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Power playing
Last Friday, the Times Community Newspapers
Editorial Board had representatives of the
Piedmont Environmental Council as its primary speakers and invited Dominion Power to send some folks of their own. The reverse format had been held in November when Dominion was given the stage and PEC was asked to come.
These meetings of the mind tend to be revealing, if frustrating, experiences.
The PEC delegation, led by president Chris Miller, included consultants from the energy, power transmission and conservation disciplines. Their position is that:
1) Dominion Power has yet to prove that there is a real public need for the line, and
2) That if there is a real need, it could be met by means other than condemning — and ruining — private property.
Representing Dominion were vice president John Smatlak and spokeswoman Le-Ha Anderson, both familiar faces at the “informational” gatherings held in the area late last year.
Unable to answer specific or even general questions about the issue of need, Smatlak fell back on the same old line — basically, “That’s our story, and we’re sticking to it.”
The bar chart handed out earlier that was supposed to prove need didn’t cut it for PEC, and Smatlak went on to say that more information wasn’t forthcoming because it was:
1) A complex engineering issue involving several regions and nobody had it; and
2) That the information won’t be made available anyway, until the final plan is filed with the State Corporation Commission.
Forget about using existing corridors or burying the line. Forget about conservation measures that could be used. Forget about sparing Hallowed Ground.
Being unable to justify what they want to do is bad enough. But if Dominion thinks that they can wear down the local opposition, or rely on their friends in the General Assembly to succeed in openly doing their bidding, they’re in for a big disappointment.
When asked to compare opposition to the power line with the never-built theme park near Haymarket, Miller responded, “There’s at least 10 times as much opposition to Dominion.”
Dominion, take note.
95.8%