n LOUDOUN
4 | n LEESBURG
VOL. 9, NO. 35
8 | n EDUCATION
10 | n PUBLIC NOTICES
23
Community-Supported News. Free to all.
JULY 11, 2024
PJM Considers Alternate Route for Western Power Line BY HANNA PAMPALONI
hpampaloni@loudounnow.org
Regional power coordinators on Tuesday considered an alternate route for a controversial transmission line previously approved to run through western Loudoun. Because of increasing demands for power in the region, PJM Interconnection, the organization responsible for coordinating power across 13 states, including Virginia, opened a request for transmission line projects to meet the growing demand. As part of that open window, the organization approved a proposal by Florida-based NextEra Energy collaborating with other energy providers, to build a line known as the Mid-Atlantic Resiliency Link. A portion of that line is planned to cut south from Harpers Ferry through western Loudoun via new rightsof-way to a substation near Leesburg. Residents, organized by the Piedmont Environmental Council and Loudoun Transmission Line Alliance, have opposed the line and last month, the Board of Supervisors approved a resolution calling for any new transmission lines to be built on existing rights-of-way. During the July 9 Transmission Expansion Advisory Committee meeting, PJM staff members presented an alternative route following existing rights-of-way east from West Virginia, through the northern tip of Loudoun County to Maryland and then south toward Leesburg. Projects to improve the lines along Rt. 15 are also planned. “The originally proposed [new right-of
way] route will be rerouted to an alternate route within existing transmission line rights-of-way along the [existing] Dobbs corridor, containing that rebuilt Dobbs to Goose Creek line and the new Dobbs to Aspen 500 kilovolt lines, resulting in three 500 kV transmission lines within that corridor,” PJM Transmission Coordination and Analysis Manager Augustine Caven said. He said the proposed change is the result of “successful collaboration” between NextEra and the power providers who own the rights of way, stakeholders and community members. “There’s been a lot of great conversations that have been going on, on a weekly basis between PJM, NextEra, First Energy, ALTERNATE ROUTE continues on page 31
Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now
Loudoun Transmission Line Alliance founder and Waterford Foundation President Sue Manch stands on the property known as Phillips Farm. The property is owned by the foundation and preserved through a conservation easement, however, a transmission line proposal by NextEra Energy is expected to cross through the property.
Alliance Releases MARL Impact Study BY HANNA PAMPALONI
hpampaloni@loudounnow.org
The Loudoun Transmission Line Alliance last week released an impact study showing how a proposed transmission line project by NextEra Energy planned to travel across western Loudoun would affect county residents. The 137-page report compiles impact statements from organizations and individuals who testify to the “very likely damage” a line through new
rights-of-way would inflict if it passes through rural Loudoun. Those statements are supplemented by a series of maps to illustrate the density of historical, economic and natural resources in Loudoun that would “suffer irreparable damage.” “The impact that we have been able to chronicle in this report shows that the [State Corporation Commission] standards could not possibly be met, because the proposal from NextEra fails to minimize or avoid negative impact,”
LTLA Founder Sue Manch said. The study states that proposal fails to avoid or minimize effects on economic development in Loudoun County and Virginia; fails to avoid or reasonably minimize adverse impacts on scenic assets, historic resources and the environment; and fails to give adequate consideration to the existing rights-of-way. “Those are three tenants of the
ROOF LOCAL
Free Architectural Shingle Upgrade. Call to schedule your appointment now!
ECRWSSEDDM
540-441-7649
HartleyHomeExteriors.com
(mention this ad when you schedule your appointment) The Best Choice for Roofing Replacement
IMPACT STUDY continues on page 31
Permit #1374 Merrifield VA
PAID
PRESRT STD U.S. Postage