Capon Valley Coalition

The Dominion Post ran this guest commentary on Sunday, March 9.

BY DON CORWIN

Joseph Goebbels, leader of the propaganda campaign for Nazi Germany, once said, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” Apparently, this is the hope of Allegheny Energy, as it continues to spew propaganda about the Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line, or TrAIL.

In recent weeks, Allegheny has flooded the air waves and print media with warm and fuzzy ads about how TrAIL will be a bonanza for West Virginia — producing jobs, providing reliable power and helping our economy. Allegheny and its minions have threatened us with power outages and shortages if this project is not approved. Thankfully, West Virginians aren’t drinking the Kool-Aid.

An executive from Allegheny Power recently penned an opinion (DP Feb. Feb. 10) extolling the virtues of TrAIL. He conveniently failed to mention some important facts.West Virginia jobs? Not so much. More than 90 percent of this project would be designed, built and managed outside West Virginia.

Furthermore, if TrAIL is approved, Allegheny would use eminent domain to force property owners on the TrAIL to sell their property. Did I forget to mention the biggest benefit of all? Millions of dollars in profit for Allegheny’s executives as they cash in on stock options made off the backs of state landowners and customers.

The primary objective of this power line, other than fattening the wallets of Allegheny’s executives, is to provide cheap, West Virginia power to Virginia and New Jersey. These states have no intention of building their own power plants and welcome the idea of having West Virginians breathe dirty air and pay bigger electric bills so they can heat their indoor swimming pools.

Evidentiary hearings for TrAIL were recently held before the state Public Service Commission in Charleston. The results of these hearings showed overwhelmingly that TrAIL is a bad deal for the people of West Virginia.

Some of the most important findings to come out of these hearings were:

The shortest and best route for TrAIL was through Pennsylvania and Maryland, yet Allegheny chose West Virginia because it perceived our state and its people as easier targets for forced seizure of private property.

This power line project does not strengthen the power grid in West Virginia, and any future power congestion can be easily eliminated through minor fixes in the existing power lines.

Allegheny’s application was woefully inadequate in identifying the impact on homeowners near the line route and ignored the economic and environmental impact of a 500-kilovolt power line that passes through the heart of northern West Virginia.

The evidence so clearly demonstrated that TrAIL is bad business for West Virginia that the PSC legal staff, engineering staff and its paid consultant all recommended against approval of TrAIL. The decision is now up to the commissioners. The evidence, the PSC staff recommendations and the overwhelming opposition from the public and businesses seem to point to a favorable outcome for the people of West Virginia. However, we are acutely aware that nothing can be taken for granted due to the power of lobbyists, possible backdoor deals and the lack of transparency in our state agencies.

As we await the decision of the commissioners, Allegheny’s propaganda campaign will likely continue. Like the coal and timber barons who came before them, Allegheny’s executives always believed they could pull the wool over the eyes of West Virginians.

Let’s hope that this time, the interests of West Virginians will come first and truth will prevail over propaganda.

DON CORWIN is president of the Halleck Community Association and a resident of the Halleck Road community. This commentary should be considered another point of view and not necessarily the opinion or editorial policy of The Dominion Post.

This email circulated through the Capon Valley community yesterday, and the author, Jim Kocton, agreed to let us print it. Well worth reading.

The Consumer Advocate Division (CAD) agreement with TrAILCo has the effect of providing momentum for TrAILCo’s case with very little down-side for TrAILCo. It seems inevitable that, even if a transmission line certificate were granted, that the restrictions on right-of-way clearing and herbicide use would be made conditions of the Certificate. Hence, all that was really gained was free electricity for landowners who agree to a right-of-way.

This provides an additional incentive for people to settle with TrAILCo.
But TrAILCo also gets the support of CAD who agreed to support TrAILCo’s claim (before FERC) that these costs were operating expenses for the line, and therefore subject to rate recovery.

This means that all other ratepayers will be gouged even more for this line.

Not only will we have to pay for the construction and operating costs, now we pay the electric bills for those landowners. What is worse, if these costs are considered eligible for rate recovery, then TrAILCo also gets their “incentivized rate of return” which means that we pay the landowners’ electric bills AND we also pay TrAILCO’s additional 14 % on top. TrAILCo stockholders get even richer with this deal and ratepayers get gouged even
more.

How is this “Consumer” advocacy?
Jim Kotcon

Dear friends and the iPetitions Campaign Team,

I am the vice-abbot of the Bhavana Society Buddhist Monastery and Meditation Center located on Back Creek Road. I wholly support the great efforts you and your group are doing to get the message out about this ‘land grab’ by the Power company and to fight against it.

It seems the route of the new TrAIL Co. power line is being moved east of the existing power line, the Capon Woods Resort houses and the La Follette junkyard.

I quote a section of the letter in the LRE p. 71:

“The routing team determined that the new route should continue to the east for an additional 500 feet and then turn more gradually to the southeast. This allows the route to diverge away from the existing line in this area and pass to the east of the auto junkyard on Back Creek Road and the numerous residences on Capon Resort Road.”

