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ELKINS - Randolph County officials added their voices this week to those opposing a new transmission line project sought by a joint venture of Dominion Energy, FirstEnergy Transmission and Transource Energy.
The Randolph County Commission voted unanimously this week to approve a resolution opposing the Valley North Transmission Line Project.
The project, which would run through 18 West Virginia counties including Upshur, Randolph, Tucker and Barbour, is a proposed 260-mile, 765-kilovolt transmission line that would connect the John E. Amos Power Plant in Putnam County to Frederick County, Maryland.
It would consist of high-tension, high-voltage power lines that would stretch across the Mountain State, with towers anywhere from 150 to 174 feet tall.
Commission President David Kesling read the resolution aloud during this week’s commission meeting.
The resolution states that "it is assumed the project will negatively impact" property owners in Randolph County, and that the County Commission "recognizes the value of private property rights."
"The use of imminent domain to condemn private property for a line that primarily serves out-of-state interests would irreparably harm Randolph County citizens" and "would transfer no compensatory benefits on local residents," the resolution reads.
Commissioner Cris Siler made a motion to approve the resolution, and Kesling seconded it. Siler and Kesling voted in favor of the resolution, as did newly appointed Commissioner Kenna Barger.
This week, the Tygarts Valley Conservation District also released a resolution opposing the Valley North Transmission Line Project. The district believes the proposed routes would cause serious harm to farms, forests, streams, and wildlife across our region.
TVCD officials are asking state leaders and the developer to consider better options that protect local land and communities.
The resolution states that the TVCD "formally opposes the construction of the Valley North Transmission Line Project," which involves creating "a new 765 kV high-voltage transmission line crossing through multiple West Virginia counties… requiring extensive right-of-way clearing and tall towers."
"The project would impact sensitive wildlife, including recovering populations of species such as whippoorwills and potential habitat for federally listed species like the Indiana bat and northern long-eared bat, as well as aquatic species in affected watersheds," the resolution reads.
"The proposed routes risk soil erosion, sedimentation of waterways, fragmentation of wildlife corridors, and long-term degradation of the scenic and ecological values that conservation districts work to protect," according to the resolution.
Earlier this month, the Upshur County Commission adopted a resolution supporting private property rights and opposing the Valley North Transmission Project.
State Senator Bill Hamilton, R-Upshur, and State Senator Robbie Morris, R-11th District, have both gone public in voicing their opposition to the transmission project.
In late July, the Tucker County Commission unanimously passed a resolution opposing the project.