Across State Lines

A power line that would provide much-needed electricity to Northern Virginia hits a snag.

IT'S NOT JUST Northern Virginia's roads that are gridlocked. The region's power lines are becoming increasingly overloaded, and blackouts are likely by 2011. A proposal that would bring cheaper electricity to Virginia while increasing the region's energy capacity is now threatened. Two Pennsylvania judges recommended last month that a key portion of a $1.3 billion power line between the two states not be built. If the recommendation becomes reality, Virginians should prepare for more expensive, less reliable electricity.

The judges, Michael A. Nemec and Mark A. Hoyer, contend there isn't a need for the Pennsylvania portion of the 240-mile line. They argue that consumers could reduce energy use and that power companies haven't adequately examined alternatives.

We agree that conservation and alternative energy are important. But power lines in the Washington area already operate at, or near, maximum capacity most months. To avoid blackouts in Virginia, residents would have to curb energy use by 40 percent in the next few years.

The judges got it right when they argued that the project places the burden for energy production in western Pennsylvania and the Midwest. But they failed to point out that these areas have a capacity for producing energy the Washington area lacks and that energy producers in those areas benefit because they get to sell electricity at higher prices.

West Virginia has approved its portion of the line. Virginia has taken steps to do the same, though officials recommended the state proceed only if West Virginia and Pennsylvania participate. Fortunately, the judges' recommendation isn't binding; though it has much sway, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has the final say. As a last resort, the federal government could step in and approve the power line.

The dispute over the line is part of a growing national challenge. Traditionally, states have controlled approval of power lines; states such as Pennsylvania have little incentive to approve lines that mostly benefit neighboring states. This has resulted in a severe shortage of transmission lines that is impeding development of alternative energy sources, such as wind turbines.

The Pennsylvania-Virginia line is an investment in the region's current electricity needs as well as in its future ability to tap into alternative energy. The Pennsylvania utility commission should consider the needs of an entire region, not just a state, and allow the line to proceed.