Culpeper County Supervisors have approved a resolution opposing the Joshua Falls-Yeat Transmission Line Project and the Yeat substation.
The Joshua Falls-Yeat Transmission Line Project is one of three proposed by joint venture Valley Link and approved by regional transmission organization PJM Interconnection. It would build approximately 115 miles of 765kV transmission lines from Campbell County to Culpeper County with preliminary routes crossing up to nine localities, including Orange County. At 765kV, the transmission lines are the highest voltage, highest capacity transmission line type available in the country and would include structures between 135 and 160 feet tall requiring approximately 200 feet of right-of-way. Valley Link representatives have said the project is needed to solve grid reliability issues amid unprecedented growth in the demand for energy. The project would allow power being generated in the Ohio River Valley to be accessed in Northern Virginia, which, according to the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, has the highest concentration of data centers in the world.
Initially, the project route culminated in a proposed substation in Fauquier County. That changed as the routing process began with the substation moved to Culpeper. Dominion has asked PJM to approve the new substation location which, when comparing Valley Link’s routing map with county GIS, appears to be a 306.32 acre, A-1 Agricultural zoned parcel off Eleys Ford Road. County land records list the property as being owned by Pardee Timber, a West Virginia based subsidiary of Pardee Resources Company.
Last week, more than 200 people attended the newly-formed Richardsville Coalition’s meeting to discuss the project and substation, focusing on how to successfully oppose it. Several more folks attended via a live stream. Culpeper Stevensburg District Supervisor DeWayne Payne attended the meeting to answer questions.
On Tuesday morning, it was Payne who led the charge with his fellow board members to adopt a five-page resolution opposing the overall project and the substation. In addition to voicing opposition, the resolution also authorizes the chair and clerk of the board to coordinate with the officials and staff members of other impacted localities to build a regional opposition strategy and explore the feasibility of retaining legal counsel. The clerk of the board and county attorney are also authorized to become official interveners in the SCC process. Valley Link plans to submit an application for the project to the SCC in September. Both are also authorized to participate in any formal Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) proceedings and expend funds necessary to carry out the county’s opposition and participation strategy. Funds will need to be approved and appropriated by the board. In addition the resolution will be transmitted to any involved commissions, Valley Link and others.
Initially, the resolution only focused on the project itself. Payne made a motion to amend it to add the substation which was seconded by supervisor Gary Deal. Some expressed hesitation with adding the substation to the resolution as the county has not received an application or preliminary plan regarding it. Under the Culpeper County Zoning Ordinance, public utilities, utility power generation and storage facilities all require a conditional use permit in A-1 zoned areas. The process by which to obtain the use permit includes public hearings at both the planning commission and board of supervisors levels.
Supervisor David Lee suggested using a 60-day period to study the project more in depth before making a decision on the resolution. He said with no application submitted, the earliest a vote on the substation could occur is August or September. Payne disagreed.
“The people of Richardsville don’t have 60 days,” he said. “The reason behind this amendment change is real simple. The people of Richardsville and the people of Stevensburg have asked for it.”
Supervisor Paul Bates agreed that time is of the essence, encouraging Culpeper County to take a stance and join the fellow jurisdictions that have opposed the project.
“I don’t want to give one person out there a false sense of security,” he said. “When talking about the SCC and a public utility, I think everybody in here knows what could happen. I don’t want one person in this room to be put in a position where they are not doing their homework. I think we need to move forward with this resolution against the powerline and substation.”
Supervisor Kevin Farrish said he’s been opposed to the project from the start. He said he distrusts Dominion and encouraged the county to use all the effort that can be mustered to oppose the project in every way.
Chairman Tom Underwood said he opposes the project, but would rather see a substation impact one-third of the county than transmission lines impact the entire county. He said opposing a substation that hasn’t yet been applied for seems a bit premature.
The resolution was adopted 6-1 with Underwood dissenting.
During the evening portion of the meeting, several Stevensburg residents spoke against the project. Steve Borden said Dominion hasn’t come to the community with transparency, but instead has been evasive, refusing to answer direct questions from residents.
‘’They claim they don’t know key aspects of their project,” he said.
Mandy Martin, a seventh generation resident of Richardsville, said she was disheartened to hear anyone on the board say they haven’t heard enough information about the project.
“I’m here to let you know we do not wish to be the sacrificial lamb for Culpeper County,” she said, encouraging supervisors to drive to Richardsville and “try to understand what the people of Culpeper County are asking you to fight for because we will not stop.”
For more information regarding the Joshua Falls-Yeat Transmission Line Project, visit https://vltransmission.com/joshua-falls-to-yeat/.
