Opposition to Valley Link North Transmission Project
Valley Link North is a project that should not be permitted to be built. It is not wanted or needed and will do significant damage in West Virginia. Sixteen different County Commissions have already opposed it. Moving forward with this project over such strong, almost universal opposition is unacceptable. West Virginia doesn’t want, and cannot afford the damages that such a transmission line would cause.
Transmission towers for the Valley Link North project are planned to have a typical height of 150 to 175 feet, with some structures potentially reaching a maximum height of up to 230 feet, and take away a swath of land 200 feet wide across the state. The right-of-ways would cut through large tracts of new and historic family farms, tourist havens, and private land. In places it would disrupt generations of agricultural use. Homes, farms, and businesses close to high-voltage lines and structures will suffer decreased property values.
Farmers fear that static electricity and humming from the lines may deter livestock from grazing underneath them, and that aerial pesticide or herbicide spraying could jeopardize organic farm certifications and contaminate produce. I fear that it’s more than the farms that would suffer. What about nearby people? What about our fragile ecosystems?
It is estimated to cost millions of dollars, and because if it goes through our state, we wind up paying for the infrastructure – these are dollars West Virginians cannot afford and should have to pay. Any infrastructure built for out of state beneficiaries should be paid for by those out of state beneficiaries. They should not only pay for any land they take they should pay for the land they compromise by their proximity. They should pay for the roads they destroy with their heavy construction equipment. They should pay for everything they destroy. In fact, Valley Link North should not be allowed here in the first place.
Jenny’s position was written in response to a candidate questionnaire fielded by The Valley North Opposition Alliance.
