THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 19, 1994 TAG: 9411190436
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: NARROWS LENGTH: Short : 41 lines
The Jefferson National Forest has delayed completion of a report on the environmental impact of a proposed high-voltage power line through the forest.
The Feb. 28 deadline will be pushed back so the Forest Service can review more information and requests from other agencies to expand the study area, forest supervisor Joy Berg said.
The West Virginia Public Service Commission has asked the Forest Service to include other routes to the south in its impact survey, she said.
Berg was unable to predict when the report would be completed.
Appalachian Power Co. wants to build a 116-mile, 765 kilovolt line from West Virginia to Cloverdale, outside of Roanoke. The Roanoke-based utility says it needs the line to meet future power needs.
Opponents say the line will spoil the natural beauty of both states' mountainous regions. They also contend that the Forest Service maps of alternate routes for the line are flawed, leaving out churches, public springs and other resources that would be affected by the various routes.
Power-line opponents met with Berg and Gloria Manning, regional deputy forester, on Thursday to voice their concerns. Groups opposing the line had asked for the meeting with Manning after she met with Apco officials concerned about delays in compiling and issuing the report.
Manning, who flew in from Atlanta for the meeting, told the 30 people gathered at a local restaurant that she was there to listen but not to answer any questions.
After three hours of complaints, power-line opponents left the federal officials with a six-inch high stack of documents for them to read.
``It's going to take some time to get through all this,'' Manning said. by CNB