Talking Points for Letters

  • PJM (regional authority for power transmission) has admitted that only 14 % of the power through these lines will remain in Maryland.

  • Will dramatically affect our property values.

  • Even if lines are constructed as proposed, it is projected that overloads will begin again starting in 2021 (less than ten years after construction is completed) at current consumption rates.

Environment:

  • The Allegheny and AEP “PATH” project will destroy beautiful views as well as negatively affect our wetlands, streams, meadows, forests and wildlife.  Pesticides, weed killers and clear-cutting are the primary culprits. [note: Meadows are an important habitat for fowl and other wildlife.  The loss of meadows is one of the primary reasons for significant loss of quail and pheasant populations in Maryland. ]

Financial:

  • A logical reason for Allegheny and AEP pushing so hard to construct these transmission lines is that the Federal Government through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) granted Allegheny and AEP (PATH) a guaranteed 14.3% profit on every dollar they spend for the 765 KV and twin 500 KV overhead lines. 

  • The amount of profits from the PATH project is enormous.  As an example of how much money is involved, it is reported that after Allegheny Power (TrAIL) was turned down by the hearing examiners for a transmission line from Pennsylvania through West Virginia and into Virginia, the decision was overruled after Allegany agreed to pay Greene County, Pennsylvania $750,000.

Notification:

  • No notices have been sent directly to property owners in the areas being considered; only advertisements in the local paper; thus, many property owners, still are unaware that their farmland, forest, barns, or even homes could be taken.  PATH (Allegheny and AEP) made no attempt to notify potentially affected property owners prior to July 21st 2008, when they began their “Open Houses.”  It is very likely that many of those facing the loss of their land are not aware of it. 

  • The Department of Energy in March 2006 had identified the Amos-Bedington-Kemptown circuit and communicated this to PJM Interconnect.  On December 28, 2007 the Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline, L.L.C. (PATH) filed proposed tariff sheets with the FERC Commission for the PATH project.  Why did it take PATH so long after the locations for the substations were identified for any notice of the PATH project to be made public?  PATH wanted to limit public input and the possibility of opposition groups from forming and having any impact on the future profits of PATH WV and PATH Allegheny.

  • PATH conducted a number of “open houses” after placing advertisements in the local paper; however, the “open house, smorgasbord” layout allowed for PATH personnel to minimize conversation from taking place between affected property owners. 

  • Many who viewed the maps are led to believe the proposed power lines will not affect them; however, this may not be the case as the power lines may be relocated up to 1,000 feet from the lines shown on the map or take a completely different route altogether.

Alternative Solutions:

  • HVDC: High-Voltage, Direct Current electric power transmission systems contrast with the more common alternating current (AC) systems as a means for the bulk transmission of electrical power. This system uses a well-proven technology currently employed for power transmission all over the world.  Cable may be overhead or buried underground.  An underground HVDC cable can be buried without the need for costly conduit in most cases3.

    • The Right-of- Way (ROW) needed for HVDC is much smaller than for HVAC, for the same transmitted power. The environmental impact is reduced with HVDC. This is particularly important where land is expensive or permitting is a problem.

    • Ideal locations would be along railroad lines, pipelines or highways, thus minimizing the environmental and visual impacts.  

    • May be less costly to acquire the right to add a new transmission line from a single owner than it would be to acquire the needed rights from multiple property owners.

    • Lower costs for consumers at the end of the line where electricity is received (GAO report)

    • HVDC lines can provide transmission operators with more control over the direction and amount of power flowing than HVAC lines

    • An optimized DC link has smaller towers (overhead) than an optimized AC link of equal capacity.

    • HVDC transmissions have a high reliability rate, shown by more than 30 years of operation.

    • The use of microcomputers in the control equipment in today's transmissions has also contributed to making HVDC the powerful alternative in power transmission that it is today.

    • HVDC can carry more power for a given size of conductor.  For the same conductor, DC losses are less, so other costs, and generally final losses too, can be reduced. 

    • Operation and maintenance costs are lower for an optimized HVDC than for an equal capacity optimized AC system.

    • The location of HVDC lines underground along railroad lines, pipelines or highways may include ease of construction and maintenance of the transmission lines and the reduction of environmental and visual impacts.  For example building along rights of way may avoid constructing lines in undisturbed lands.

Advantages of HVDC­

      • ­Reduces the risk of damage to wires from natural causes storms, icing, wind, earthquakes and fire.

      • No need for constant trimming and removal of re-growth vegetation ($12.5 million per year for Puget Sound Energy; Utah Power spent $31.4 million for tree trimming in 2003).

      • Reduction or elimination of electrical and magnetic fields above ground, and hence elimination of potential health concerns.

      • Considerable cost savings to the community in terms of amenity, property values.

      • ­Will substantially increase reliability

      • ­Will increase market efficiency

      • ­Will significantly increase the power flow potential across the line

      • ­Will alleviate significant congestion

      • ­Will reduce the project’s footprint

      • ­Will minimize the environmental impacts (Including no overhead lines crossing the Potomac River).

      • Is more secure against possible terrorism

      • ­Will facilitate the siting & construction

      • A simulation study in NY, comparing the profit for an electric company adding an HVAC or an HVDC line found that the company would make 2.5 times the profit with HVDC EVERY YEAR

Disadvantages
­Is somewhat more costly (profits compensate)

Other alternatives available (not our focus):

  • Many studies have shown that the most economical way to remedy the need for additional peak power is through distributed power, where local power generation plants can be turned on during peak power demands and then turned off when the demand no longer exists.

  • Allegheny admitted to members of the Sugarloaf Conservancy that they failed to investigate any alternative methods for bring power to the North Eastern states other than high-voltage overhead power lines.  Two possibilities are composite core cable and High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) lines. Why weren’t all possibilities explored?

Composite Core:  Composite core cables substitute a lightweight center cable with a composite that replaces the heavy steel cable that Allegheny Energy is specifying for the PATH project.  The Aluminum Cable Composite Core (ACCC) cable can double the power capacity of a transmission line while using lower towers and narrower easements compared to the Aluminum Cable Steel Re-enforced (ASCR) transmission lines specified by Allegheny Energy.  If the cabling of the existing 500 KV towers were replaced with composite core cable, then there might not be a need for additional transmission lines.