The 115-mile corridor along which Valley Link aims to place a 765kV transmission line is now officially endangered.
On Tuesday, representatives from 10 historic preservation and environmental groups gathered at Historic Germanna to caution against the Joshua Falls-Yeat Transmission Project, one of three proposed by Dominion Energy, Transource Energy and FirstEnergy joint venture Valley Link. If ultimately approved by the State Corporation Commission (SCC), the project would entail erecting high-voltage transmission lines from Campbell County to Culpeper County with preliminary routes passing through 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.
Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) Senior Land Use Field Representative for Madison and Orange Counties Don McCown said due to the changing nature of the preliminary route, it’s not yet possible to compile a complete list of impacted properties, but the overall impacts will be wide ranging and serious. He said the integrity of various resources will be compromised along with the working landscape.
The preliminary routes pass through 11 historic districts, at least two battlefields, the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area, Orange Springs which is on the National Register of Historic Places and the Louisa County cemetery located off Chopping Road. It includes over 2,600 acres that are currently forested, farmed providing wildlife habitat and contributing to the rural economy and region’s character.
For these reasons, Preservation Virginia CEO Will Glasco said the corridor has been placed on the 2026 list of Virginia’s Most Endangered Places. The list is released each May which is National Historic Preservation Month and includes places across Virginia facing imminent or sustained threats. This year’s list of nine reflects the pressures of new development placed on historic communities and the ongoing impacts of the data center industry. The Joshua Falls-Yeat corridor is the largest on the list. Glasco said heritage tourism, much of which is located within the corridor, is a billion dollar industry in Virginia, something that needs to be part of the conversation. He said it’s more imperative now than ever that long-term impacts of projects are considered.
Central Virginia Battlefield Trust President Tom Van Winkle said the transmission project will leave a permanent scar.
“Utility lines can be moved,” he said. “Battlefields cannot. Let us not abandon our past as it guides us to our future.”
While not tied to any funding for those named, Glasco said the endangered places list has been successful in leading to the preservation of properties in the past. He said of the more than 200 sites listed over 25 years, approximately 50% have been preserved. Only 10%, he said, have been lost and 40% remain on a watchlist. The list also serves to prioritize Preservation Virginia’s workplan for the future year.
“It’s really a grassroots awareness campaign,” Glasco said.
Meanwhile, Valley Link has released dates for its next round of in-person open house meetings. The Orange County meeting has been scheduled for Monday, June 15, 3:30-7:30 p.m. at Orange County High School. The meeting is supposed to serve as a way for residents to view the project’s updated routes and changes made since the March meeting which more than 500 attended. However, in a brief conversation at Tuesday’s event, Dominion Energy’s Craig Carper said the new routes will likely not be available until days before the open house. Orange County’s meeting is the first of the nine county-located meetings, along with Spotsylvania which is scheduled for the same date and time. A virtual meeting has been scheduled for June 10, 12-1 p.m.
For more information, visit www.vltransmission.com.
