The West Virginia Public Service Commission and Allegheny Power recently brokered a deal that will allow the utility to run new lines through West Virginia. The project will add up to 150 new high paying jobs to Preston County and nearby areas. The line will run from Monongalia County's Pennsylvania line to the Mount Storm station in Grant County. The deal still awaits final approval from the PSC.
Originally the PSC opposed this project, known as the Trans Allegheny Interstate Line. It will boost the ability of the region to export power, but the lines originally ran through uncleared land. The PSC objections were answered by a new, more environmentally friendly route combined with savings for West Virginia consumers. Since the new line uses existing rights of way, there will be much less of an impact on state property owners and the landscape.
The West Virginia Sierra Club wins the prize for the most obnoxious statement on the whole affair, comparing Allegheny Power's proposal to the distribution of "shiny beads" from the Dutch to the Indians that owned Manhattan Island. Apparently state officials and the people of Preston and other counties who might benefit from the jobs are simply too ignorant to understand in the same manner as the Sierra Club. It is unclear why the Sierra Club considers this a "bad bargain" since it uses rights of way already established.
Sounds to me like the PSC created a bargain that will benefit some very economically depressed areas.
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