Capon Valley Coalition

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

Bill Golemon, a member of the Capon Valley Coalition Steering Committee active in reaching out to the news media, wrote the following letter to the editor of The Charleston Gazette on March 3.

We don’t know if the newspaper will publish it, but we will let you know. The Allegheny Power Company has proposed a 240-mile 500-kilovolt extra high voltage transmission line across West Virginia, with towers up to 175 feet high, as tall as 12 to 15 story buildings. They will soon request construction authority from the state Public Service Commission.

If they don’t get what they want, the designation of a National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor in West Virginia will allow them to request from the Federal government the right of eminent domain, to seize right-of-way from landowners, overriding our property rights and the state’s right to regulate power line siting and construction. Many Governors and regulatory commissions in other states strongly oppose this, and bi-partisan congressional legislation is being introduced to restrict it.

West Virginia is entering a new era of growth and economic development, supported by the efforts of leaders like Senator Byrd and Governor Manchin.

I live in Hampshire County, in the beautiful and historic Cacapon River Valley, the oldest settled area in West Virginia. Eastern West Virginia is an area of rapid growth and an expanding economy, and with the completion of the Corridor H highway this growth will accelerate. Tourism is expanding. People are moving into Hampshire and Hardy Counties, buying property, building homes and starting businesses, in order to enjoy the scenic beauty of the area.

This new gigantic power line through our counties will devastate this scenic beauty, destroy property values and damage the economy of our communities.This is a terrible and unacceptable price to pay to increase Allegheny Power’s profits, which have been growing rapidly. Incredibly, part of their justification for the recent rate increase was to help pay the construction costs of the power line.

Apparently, the citizens of West Virginia are supposed to pay for this infringement of our property rights, destruction of property values, and damage to our financial security and our environment. The power line will carry power produced outside of West Virginia, and is not intended for West Virginia. Its purpose is to provide cheaper electricity to Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states.

There are other more practical and far less destructive alternatives to achieve this. It has been stated that West Virginia needs to improve its transmission infrastructure. This may be true, but it is not apparent here, where five power lines are visible within 20 miles.

Apparently it is also considered to be beneficial to the coal industry, but this power is characterized as being excess capacity, already available to be sent to other states. The best alternative solution is to build new power plants where the demand is, creating new markets for clean West Virginia coal.

Another choice would be to put the lines underground, supposedly more costly to do but more reliable and cost efficient in the long run, far less damaging, and less threatening to safety and health.

Citizens of Hampshire and Hardy County have formed the Capon Valley Coalition to oppose this power line. To date we have received well over 600 signed petitions supporting us, and have received the support of the Hampshire County Commission and many other organizations. Although this was not an issue during the current legislative session we feel very strongly that it should have been.

We seek the support and efforts of our elected representatives and state agencies to review this issue. There should be a thorough study of the need for this power line and its perceived benefits, alternative solutions, and above all, the tremendous negative impact it would have on thousands of property owners and the entire state.

Respectfully,
William Golemon
P O Box 127
Yellow Spring WV 26865

Willard “Bill” Wirtz, U.S. Secretary of Labor under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson and a part-time resident of the Capon Valley in Yellow Spring, has written a moving letter to U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller supporting the Capon Valley Coalition position on TrAIL.

(Mr. Wirtz made a copy of his letter available to us and is allowing us to post it on the CVC Web site.)

Mr. Wirtz developed something of a love affair with the Capon Valley in the 1960s and wrote a delightful history of it under the title, “Capon Valley Sampler: Sketches of Appalachia from George Washington to Caudy Davis.”

Here are some excerpts from his letter:

The company already has one power line across the valley. They are apparently maintaining that “homeland security” requires that they have another and that it not parallel the one they already have. I don’t believe this can be supported. …

I don’t suppose it matters that these two counties are where George Washington did the heart of his surveying. This was in 1750 and the proposed high voltage routes all cut across the lots he laid out. …

I know that I am only saying what hundreds of people here in this valley feel very, very deeply. We seem helpless against a powerful corporation seeking to misuse the power of eminent domain. [Emphasis added.] It becomes a basic issue of democracy’s meaning. …

You have a meeting scheduled with the Capon Valley Coalition. Suffice it perhaps to say that I join fervently in what they will be saying.

ROCKEFELLER MEETING FRIDAY (March 2)

A delegation from the Capon Valley Coalition will meet Friday (March 2) with two members of Sen. Jay Rockefeller’s staff to present copies of our petitions — that’s why it’s important to sign the petition — and to brief them on the vigorous opposition in West Virginia to Allegheny Power’s ill-conceived and unjustified power line.

Watch the Web site for a report on the meeting.

This letter came in today’s email from Lew McDaniel of Independence, WV, (west of us in Preston County). Lew gave us permission to put his letter on our Web site.

Good day:

I am a member of the Laurel Run Community Watershed Association. We are a small group of folks who watch over Laurel Run, our local stream in a small part of Monongalia, Preston, and Taylor counties. Web site: www.laurelrunwatershed.org.

Two of the proposed Allegheny TrAIL routes would pass through the Laurel Run watershed near Gladesville, WV and across the property of some association members and others in the area.

To date, we have protested via petition signed by area residents sent to Allegheny. We intend to also file protests with the state Public
Service Commission once AEP files . We requested a meeting with Jay Ruberto, the power line siting director and were rebuffed. He is
apparently not interested in discussion until route possibilities are
more defined. He said the siting map at this location should be updated in a week or two and filing with the PSC is anticipated near the end of March:

http://www.aptrailinfo.com/downloads/Allegheny%20Energy%20TrAIL%20500%20kV%20Extended%20Project%20Area.pdf

We also emailed our area legislators, but received minimal response. We do not feel county commissioners in our area will be supportive due to power plants in our area and their support of them. We also contacted the WV Public Service Commission. Among other things, the executive director stated:

“contrary to the assertion found in some letters received by the Commission, this Commission’s initial jurisdiction over such transmission line construction and siting has not been removed by any provision of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.”

There is information that may be useful at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission site regarding power line siting.” The information below suggest FERC has a different view over
jurisdiction. See:

FERC Proposes Rules for Federal Eminent Domain in National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors:
http://energylegalblog.com/archive/2006/06/26/230.aspx

This one contains info that might be useful in protesting directly to
FERC. It appears a docket number is needed:

A Guide to the FERC Electric Transmission Facilities Permit Process:
http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/Files/20070129190117-guide-transmission.pdf

My personal opinion is that this issue has many components:

* Rural America does not want power lines through our property or
scenic areas; urban areas do not want generation facilities in their areas
* The value of our scenery and ecologically sound areas here is as
great as buildings and parking lots in Baltimore/Washington.
* Federal law, with FERC acting as the agency, should not have
eminent domain rights when a private concern (AEP) will profit
* AEP will dot every “i” and cross every “t” in all areas to assure
permitting of the line, thereby making defeating them very
difficult.
* The “build a power line” approach may be the quickest route to
Return on Investment for AEP, but it is very 20th century and does
not take into account supply side management or alternative energy
sources.
* AEP will pay a flat cost for right of way easement, but reap
profits for generations to come with no benefit to the private
landowner.
* The same issues will arise when AEP tries to build a similar line
from the John Amos plant near Winfield on the Kanawha to New
Jersey in 2008. This line is supposed to pass south of Clarksburg.

I will pass along info about our activities as they occur.

Lew McDaniel
Independence, WV