Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 20, 1993 TAG: 9303200332
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GEORGE KEGLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
PETITION COERCION ALLEGED
A coalition of backers of Appalachian Power Co.'s planned high-voltage power line said it is circulating petitions supporting the project on a voluntary basis, but an opponent says Apco is coercing employees to sign.The petitions are available on request from employees or anyone else, said Duane Phlegar, coordinator of the Coalition for Energy and Economic Revitalization (CEER), a group of labor and corporate supporters based in Charleston, W.Va.
But Jeff Janosko of the Roanoke County Preservation League said petitions were distributed by supervisors "and that is coercion."
The company petition "represents a cynical manipulation of the democratic process. It is akin to buying votes at the polls," Janosko said.
Phlegar said the coalition "received many requests" for the petitions after he made presentations on the 765,000-volt line to employees.
Phlegar, an Apco employee who is assistant manager of the company's John Amos plant, said the utility is supporting the coalition through corporate profits after expenses and not from the rate base.
The coalition "sees this as a need-based issue with economic benefits," he said.
The coalition was formed when Apco "saw a need to make the public aware" of the need and the benefits of the line, Phlegar said.
The petition circulated in Virginia says the signers support the revitalization of the state's economy through the sale of Virginia energy and construction of a line to deliver power.
Apco's proposed line will strengthen the electrical delivery system and create jobs, the petition says.
Vivian Perdy of the ARCS group of power line opponents said some agencies listed as members of the coalition were not aware that it backed the controversial line.
The Greenbrier Valley Airport and the Rainelle, W.Va., health center, reported as members, could risk the loss of federal funding for taking such a stand, Perdy said.
In a separate action, the West Virginia Public Service Commission on Thursday approved the type of public notice Apco must make for its application to build a line from Wyoming Station, near Oceana, W.Va., to Cloverdale.
The application and maps of the preferred and alternate corridors for the line will be on display at Apco offices and libraries in the counties crossed by the route.
The commission said it has three formal intervenors and 130 other petitions to intervene from interested residents of West Virginia.