[NukeNet] Casey, state want more say in placement of power lines

[jay sweeney]

Casey, state want more say in placement of power lines
BY ROBERT SWIFT
HARRISBURG BUREAU CHIEF
01/17/2008


Email to a friendPost a CommentPrinter-friendly

HARRISBURG — Saying states should have some say in federal decisions  
that affect their citizens, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. and state  
officials explored ways Wednesday to reassert Pennsylvania’s  
traditional authority over siting power lines.


Mr. Casey convened a public forum at the state Capitol on plans by  
federal officials to use eminent domain if needed to locate high- 
voltage power lines in Pennsylvania.

The U.S. Department of Energy has designated much of Pennsylvania,  
including the northeast region, as part of a mid-Atlantic “national  
interest” electric transmission corridor. A 2005 federal law allows  
power companies to appeal to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission  
if the state Public Utility Commission blocks or delays a major power  
line in a corridor.

The DOE designation came at a time when new power lines are planned  
in Pennsylvania, including one between PPL’s Susquehanna nuclear  
plant at Berwick and New Jersey.

Mr. Casey said it will take a lengthy effort to modify the federal  
policy even though DOE has agreed to hold a new hearing on the  
corridor designation. Mr. Casey plans to introduce congressional  
legislation to require that federal officials consult with state  
officials and citizens if they exercise siting authority under the law.

The federal policy is harmful to Pennsylvanians in several respects,  
said Kathleen McGinty, the state Department of Environmental  
Protection secretary. She said ratepayers in Pennsylvania could end  
up paying for the costs of power lines approved by DOE, and residents  
in the path of power lines could face reduced property values.

On another front, a group of 11 environmental and land-use  
organizations filed suit Monday asking the U.S. Middle District Court  
in Scranton to order DOE to issue an environmental impact statement  
on the corridor. These groups, including the Clean Air Council and  
Sierra Club, say the plan will only make the nation more dependent on  
coal-fired and polluting power plants in the Midwest.

Michael Leone, a Clean Air Council spokesman, suggested that  
Pennsylvania form compacts with other states to shape a regional  
energy policy.

Federal officials say they need the extra siting authority to  
maintain the nation’s energy grid and avoid widespread power outages.

Contact the writer: rswift at timesshamrock.com

©The Times-Tribune 2008

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mail.energyjustice.net/pipermail/nukenet_energyjustice.net/attachments/20080118/e1d1f00b/attachment.html 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: email_this_article.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 101 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://mail.energyjustice.net/pipermail/nukenet_energyjustice.net/attachments/20080118/e1d1f00b/attachment.gif 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: voice_opinion.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 82 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://mail.energyjustice.net/pipermail/nukenet_energyjustice.net/attachments/20080118/e1d1f00b/attachment-0001.gif 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: printversion.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 101 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://mail.energyjustice.net/pipermail/nukenet_energyjustice.net/attachments/20080118/e1d1f00b/attachment-0002.gif