Dominion Virginia Power was on the verge of submitting its application to build a controversial 230-kilovolt transmission line in western Loudoun last week when the power company decided to delay the application one more time.
The application, which goes to the State Corporation Commission, was originally scheduled to be submitted last fall. After a well-organized grassroots opposition to its original plans to build the transmission line on the western portion of the W&OD Trail, however, Dominion agreed to slow down the process and investigate other locations for the line.
Dominion has since announced that it is looking at locating the line along routes 15 and 7 from south of Leesburg to Hamilton, as well as other potential options through residential areas. Each possible alternative has created outcry as homeowners worried about property value if a power line went in overhead and VDOT balked at letting the company use its easements along routes 15 and 7.
"This is such a difficult process because we're trying to take into account all the input we're getting and trying to make everyone happy," said Dominion spokesperson Le-Ha Anderson. "We're doing our best to minimize the impact."
Anderson said that the latest delay was due to new information about one of the routes being investigated for the line, but declined to say which route.
She did say that Dominion now hopes to submit its application to the State Corporation Commission in mid-April. Once the application is submitted, it will become public information.
— Suzannah Evans