Rep. Wolf Opposes Proposed Power Line

U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf said yesterday that he opposes a proposed power line that would cut across parts of Northern Virginia, and he urged federal officials not to give it a special designation that would allow power companies to bypass the state approval process.

"I cannot emphasize enough the historic, environmental, scenic and cultural importance of the lands within this [area]," Wolf wrote in a letter to U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman. Wolf said that the line would "threaten a longstanding federal, state and local effort to protect the landscape's cultural, historic and scenic qualities."

Wolf, (R-Va.), also demanded that the Energy Department conduct a full environmental study on the project before deciding whether to grant the corridor the special status.

Wolf's comments came hours before the Piedmont Environmental Council held a meeting in Middleburg to rally opposition to the line, which is planned to cross parts of Frederick, Clarke, Warren, Fauquier, Loudoun and Prince William counties.

Officials at Dominion Virginia Power, which would build the Virginia section of the 500,000-volt transmission line, have said it is needed to bring electricity to rapidly expanding Northern Virginia.

Pennsylvania-based Allegheny Power, which is building most of the line, and PJM Interconnection, a regional coordinator of transmission line projects, have asked the Energy Department for "national interest" designation for the line, which would give the companies federal recourse if state officials won't let them build it. Dominion has not asked for the designation for its portion but has not ruled it out. Regardless, if PJM and Allegheny are successful, the designation could apply to Dominion's portion as well.

Opposition to the project is being coordinated by the Piedmont Environmental Council, a politically powerful and well funded slow-growth organization that has made preserving the rural character of Western Virginia one of its core goals. Group leaders say they are not trying to push the line to another location. Rather, they dispute the notion that Northern Virginia needs the power.

"We believe it's just meant to be a path to send power out of state to generate big profits for the power companies," said Robert W. Lazaro Jr., spokesman for PEC. "Meanwhile, the community gets the disaster of having these lines running through some of the most pristine and beautiful land in the United States."

About 80 residents and property owners appeared last night at a private school auditorium to join what group President Chris Miller called "a fight for the future of our community."

Among those residents was Mary Swift, 79, who owns about 25 acres and a historic home in Upperville, in far western Loudoun.

"My 1810 stone house doesn't want a big tower over it," she said, echoing the comments of some of her neighbors. "I am going to write evil postcards to everybody involved in this."

Miller promised to put the organization's resources behind the fight. The council has hired lawyers and industry experts to help make its case and plans to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Officials from Dominion and Allegheny will be holding public meetings in November and December in the six affected counties.

During those meetings, officials plan to present some specific paths for the line under consideration and will seek public input before applying for approval with the State Corporation Commission, company officials said.

One option that won't be on the table is installing the cables underground, officials said. The practice hasn't been proven safe for high-voltage cables and would make repairing the line difficult, said John D. Smatlak, vice president of electrical transmission for Dominion. It is also an expensive proposition, he said.

"The technology just isn't there for it to work," Smatlak said.