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Now that the PATH application has been filed in all three states - Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia - citizens in the tri-state region opposed to the project are planning a demonstration this Sunday, May 31.
The demonstration will be held on the stretch of U.S. Route 340 near Harpers Ferry, WV. Demonstrators will be on the westbound (river) side of the highway, from the Virginia/West Virginia state line to the turn for Chestnut Hill Road. This location, between the bridges over the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers, is where the three states all converge, and represents our region's commitment to a sensible national energy policy that ends the destructive commitment to King Coal.
(It's also where there is a major traffic jam every Sunday afternoon as visitors to the area head back to the D.C. metropolitan region. We won't be causing the traffic jam, but we can make use of it to reach people who don't understand they, too, will be affected by higher rates, more pollution, more environmental destruction, and more coal.)
The demonstration will take place from 3-5 p.m., rain or shine. Supporters are meeting in Brunswick and Charles Town at 2 p.m., to take shuttle transportation to and from the site. On-site parking is limited, and participants are asked not to bring any children younger than 16.
The Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH) project is intended to carry electricity generated at the John E. Amos coal-fired generation plant ultimately to New Jersey. While AEP and Allegheny Energy claim the project is necessary to prevent blackouts and brownouts in five years, numerous citizens, environmental groups and "green" energy advocates point to declines in electricity usage, changes in national energy policy, and concerns about greenhouse gas emissions from burning coal as reasons to scrap this high-voltage extension cord.
The governors of ten Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states have asked Congress to create an energy policy that supports local generation of electricity using on- and off-shore wind resources. That includes the governors of Maryland and Virginia - two states PATH is supposed to cross. This project violates everything these states are looking to accomplish in their own energy policies.
If anyone is interested in joining us, please let me know. |
