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SHEPHERDSTOWN - Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has joined the voices opposing the Valley Link transmission line project.
"I’m gravely worried about the proposed 260-mile Valley Link power line, that’s going to plow through much of West Virginia, including historic Jefferson County and the lower Shenandoah Valley," Burns said in a video posted to social media by the group Say No to Valley Link.
The project, which would run through 18 West Virginia counties, including Randolph, Upshur, 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. The project is a joint venture of Dominion Energy, FirstEnergy Transmission and Transource Energy.
"These data center power line fights are being waged all across America, as people stand up for their farms, their homes and their communities," Burns said in the video. "But there’s no more important fight than Valley Link. I know and love Jefferson County and the Shenandoah Valley. This area is at the center of our shared natural history.
"Soldiers from Shepherdstown were among the first to join George Washington in the revolution. Civil War battles were fought here," said Burns, best known for his documentary series "The Civil War" (1990). "Every step along the proposed power line is sacred ground.
"If Valley Link is allowed to go forward, it will damage our history in ways that can never be undone. To desecrate this land, and destroy countless homes and farms by building a massive, 765-kilovolt power line is unthinkable, particularly in the year when we commemorate our 250th anniversary as a nation," Burns said. "I’m proud to be on the side of farmers and history lovers."
The project would erect high-tension, high-voltage power lines that would stretch across the Mountain State, with towers anywhere from 150 to 174 feet tall.
The Randolph County Commission voted unanimously last week to approve a resolution opposing the project.
The Upshur County Commission and the Tucker County Commission have also passed resolutions in opposition, as has the Tygarts Valley Conservation District. TVCD officials believe the proposed routes would cause serious harm to farms, forests, streams, and wildlife across our region, and are asking state leaders and the developer to consider better options that protect local land and communities.
State Senators Bill Hamilton, R-Upshur, and Robbie Morris, R-Randolph, have both gone public in voicing their opposition to the transmission project.