A group of Northern Virginia residents protested Thursday against a plan to build a transmission line in a 6.5-mile stretch of Prince William County, as Dominion Energy hosted an event explaining why the project is needed. Related stories Why Northern Virginians will help pay for controversial rural transmission line project What’s the fate of Loudoun’s controversial Golden to Mars transmission line? lawmakers want more time for state review of proposed Dominion Energy merger At Patriot High School in Nokesville, Virginia, Dominion organized an hourslong open house for its proposed Nokesville-Bristow project.
The plan calls for a 230-kilovolt transmission line that will connect the existing Nokesville Substation with a planned Bristow Switching Station. Last week, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors effectively took two routes out of contention, saying it didn’t plan to offer Dominion easements or use of county property for the routes called “blue” and “light blue.” The proposal led to the latest clash between the Virginia utility and residents and lawmakers. “Everywhere I go, there are either data centers or more substations and these transmission towers,” Carylee Carrington, a longtime Prince William County resident, said.
“This is where I want to have my kids grow up. I have a 14 and 11-year-old, and it’s just been shocking to see how things have changed.” Transmission line critics held a news conference in the school’s parking lot. Others held signs that read “Bury the Lines” and “Save Our Rural Land.” An organization called The Coalition to Protect Prince William County planned the event, which featured state officials such as state Sens.
Danica Roem and Jeremy McPike, among others. Deshundra Jefferson, who chairs the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, told WTOP local officials’ hands are “tied to a certain extent, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to fight against this.” “Dominion can do better and they need to do better,” Jefferson said. “What they’re looking at is profitability, not the people, not the communities that they’re impacting.” Dominion Energy said the Nokesville line is necessary to ensure community members have “dependable electric service as the Innovation Park area expands,” according to the project’s website.
At the company’s open house inside the school, residents lined up to read si…
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