By looking at that route map, this proposed change would go over the eastern part of our monastery property which is adjacent to the junkyard. This change in the route will seriously impact at least five cottages used by our residents and guests. Apart from healths risks due to the close proximity to electromagnetic radiation,
this will seriously infringe on the sanctity and space of our religious/contemplative order.

It will also adversely affect our livelihood and way of living. Hundreds of people come here every year from all parts of the country as well as from abroad to spend time in prayer and meditation in the peaceful setting of the forest, on organized retreats as well as individual self-retreats. Local people in the area may not know about this.

I know that probably nobody wants to be closely affected by this additional mega power line. I guess ultimately it may have to go somewhere. But we are curious and would like to know why the power line cannot go through the middle of the junkyard. Is a junkyard more valuable than a place of spiritual worship and refuge?

I don’t know if local people know that a place of spiritual worship may be sacrificed over a junkyard. People may be interested to know this.

You may know more about this particular aspect of this controversial issue than I do. Any insights and thoughts about this particular issue would be greatly appreciated. And if you deem it worthy of notice, to bring this issue regarding the serious compromise of our monastery to your website readers. It may also help galvanize additional support for the total stopping of the use of ‘eminent domain’ and the additional power line altogether, which some people deem redundant and which is primarily helping corporate interests.

I am also going to write a ‘letter of protest’ to the Governor and other State Officials. After consideration, we may perhaps put this issue up on our Bhavana Society website to inform Buddhists worldwide of this serious encroachment of a place of worship over a junkyard. So any additional clear facts related to this issue are greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Bhante Yogavacara Rahula
Vice-abbot
Bhavana Forest Monastery
Rt.1, Box 218-3, Back Creek Road
Hampshire County, WV.

Lew sends us these observations:

The Public Service Commission of Maryland has released “ELECTRIC SUPPLY ADEQUACY REPORT OF 2007″ . Pages 33 and 34 at http://www.psc.state.md.us/psc/Reports/2007SupplyAdequacyReport_01172007.pdf are of particular interest.

In a nutshell, WV generates over 90% more electricity than it uses. Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia import about 20% or more than they generate. Those states and DC lack the resources to not only maintain present electricity levels at their current state of development, but to expand.

By the way, in 2004, the states with the highest net electricity exports were Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Texas, Alabama, and Illinois. Failing some national paradigm shift in how electricity is generated, WV’s coal - and natural gas - are likely to be in high demand for the foreseeable future.

I Don’t Want To Light Your New Urban Development

As a landowner, I consider the notion onerous that my land can be taken - and I do consider it taking when I do not want to sell, even were I to receive market value - to support unbridled development and citizen convenience in another state. To me, this is not a Not In My Backyard Issue; it is an I Don’t Want To Light Your New Urban Development issue.

Aesthetics and ecological issues aside, if I am going to be forced to sell my land as part of a way to provide electricity in high priced Washington, DC, I want [to be] paid for the land at the fair market value in the location where the electricity is delivered. Better yet, I want [to be] paid a portion of the value of the electricity that flows through the line that runs across the right of way on my property every minute of every day.

I know - that is not the way things work. But it should be. The bottom line is electricity for urban sprawl is being financed at rural America’s expense. To me, that means a battle of broader scope than the energy corridor concept is at hand.

Will TrAIL, the Wyoming County - Jacksons Ferry, and John Amos lines be the last shot or just the beginning? Will Big Volt power company return somewhere down the road and want more land for more or bigger lines? As long as urban America has no responsibility to do anything other than flip on the light switch and pay the bill, someone is betting our ranch on it.

The following item comes from Charlie Winfree, a Realtor, who added this as a comment on the old Capon Valley Coalition Web site on Feb. 24.

(For technical reasons, we cannot move comments from the old site to the new site. We have to copy them manually as a Web site posting. This actually guarantees that YOUR comments come from YOU.)

We thank Charlie for his input and his support.

As a full-time Realtor selling Potomac Highlands properties for the past 18 years, I can tell you that savvy buyers of quality mountain property want nothing to do with these big power lines on or near their property. Especially with so much property on the market today, they have lots of other smart choices. Anything under, or within view of these potential routes, may as well not even be on the market. They won’t come even close to compensating for all the property value declines.Selling a property now, without revealing that a potential route is on or near the property, may expose the seller and Realtor to liabilities at a later date. I’ve had to create property maps of the proposed lines as they pertain to each of the subdivisions I work within to protect all parties.

The power companies need to find another way to bring their product to market other than to trash our lands, homes, views and communities, for their corporate profits. I wish we could require anyone in favor of these lines to have to live with them, as they’re trying to cause us to do.

I suggested that to one Allegheny right-of-way official and she said that would be fine… she’d have no problem with a line/tower bordering her 1/4 ac home site in PA. Perfectly straight face. That shows you what twisted mentalities and professional liars we’re going to be working with if they build this monster. I suspect she’s already spent way too much time under high-voltage wires! You won’t get any sympathy or residual property compensation from that person! They chose her well.

Keep in mind that one of West Virginia’s best assets is the natural environment that buyers value so much. Every time we chip away at that with more big power lines, 4-lane highways and the like, we all lose and make it more like the Metro areas. But since Big Coal runs WV, this may not be the last if it.

Feb 24, 2:15 PM