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Culpeper supervisors don't want new line

Culpeper board questions Dominion about transmission line

BY DONNIE JOHNSTON

Date published: 3/7/2007

BY DONNIE JOHNSTON

The Culpeper County Board of Supervisors doesn't dispute Dominion Virginia Power's need for a more powerful transmission line. Board members just don't want that line in their county, even if they might reap some of its benefits.

In fact, the supervisors yesterday went on record opposing Dominion's recent decision to bring the 500 kilovolt lines along existing right-of-way though the Jeffersonton area, unanimously passing a resolution to that effect.

"I don't argue with your power needs; it's the path you're taking that bothers me," Supervisor Brad Rosenberger told Dominion transmission Vice President John Smatlak, who briefed the board on his company's plans. "You're not going through Canada if you're going from here to California."

Rosenberger, whose district will be affected, was referring to the looping "preferred" route through Rappahannock, Culpeper and Fauquier counties that the line will be taking to get from Winchester to Loudoun County.

Smatlak said in opening remarks that the preferred route would only be 24 miles longer than Dominion's initial plan to run the lines straight down the Interstate 66 corridor from Winchester to Loudoun.

Supervisor Bill Chase challenged that assertion, saying that the Culpeper route "appears twice as long on my map."

Chase also questioned Dominion's motives for suddenly changing to this longer route.

"I think politics come into it a lot," he said, referring to the outcry from critics in the more affluent I-66 corridor.

Smatlak said conservation and historic issues influenced his company to change its initial plans.

"It was not because wealthy people became involved," he said.

Smatlak said the existing 150-foot right of way would need to be widened another 100 feet in most places to accommodate a second set of support structures. Where it came close to existing homes, however, the right of way would remain the same, with the lines placed on new, higher support structures.

He acknowledged that the longer, preferred route ($210 million) would cost about $60 million more than the I-66 route.

"We had to balance the $60 million difference with best public policy," Smatlak said. "This was the route of least overall impact."

The Dominion spokesman said that a 9 percent rise in residential electric consumption over the past 13 years (mostly due to computers and larger televisions) was but one reason why more power was needed.

Commercial growth, power-hungry data centers--such as the new Teremark center coming to Culpeper--and federal government upgrades are all using more electricity, he said.

"Unfortunately, we haven't figured out a way to build a transmission line that is acceptable to communities," Smatlak replied.

Smatlak said the Dominion Virginia preferred route plan will go before the State Corporation Commission, which will make the final route determination, in April.

The Piedmont Environmental Council will hold a meeting regarding the proposed transmission lines tonight at 7 o'clock at the Jeffersonton Community Center.

Donnie Johnston:
Email: djohnston@freelancestar.com

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Date published: 3/7/2007