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Dominion backtracks, reroutes proposed Va. hunt country line
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By MATTHEW BARAKAT
Associated Press Writer
February 13, 2007
McLEAN, Va. -- Dominion Virginia Power said Tuesday it will seek to reroute a high-voltage power line that would have cut through the heart of hunt country, following pressure from preservationists concerned that pristine open space would be scarred.
But opponents were not swayed and continued to argue that the proposed new line is unnecessary.
Dominion, which had waged an aggressive public-relations campaign on behalf of its initial proposal, said it changed course after receiving new technical data as well as an outpouring of opposition from environmentalists and some of the state's wealthiest landowners.
"Certainly we heard from folks on what I'll call the more direct path," said utility spokesman Jim Norvelle. "We listened to those citizens. ... Now we have to begin a conversation with some new people."
The new route is longer and more expensive than the original proposal--$210 million instead of $150 million, and about 65 miles instead of 40 to 50 miles. The new route also makes a sort of extended "U" along the southern border of Fauquier County, rather than the more direct route that cut along the Interstate 66 corridor.
But the new route uses existing rights of way, while the old route would have required acquiring new rights of way.
The added costs of the new route will be passed on to customers, Norvelle said, but it is too early to estimate exactly how it would affect monthly bills for Dominion's 2.3 million customers in Virginia and parts of North Carolina.
Norvelle said the new route became feasible when projections for the mid-Atlantic energy grid showed that some of the booming demand for electricity in northern Virginia and elsewhere will be accommodated by another new line. That line will run north of Virginia and will be built earlier than initially projected.
Dominion Virginia Power has said that the region's growing need for electricity will result in rolling blackouts on peak demand days as soon as 2011 unless new transmission lines are built.
Critics say the utility should look more closely at conservation rather than new power lines to meet demand.
Opponents of the initial route were not mollified by the proposed rerouting. Ray Graham, vice chairman of the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors, said the proposed lines are unacceptable on either route, given the scale of the project and the size of the towers needed to carry the lines.
"Fauquier County is not interested in any route Dominion wishes to take," Graham said. "They still haven't proven that they actually need these lines."
Bob Lazaro, a spokesman for the Piedmont Environmental Council, agreed that the need for the line has not been demonstrated and said the council plans to sponsor a community meeting in southern Fauquier County later this month to organize opposition.
"As usual we're disappointed by Dominion," Lazaro said. "Putting it in someone else's backyard is not a solution."
The environmental and preservationist lobby in the outer suburbs of Fauquier and western Loudoun and Prince William counties has long been well-organized and successful. Many of the same people who organized against the power line were successful more than a decade ago in preventing Disney Corp. from building a history-themed amusement park in the region.
Among those who campaigned against the transmission line was actor Robert Duvall, a Fauquier County resident who said he was worried about the line's impact on historical sites that include Civil War battle sites and the home of former Supreme Court Justice John Marshall.
Dominion said it will submit its proposal in April to the State Corporation Commission, which can approve or reject the project.
By MATTHEW BARAKAT
Associated Press Writer
February 13, 2007
McLEAN, Va. -- Dominion Virginia Power said Tuesday it will seek to reroute a high-voltage power line that would have cut through the heart of hunt country, following pressure from preservationists concerned that pristine open space would be scarred.
But opponents were not swayed and continued to argue that the proposed new line is unnecessary.
Dominion, which had waged an aggressive public-relations campaign on behalf of its initial proposal, said it changed course after receiving new technical data as well as an outpouring of opposition from environmentalists and some of the state's wealthiest landowners.
"Certainly we heard from folks on what I'll call the more direct path," said utility spokesman Jim Norvelle. "We listened to those citizens. ... Now we have to begin a conversation with some new people."
The new route is longer and more expensive than the original proposal--$210 million instead of $150 million, and about 65 miles instead of 40 to 50 miles. The new route also makes a sort of extended "U" along the southern border of Fauquier County, rather than the more direct route that cut along the Interstate 66 corridor.
But the new route uses existing rights of way, while the old route would have required acquiring new rights of way.
The added costs of the new route will be passed on to customers, Norvelle said, but it is too early to estimate exactly how it would affect monthly bills for Dominion's 2.3 million customers in Virginia and parts of North Carolina.
Norvelle said the new route became feasible when projections for the mid-Atlantic energy grid showed that some of the booming demand for electricity in northern Virginia and elsewhere will be accommodated by another new line. That line will run north of Virginia and will be built earlier than initially projected.
Dominion Virginia Power has said that the region's growing need for electricity will result in rolling blackouts on peak demand days as soon as 2011 unless new transmission lines are built.
Critics say the utility should look more closely at conservation rather than new power lines to meet demand.
Opponents of the initial route were not mollified by the proposed rerouting. Ray Graham, vice chairman of the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors, said the proposed lines are unacceptable on either route, given the scale of the project and the size of the towers needed to carry the lines.
"Fauquier County is not interested in any route Dominion wishes to take," Graham said. "They still haven't proven that they actually need these lines."
Bob Lazaro, a spokesman for the Piedmont Environmental Council, agreed that the need for the line has not been demonstrated and said the council plans to sponsor a community meeting in southern Fauquier County later this month to organize opposition.
"As usual we're disappointed by Dominion," Lazaro said. "Putting it in someone else's backyard is not a solution."
The environmental and preservationist lobby in the outer suburbs of Fauquier and western Loudoun and Prince William counties has long been well-organized and successful. Many of the same people who organized against the power line were successful more than a decade ago in preventing Disney Corp. from building a history-themed amusement park in the region.
Among those who campaigned against the transmission line was actor Robert Duvall, a Fauquier County resident who said he was worried about the line's impact on historical sites that include Civil War battle sites and the home of former Supreme Court Justice John Marshall.
Dominion said it will submit its proposal in April to the State Corporation Commission, which can approve or reject the project.