HomeMy WebLinkAbout98-03• ~V •
V I R G I N I A
RESOLUTION 98-3
RESOLUTION SUPPORTING AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER'S WYOMINGCLOVERDALE
765 kV TRANSMISSION LINE PROJECT
WHEREAS, All of the residential, commercial and industrial customers of Appalachian Power
Company, d/b/a American Electric Power ("AEP") in the Town of Pulaski, Virginia rely upon AEP to
supply their electricity needs economically and reliably; and
WHEREAS, the availability of reliable and reasonably priced electricity is essential to the social
and economic well being of the citizens, businesses and industries of the Town, as well as other areas
served by AEP; and
WHEREAS, beginning in 1990, and in applications filed on September 30, 1997, with the
Virginia State Corporation Commission and the West Virginia Public Service Commission, Appalachian
Power Company, d/b/a American Electric Power has proposed the construction of a 765kV transmission
line from its Wyoming Station near Oceans, West Virginia to its Cloverdale Station, at Cloverdale,
Virginia ("the Wyoming-Cloverdale 765kV Line"), to provide needed electric capacity to serve the
Company's Central and Eastern areas; and
• WHEREAS, the Virginia State Corporation Commission stated in a December 13, 1995,
Interim Order in an earlier proceeding on the proposed line that, based on the record, there is
"...compelling need for additional electric capacity to serve Appalachian's Central and Eastern Regions..."
and that the proposed transmission line "may be the most reasonable method of addressing this
compelling need...,"; and
WHEREAS, in its August 1996 Report to the President in the wake of the recent blackouts in
the Western U.S. during the summer of 1996, the U.S. Department of Energy identified delays in the
Wyoming-Cloverdale 765kV Line as one of only two areas of significant concern within the United States
regarding reliability of the nation's electricity supply.
WHEREAS, in a report issued to the Department of Energy in March 1997, an independent
body of experts from three area electricity reliability councils concluded that the delayed completion of the
Wyoming-Cloverdale 765kV Line will result in a significant risk to the power supply reliability affecting
a large area of the eastern United States, and that the proposed line is an effective way to mitigate the
potential for widespread power interruptions; and
WHEREAS, the Town Council of the Town of Pulaski, Virginia recognizes that an unreliable
power supply, and even the prospect of an unreliable power supply, can exert a powerful negative effect on
economic development and could sap the vitality and competitiveness of existing business and industry,
and affect their expansion decisions, in the New River Valley region; and
C~
Tr~WN OF PULASKI • PUSi OFFICE BOX 660 •PULASKI, VIRGINIA 24361 • TELEPHONE 540 980-1 000 • FAX 540 980-6673
• WHEREAS, the Town Council recognizes that interruptions of the power supply to the citizens
and businesses of the Town could cause significant economic damage and other serious health related and
safety impacts in the Town and surrounding region; and
WHEREAS, the Council also desires that AEP be mindful of the natural beauty and historic
integrity in the areas where the proposed transmission line project maybe located.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN
OF PULASKI, VIRGINIA as follows:
1. The Town Council hereby expresses its support for AEP's proposed Wyoming-
Cloverdale 765kV Transmission Line.
2. The Council requests that AEP minimize as much as possible any negative impact on
individual properties, the mountain viewsheds and historic areas that maybe located near the proposed
Wyoming-Cloverdale Transmission Line.
3. In light of the growing urgency of the need for transmission reinforcement, Council
hereby requests that the Virginia State Corporation Commission complete its assessment of AEP's
application in a timely manner and approve the proposed transmission line and a Virginia location for the
line.
4. The Clerk to the Council is hereby directed to send certified copies of this Resolution to
• the Virginia State Corporation Commission, the West Virginia Public Service Commission and the United
States Forest Service.
On motion of Mayor John Johnston to adopt the resolution, and carried by the following
recorded vote:
James M. Neblett ~e W. Edgar Hale g~
Lane RPenn -a3~e Joseph L. Weddle Abstain
Bettye H. Steger ~y a Pauline E. Mitchell I~
Charles W. Stewart, Jr. -A3~e Gerald E. Bolen Dto_
By.
John A, Johnsto ayor
ATTES
Trish Pendergrast, C1 of Council
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