Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 16, 1995 TAG: 9509170007
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CATHRYN McCUE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The draft environmental impact statement was expected Oct. 20, but has now been delayed to mid-April. As required by federal law, the agency is studying the impact of Appalachian Power Co.'s proposed 765,000-volt line on water supplies, wildlife habitat, communities and other resources. The line would run 115 miles from West Virginia to Cloverdale in Botetourt County, and cross parts of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests.
Because of the delay, Apco may have to build several gas-powered turbines in central and south central Virginia to avoid potential power outages, vice president Charles Simmons said Friday.
If "we get the same kind of temperatures like last [winter], we'll be at risk of losing any part of our transmission system," he said. The utility planned to have the new line operating by 1998 to serve its roughly 160,000 customers in both states.
The company says the proposed line provides a critical link in its power grid, and views each delay as increasing the chance of an outage.
Opponents say the line is a boondoggle, a profit-making venture, and an environmental and public health disaster. Most welcome the delays.
"I think anytime we put it off is good, because nobody is getting it" on their land, said Donna Muhly, a member of the Giles County-based Concerned Citizens of Walker Creek Valley.
Bob Zacher, an opposition organizer in West Virginia, said the repeated delays frustrate some opponents, who are ready to continue their fight against Apco.
"Everybody hates waiting. We want it out of our lives. This just dissipates people for us, it makes it more difficult," Zacher said. But, he added, the opponents are "hard core; they've stuck around for five years, they'll stick around for more."
The additional time will allow the Forest Service to produce a thorough report that fully complies with federal rules, said Ken Landgraf, chief planner for the forest. But he wasn't willing to guarantee the deadline would stick.
"I think we'll make it. But that's what I said last time," he said half-jokingly.
The report promises to be a monster of a document - an analysis of the project's impact on cemeteries, homes, scenic vistas, recreation, ground water, timber, endangered species, human health, and people's attachment to their home place, to name a few issues being studied.
It covers 206,763 acres, almost all privately owned. It involves three federal agencies, two state governments, a dozen opposition groups, and hundreds of people who have written the agency expressing views - mostly opposition - about the line.
"If nobody cared about it, there wouldn't be that much to do," said Frank Bergmann, the forest's project coordinator. Past delays were due to the ever-expanding scope of the report, the many public comments, and the complexity of the analysis, he said.
The bulk of the field work is done, the information gathered, and analysis complete, Landgraf said. The consultants and federal agencies need the extra time to put it together, write the report, review and print it.
Such delays aren't unusual for controversial environmental impact statements, said Rhey Solomon, deputy director for eco-system management in the Forest Service's D.C. headquarters.
"I know it's been very contentious. I've seen some that have gone five, six years just because of the contentious nature," he said.
Landgraf said the forest will not extend the June 30 deadline for public comments to be included in the draft. However, the forest will always accept letters and phone calls, he added.
After the draft is published, the public will have 90 days to comment. Forest Supervisor Bill Damon said the final report won't be issued until the two states determine the need and route.
Apco has begun scouting sites for the gas-powered turbines, which would be built in the year 2000, Simmons said. The 165-megawatt turbines would provide power at peak times, relieving the load on the rest of the system. They will remain in place if the 765-kv line is built.
by CNB