Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 2, 1995 TAG: 9506020100
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CATHRYN McCUE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Izzie J. McCoy was the first to write in.
The West Virginia man didn't want Appalachian Power Co.'s high-voltage transmission line coming through his rural mountain county.
McCoy sat down at his typewriter; in three short paragraphs, he exercised his right to participate in the democratic process.
"Dear Sir," McCoy wrote the federal government, which is studying the project's environmental impacts. "The people of Monroe County are alarmed at the prospect of a 765,000-volt line ... being built across the county.
"Won't you please help us prevent this from happening?''
That was March 15, 1991. His letter is still in a file drawer at Jefferson National Forest headquarters in Roanoke.
Since then, more than 1,000 letters have joined McCoy's. They come handwritten, on formal letterhead, on flowery stationery and on sheets of paper ripped from notebooks.
They come as form letters, on postcards, sometimes misspelled, sometimes with maps and fat, technical reports to back the writer's opinion.
Two came from Colorado, one from Nevada, a few others from various states and about 470 each from West Virginia and Virginia. Apco's proposed route crosses 115 miles from Wyoming, W.Va., to Cloverdale.
Some of the comments are creative, some point-blank, and some are just plain weird.
There was this cryptic comment on letter No.188: ```and just remember' Leona Helmsley - 'Evasion/as/old Britain - 'debtors prison'''
A nurse from New Castle ended a long letter opposing the power line with, "We are writing out of anguished hearts and souls in hopes that our desires are yours, and that you may help us tip the scales of justice to preserve a natural and unsurpassed beauty that takes on a spiritual quality that greed could never see or even discern."
Evelyn Helm of Bozoo, W.Va., feared the proposed power line would jinx any chance of selling her 318-acre farm. "I DO NOT WANT THIS POWER LINE ON OR NEAR MY PROPERTY!!! I DO NOT WANT THIS POWER LINE ANYWHERE.''
On March 28, 1992, the president of Virginia House and Furniture Corp. wrote about how Apco responded quickly and heroically during a power outage that temporarily shut down the Atkins plant. The president concluded that the new power line was necessary so Apco could continue providing a much-needed service.
Other businesses also wrote early in 1992 to support the project, as did several local chambers of commerce and economic development organizations.
Ken Landgraf, chief planner for the Jefferson, recently went through the letters. No.11 is his favorite. It goes on for three pages, something like this:
``ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ (60 seconds every minute) ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ (60 minutes every hour) ZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ (24 hours a day) ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ (365 days a year) ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ (every year for the rest of your life) ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ (and your children and grandchildren's lives).''
It was signed by Charles Dransfield of Gap Mills, W.Va., who used to work in Floyd County near another 765-kilovolt line, which makes a continual buzzing that gets worse in damp weather.
The Forest Service has a system for incorporating letters like those from McCoy and Dransfield, and all the others, into its environmental study.
During the official "scoping" period, the agency and its consultant read letters to see what people were most concerned about. Based on those comments, they identified 10 general issues to focus on during the study, such as water resources, recreation and scenic beauty.
Each issue within a letter is coded and entered into a computer. The information is then sorted by codes and appears in a matrix under each significant issue category.
For instance, someone might be worried about how the line will affect property values, health and tourism in their community. That person's comments will show up under the three appropriate categories. Even if someone just writes, "I support the power line," that gets put into the computer with the person's name and address.
Mark Lawler, project coordinator for Woodward Clyde Consultants, said this process is unique to the power line - a complicated, expensive project involving two states, three federal agencies, a dozen opposition groups and a major utility. Further, the Forest Service wanted a detailed approach that would document all the public comments, Lawler said.
Of the 420 people who clearly stated, as of this March, yea or nay to the project, 57 percent opposed it.
But it's important to note, Landgraf said, that dealing with public comment is a qualitative process. One person's comment is no more important than another's, and there's no grand tally to see who wins.
"We definitely don't take votes," he said. The comments help the agency focus on issues; point out cemeteries, springs and other resources that have been missed; and will be considered when the final decision is made.
Last week, the Forest Service gave people one more month, until June 30, to send in comments to be considered in the draft environmental impact statement, due out Oct. 20. After that, the agency can't guarantee that the issues will be considered for the draft, although the agency is always open to receiving letters, Landgraf said.
Bill Damon, who recently took over as supervisor of the recently merged George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, extended the deadline because the Forest Service made some changes to its many alternative routes just last month. The extra month will allow people affected by the changes to comment in time for the draft report, Damon said.
Memo: ***CORRECTION***