Robert P. Casey Jr.
Casey, state want more say in placement of power lines
January 17, 2008
Source: Scranton Times-Tribune
By Robert Swift
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.
