virginia. It will look at whether
its needed for the power grid. Whether that will come into its final
decision making process is yet to be seen.

Mason: Robertson says the TRAILCo hearing begins Wednesday morning at P-S-C headquarters in Charleston. The Commission will hear testimony
through Saturday and will continue the hearing next week, Monday through
Saturday. For West Virginia Public Broadcasting I’m Cecelia Mason in
Shepherdstown.

If you caught the previous entry about the AP story, you know that the Consumer Advocate Division of the West Virginia Public Service Commission has reached an agreement with Allegheny Power over TrAIL and will no longer oppose the TrAIL power line.

The 21-page agreement is available on the WV PSC Web site.

AP reports today on the ABCMoney site:

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Allegheny Energy and the state Public Service Commission’s Consumer Advocate Division reached a settlement Monday over the routing of a new multistate power line in northern West Virginia that would supply free electricity to affected residential landowners.

‘We think it’s good,’ Consumer Advocate Byron Harris said of the four-part settlement. ‘We think we have hopefully captured for landowners many of the conditions they requested if the line is to be built.’

Affected landowners would receive up to 1,000 kilowatts of free electricity a month for the life of the line. The deal is worth about $70 a month and only applies to residential customers.

The line is expected to affect 500 property owners, but Allegheny Energy spokesman Allen Staggers said he didn’t know how many customers would be eligible for the free electricity.

The provision is a first for Greensburg, Pa.-based Allegheny Energy. Staggers and Harris likened it to natural gas companies providing free gas to property owners when wells are drilled.

‘It’s one of the ways we can address some of the concerns about just and fair compensation since this line will be on the property for a long time,’ Staggers said.

The settlement also says the utility will not clear cut the line’s right of way and will not conduct aerial herbicide spraying to control vegetation along the route.

In exchange, the consumer advocate’s division will not oppose the need for the transmission line and will tell the PSC that a proposed route through West Virginia is acceptable.

‘We don’t support the power line,’ Harris said. ‘We just don’t contest it.’

The Public Service Commission starts hearings Wednesday on whether the power line is needed.

Allegheny Energy has to convince the PSC that the Pennsylvania-to-Virginia line is needed before it can move ahead on the project. The line would be built by Allegheny Energy subsidiary Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line Co.

‘The two big thresholds we have to cross in our filing with the PSC is there is a need for the line and … we picked an appropriate route,’ Staggers said. ‘This agreement addresses both of those.’

Consultants hired by the state have urged the PSC to reject the proposal.

In documents filed with the PSC, they question whether the line would help West Virginia consumers and suggest the interstate line is not the most cost-effective option for easing potential power outages in the Eastern United States.

PJM Interconnection, the organization responsible for the transmission grid for a 13-state area, has said without the 500-kilovolt, 240-mile transmission line between Washington County, Pa., and Loudoun County, Va., the stability of the grid and reliable flow of electricity within the region could not be guaranteed.

The Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line would pass through Monongalia, Preston, Tucker, Grant, Hardy and Hampshire counties and would be built by Allegheny and Dominion Energy of Richmond, Va.

You can find the Allegheny Power press release about this on the APTrailinfo.com Web site.