听WASHINGTON —听Opposing sides of a proposal to suspend power lines over the historic James River are claiming victory after a听.
The 500-kilovolt听electric transmission lines would be suspended on steel towers hundreds of听feet听over听the James River between听Surry County and听James City County around Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown, which date back to 1607.
The ruling essentially declares that the听need for Hampton Roads to have a reliable power source trumps concern for historic scenery being impacted by overhead power lines.听听is happy with the ruling.
“There is an undeniable fact that there is an urgent need to deliver more energy to the Peninsula and the court has affirmed that the State Corporation Commission has chosen the best option,” Robert M. Blue, president of Dominion Virginia Power, said in a news release.
However, another result of the ruling requires the power company to get James City County听approval to build听a switching station needed to connect听the proposed new power lines with other听parts of Dominion Virginia’s system.
Historic preservationists encouraged by the potential for additional red tape hope the feds will kill the project.
“It still has to pass under federal legal standards through the Army Corps of Engineers,” says听Jim Zinn, founder of听.
“The only deal is a done deal, and this isn’t done yet,” Zinn tells 草莓传媒.
It’s unclear when听听the听听will complete an environmental impact study of the proposed project.
