APCO, ENVIRONMENTALISTS DEBATE NEED FOR POWER LINE

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 9, 1993                   TAG: 9304090322
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: GEORGE KEGLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
APCO, ENVIRONMENTALISTS DEBATE NEED FOR POWER LINE
Greater energy conservation would delay the need for more transmission lines and avert "the rush to build" a $250-million high-voltage line from West Virginia, an opponent said in a debate Thursday.
Jeff Janosko, a leader of Roanoke County Preservation League, debated Bill Tanger, founder of Friends of the Roanoke River, on the need for Appalachian Power Co.'s planned 765,000-volt line at a Blue Ridge Environmental Network meeting.
About 35 representatives of a variety of environmental groups attended the debate, led by Virginia's Explore Park, at Virginia Western Community College. No support for Apco was heard.
While Janosko criticized Apco for being 88th among utilities in spending for energy conservation programs or more efficient use of electricity, Tanger said the company leads that field in Virginia.
More could be done, Tanger said, if state laws were changed to give utilities an incentive to save electricity as is done in other states.
Environmentalists are looking at the symptoms, not the cause, when they oppose power lines, said Tanger, who does public relations work on the line for Apco. Electricity use increases as the population grows, so such alternatives as electric cars should be used, he said.
Janosko said opponents have proved that Apco has inflated its projected demand for power in order to justify the West Virginia line. Apco says the line will be needed by 1998 but Janosko said conservation could reduce the company's demand and prolong the need for the line until 2010.
The planned power line encourages people to use more, not less, electricity, Janosko said.
He criticized the State Corporation Commission's reliance on a consultant who often works for utilities to recommend that the line is needed.
If regulators approve the line, Janosko said, "the State Supreme Court will not be as prejudiced [as the SCC] when we go before them, as we expect to do." The loser, either Apco or the opponents, is expected to take the power-line plan to court.
Tanger surprised the environmentalists when he expressed support for a wild and scenic river designation for a stretch of the New River that would be crossed by a preferred route of the high-voltage line.
If that designation is given, as expected, it may cause rerouting of the line, but "I don't think it's a problem," he said. Apco's most recent proposal would shift the line to avoid the scenic river area.
One critic asked Tanger if present lines can be upgraded to meet Apco's needs for greater transmission capacity. The main reason why not, he said, is that "for some bizarre reason" houses often are built next to the lines.
Janosko said he's concerned about health issues in electromagnetic fields near high-voltage lines "but we don't know enough to say whether EMF causes cancer."
David Sligh, a member of the county Preservation League, raised the question of "believability" of Apco. Since Tanger works for Apco, "why should I believe you?" he asked.
Tanger, who lives near a 765,000-volt line at Carvins Cove, said he would support the proposed line if he were not working for the utility.
Whatever route is chosen, "it ought to be the least environmentally damaging," Tanger said.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB