Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 17, 1994 TAG: 9411180035
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-22 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAVID N. JOHNSON
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
There are many issues critical to the well-being of our region being heard by the public. So many in fact that quite often it's difficult to understand what's important and what isn't. The public depends on the media to provide information so that informed decisions can be made. Unfortunately, quite often only one side of an issue is heard. Often this one-sidedness is due to the fact that people who support a particular issue do not speak up, write letters to the editor, or let their elected leaders know their opinion. Other times this one-sidedness is due to the media giving greater priority to opposing views rather than supporting views.
The controversy over Appalachian Power Co.'s proposed Wyoming-Cloverdale 765-kilovolt power line is just such an issue. To listen to television news or read a newspaper article, one would think there's virtually no support for this power line. That's simply not true.
That point was made very clear this past month at a meeting in Bluefield, W.Va., between members of the Coalition for Energy and Revitalization and representatives of the U.S. Forest Service. The coalition's members at this meeting represented six labor unions, five chambers of commerce and several economic-development organizations representing more than 272,000 people and thousands of businesses in a two-state area. Forestry officials told coalition representatives that they hadn't heard from proponents of the power line, only those in opposition. A union representative pointed out that this group represented people for the power line. The forestry representative sat in silence.
Many supporters of this project know the importance of affordable and reliable power, which is critical to this region in its efforts to support existing as well as future business growth. Companies located throughout this region must receive consistent power service without interruption to be able to manufacture products and provide service to their customers. These companies cannot afford interruptions in power service. Without high-quality power service, many companies would have to relocate and other companies wouldn't consider locating in our region. This argument doesn't even consider the wants and needs of individual consumers who also want consistent and affordable power service.
The building-trades union encourages the news media to report about the power line, but to do so by seeking all sides of the story, not just opposing views. People of Southwest Virginia supporting this line are far larger in number than those opposing it. They're just not as loud.
David N. Johnson is business manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union No. 637, in Roanoke.
by CNB