Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 31, 1993 TAG: 9308310127
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CATHRYN McCUE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Citizens' groups fighting Appalachian Power Co.'s proposed power line filed a statement with the State Corporation Commission on Monday.
It answers the company's response to the citizens' July 26 motion seeking to dismiss Apco's application to build the 115-mile line from West Virginia to Cloverdale.
"The biggest point we want to make is: We're not really responsible for the delays; it's not us," said David Brady, a board member of Arcs Inc., a two-state group opposed to the line.
Citizen groups in Craig, Roanoke and Botetourt counties, in their motion to dismiss, said that information in the application is outdated and therefore inaccurate. They also argued that Virginia should not review the application until Apco submits an application to West Virginia for that portion of the line.
Apco countered last week that its data still is relevant, and that the citizens are simply stalling the process.
The company maintains that the 765,000-volt line is needed to serve its customers' peak demand by the end of the century.
Opponents say the line is not needed and would harm human health, the environment and quality of life for people living along the route.
In Monday's filing, they said:
Apco has delayed submitting a report on geological conditions necessary for an upcoming hearing in Virginia.
Apco has not refiled an application in West Virginia, which has dismissed previous applications twice on grounds of insufficient information.
The U.S. Forest Service won't finish work on an environmental impact statement until early 1995.
Brady criticized as "scare tactics" Apco's statements that brownouts and blackouts are more likely to hit Western Virginia if the line isn't built by 1998.
Besides, he said, Apco had better start planning now for ways to avoid those power shortages without the line, which already is years behind schedule.
Brady, a Craig County citizen and engineer, had a couple of suggestions for Apco:
Stop selling power to wholesale buyers and stop transmitting power from one entity to another.
Stop promoting electric heat pumps.
Consider alternatives to provide sufficient power to customers, including conservation measures and other ways to control the demand for electricity.
"Apco . . . should be now looking at other alternatives to this line, not just whining about `blackouts and brownouts.' " Brady said. "They have five years to find interim measures and/or permanent alternatives."
The State Corporation Commission has scheduled a public hearing Sept. 14 to review environmental and health issues.
by CNB