PATH Proposal

[Delegate Beverly Sherwood]

Dear concerned citizens:

I would like to first take the opportunity to thank all of you for
voicing your concerns in regards to the Potomac-Appalachian
Transmission Highline (PATH) project. As I am sure each of you
understands, issues like this fade away without strong community
support. I have, however, received a tremendous amount of input and
backing from local supervisors, state legislators, federal
legislators, and most importantly, citizens of the local community.
With continued support of this magnitude, our voices will be heard.

I would also like to take this chance to inform every one of recent
efforts in resisting the PATH proposal.

Recently, Delegate Joe May of the 33rd House District attempted to
contact Allegheny Energy regarding the PATH project. In his
correspondence, Delegate May requested that Allegheny Energy include
more public forums in future meetings so that concerned citizens have
the opportunity to be heard. In a recent PATH meeting that included
such an opportunity, more than 300 local community members attended in
an attempt to gather more information. Allegheny Energy, however, has
yet to include another public forum session in any of their meetings
since then. Nevertheless, Delegate May continues to be an active
party in contesting the proposal.

In addition to Delegate May’s efforts, Congressman Frank Wolf also
joined Northern Virginia in resisting the proposal by contacting
Governor Kaine. In his letter, Congressman Wolf urged the Governor to
become an active participant in the resistance. The Congressman also
asked the Governor convene a meeting of our Pennsylvania, West
Virginia, and Maryland counterparts to set in motion discussion of an
“interstate compact” process for the positioning of the power lines.

I, too, have been working closely with Congressman Wolf and Delegate
May to resolve the matter. Richard Shickle, Chairman of the Frederick
County Board of Supervisors, and I remain in close correspondence as
well. He and I have both made it clear that we are more than willing
to facilitate a meeting between any affected parties, be it Allegheny
Energy, Frederick County Board of Supervisors, Virginia State
Corporation Commission, other Virginia legislators, or myself.

Again, please know that your local and state representatives are
working tirelessly towards a favorable outcome for the community. If,
by chance, you have not contacted the Governor then I urge you to do
so. Likewise, you should contact Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner in
an attempt to gather their attention and support. Like I said, strong
community involvement is necessary in a case such as this, and
involvement begins with local citizens.

For all of you that have previously contacted my office, I thank you
for taking the time to do so, and I hope you will urge your friends
and neighbors to join the cause. Should you feel the need, please
feel free to contact my office at any time. Best wishes to all of
you.


Beverly J. Sherwood, Delegate
Virginia House of Delegate
29th District