Entries by John Doyle

High Wire Action

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Electric power is delivered largely through overhead transmission lines. We put up with the lines because without them our lights go out. But as John Doyle explains, the huge thirst for electricity of data centers in Loudon County, Virginia is proposed to be quenched by equally huge (160 feet!) transmission lines crossing several counties in the Eastern Panhandle, including Jefferson County. That electricity will not benefit our people, but it will take land and devalue the properties it passes through. This will be another example of West Virginia giving and getting nothing back, but grief. John cautions vigilance.

Suspend the Gas Tax — Responsibly

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Everyone across the state is feeling the effect of the Iran War in raising drastically the cost of gas. Relief at the pump is needed and the WV Legislature is aware of it. John Doyle describes two proposals, both aimed at providing some relief. One supported by Democrats calls for a suspension of the tax, but replacing the lost revenue from another source, so that needed work on road improvements won’t be stalled. The Republican plan calls for a simple suspension of the tax, which John Doyle argues would lead to more potholes going unfixed.

Data Centers: Talk of the Panhandle

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The topic of data centers is contentious for communities actually or potentially impacted by them. It’s so contentious that our Republican dominated legislature has taken away the rights of these communities to regulate them and even to have them at all. John Doyle makes the case that these community rights legislated away for now have to be reconsidered and restored in future legislative sessions.