Residents of western Prince William County in Northern Virginia gathered outside a high school — some arriving on tractors — to object to Dominion Energy's proposed transmission line, InsideNoVa reported.
What's happening?
At the center of the dispute is Dominion Energy's proposal for a 230-kilovolt transmission line stretching 6.5 miles from Nokesville to Bristow, a plan that has drawn intense pushback.
According to InsideNoVa, Dominion spokesperson Aisha Khan said the company expects to submit the project to the State Corporation Commission in the fall.
Inside the school, Dominion held an open house and invited feedback through its online GeoVoice interactive mapping tool. Outside, demonstrators called for the line to be buried instead of built overhead.
At the rally, Board of County Supervisors Chair Deshundra Jefferson summed up that demand, saying, as InsideNoVa reported: "It is not too much for us to ask Dominion to bury those damn power lines. We are the ratepayers; we deserve infrastructure that reflects the value of the communities that we call home."
"There are essentially three things preventing the feasibility of undergrounding the route: cost, time and space," Khan said. "The cost to underground is exponentially more expensive than overhead, and as far as timing is concerned this line needs to be in service by 2030, and undergrounding would take way more time to construct compared to an overhead route."
TCD Picks » Good Store Spotlight
Get 10% off your next purchase with code TCD10
Why is this project concerning people?
For Brian Wickham, co-owner of Kettle Creek Farm in Nokesville, the proposal is personal.
"Obviously, that's a huge impact to property value," Wickham told Inside NoVa. "I mean, 20% property value, so it's going to cost us personally a couple hundred thousand dollars for that difference. And I mean, we have 20 animals on the property that are now going to be directly under a 230-kilovolt power line. So health concerns for sure."
Residents say that kind of disruption could ripple through the rural economy that depends on farmland, agritourism, and open space. They argue that towering power lines would alter views, change the landscape, and erode the character that makes the area so desirable.
"We are the sacrificial lambs for the wealthiest industry in the world, and Dominion Energy is their willing partner," Elena Schlossberg, who leads the Coalition to Protect Prince William County, said, according to InsideNoVa.
What's being done?
Khan said the routes were "refined" after the Board of County Supervisors rejected two proposed routes.
"We are starting the process to hold data centers accountable and to make them pay their fair share," said state Delegate Elizabeth Guzmán, according to InsideNoVa.
State Sen. Jeremy McPike, who spoke at the rally, said the SCC was examining transmission-side costs and that undergrounding should remain part of the discussion if communities were going to be affected.
"Look at this beautiful land and the families and farms that are here," McPike said. "They shouldn't also have to bear that brunt in terms of 100-foot power lines running through the properties."
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
