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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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Majority
Leader Bill DeWeese |
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DeWeese pleased with PUC action against federal electricity corridor
HARRISBURG, Nov. 5 – House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese's fight to ensure state's rights to site electric transmission lines was buoyed today when the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission took two actions against the Department of Energy and its National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor designation.
The PUC today filed for a rehearing with DOE over its Mid-Atlantic Area National Corridor designation and also filed a civil suit against the corridor in U.S. District Court. The DOE last month designated 52 of 67 Pennsylvania counties as part of a federal electric transmission corridor, in which federal eminent domain would seize state’s rights within.
DeWeese has been fighting the NIETC designation and Allegheny Power’s TrAIL project through Washington and Greene counties since early this year. He petitioned the DOE for a rehearing last week.
“In my testimony before Congress, as well as my comments to the Department of Energy and Public Utility Commission, I have been clear that the placement of power lines should be left to the appropriate governing bodies in individual states,” DeWeese said. “The DOE listened to no one in its first round of public hearings. I am thankful the PUC is taking this action on behalf of all Pennsylvanians, and specifically on behalf of Greene and Washington counties, and will do my part to help them make their case.
“I will continue to work with Senators Casey and Specter and Congressman Murtha, as well as federal lawmakers from other states, to right the wrong that was done to the people of Pennsylvania in 2005 when the Bush administration authorized the plan that set this national corridor in motion," he said.
In both its filings, the PUC alleges:
- The federal government failed to apply the law in a manner that is minimally intrusive on traditional state siting authority and jurisdiction;
- The designation is overly broad and inconsistent with congressional intent;
- DOE failed to adequately identify congestion levels, sources and lacks the required findings of fact;
- The NIETC boundaries fail to adhere to the requirements of the law;
- The federal government used an inadequate basis for the NIETC designation; and
- DOE failed to include the requirement that a project not conflict with regional planning in its designation.
DeWeese created a petition on his Web site at http://www.pahouse.com/deweese/powerline.asp that several hundred local residents have signed opposing Allegheny Power’s TrAIL project.
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CONTACT: Barbara Grill Phone: 717-772-5564 Email: bgrill@pahouse.net |