Shame On You, Transource!

Transource is a new joint venture of utility giant American Electric Power and Great Plains Energy.  So far, it seems that Transource's Independence Energy Connection is being managed by AEP employees.  AEP has more than 100 years of experience building utility infrastructure and interacting with consumers.  So how did they screw this up so badly?  Why has an elected representative demanded that Transource cease and desist aggressive and illegal land acquisition practices and issue an apology to all the landowners it threatened?

You've gone too far, Transource.  Shame on you!

Transource thinks that perhaps they're dealing with a bunch of rubes who are easily threatened into submission.  After all, the eastern portion of the project is only 10 miles of line in a rural community bisected by a state border... but it's a sophisticated and well connected community.  Transource, your strong arm tactics and lies don't work here!

During the past week, Transource poured the gas on their fruitless efforts to get landowners to sign legal documents giving the company permission to "survey."  Landowners are never required to sign survey permission forms.  While Pennsylvania law allows a public utility to access private property, there's a lot more to it that Transource presumes landowners don't know.

Furthermore, the Transource letter sent to landowners  dated January 5, 2018 is inaccurate  and misrepresentative of the proper procedures set in place  under the Eminent  Domain  Code and public  codes of the Commonwealth. In  the letter, your company  stated it  has obtained utility status by Pennsylvania. While the Public Utility Commission (PUC) approved Transource's application for utility  status on December 21, 2017, your company  has yet to obtain  the appropriate certificate  and orders from  the PUC to  operate as a public utility  and conduct land surveys/assessments. Moreover,  even after obtaining the appropriate approvals,  Transource must follow the Eminent Domain Code  and issue a  10-day notice to all landowners before  accessing private property. As of today, Transource cannot  send such a notice until the proper certificate and approvals from the PUC.

And Transource is going to pretend, with all its lawyers and legal support staff, that it didn't know these things?  I don't believe you!  And even if Transource was completely unaware of Pennsylvania law, there's absolutely no excuse for threatening to have landowners arrested on their own property.  You went too far, Transource.

Even if Transource has the legal right to enter onto property, a landowner never has to sign a permission form.  If the company exercises its right to access property without the owner's permission it cannot expect that the landowner would release the company from liability for its use of the property.  You need never sign a permission to access form.

Numerous landowners on the eastern portion of the project reported a rash of strong arm tactics by Transource land agent Western Land Services last week.  Landowners received threatening phone calls demanding that they sign the survey permission form or the sheriff would come and arrest them.

I have received numerous complaints from constituents in my legislative district who experienced threatening behavior from your contracted land  services agent, Western Land Services. In communication with landowners,  agents from Westem Land  Services threatened to call the sheriff's office  and arrest residents who did not  sign letters granting access to their properties. This type of coercive behavior and  harassment by your contracted  agent is unacceptable  and illegal  at best. I  am requesting punitive actions be  taken to  ensure this type of disrespectful behavior  does not  happen again during  the remainder of  the project.

The sheriff isn't going to arrest these landowners for failing to sign a permission form.  At best, if Transource receives all its permits from the PUC the most it can do is issue a notification that it will be access the property in 10 days.  Such notice would need proof of delivery.  Only if Transource had accomplished all the necessary legal steps and had some sort of legal order to present to the sheriff, and the landowner physically threatened or interfered with property access, would the sheriff even be interested in wasting his time on this issue.  Your sheriff works for you, not some company in Columbus, Ohio.

Whose idea was this, and why did they think it would work to intimidate this community?  That person needs to be fired, first for breaking the law, second for having no morals, and third for being stupid, I mean just a complete idiot.

It really wasn't that long ago that another company got in big, big trouble in the Pennsylvania court and regulatory system by deploying threatening and coercive land acquisition tactics just like these.  And TrAILCo's application to build transmission in Pennsylvania was denied by the administrative law judge who heard he case.  Did TrAILCo's abysmal behavior play a part in its ultimate denial?  Absolutely!  Let's look at all the abusive land acquisition tactics that Transource has in common with TrAILCo... so far.

All communications with property owners and occupants must be factually correct and made in good faith.

Do not make false or misleading statements.

Do not misrepresent any fact.

Until the Company has been authorized by the state utility commission, do not suggest that the Project is a "done deal" or is "99 percent sure" or make similar statements suggesting that the state utility commission has authorized construction of the project.

All Communications and interactions with property owners and occupants of property must be respectful and reflect fair dealing.

Do not engage in behavior that may be considered harassing, coercive, manipulative, intimidating or causing undue pressure. 

All communications by a property owner, whether in person, by telephone or in writing, in which the property owner indicates that he or she does not want to negotiate or does not want to give permission for surveying or other work on his or her property, must be respected and politely accepted without argument.

Do not represent that a relative, neighbor and/or friend have signed a document or reached an agreement with the company.

Do not represent that a relative, neighbor and/or friend supports or opposes the Project.

Do not threaten to call law enforcement officers or obtain court orders.

Do not threaten the use of eminent domain.

We've hardly just begun, Transource, and already you've violated accepted conduct for land agents working on your behalf.  I know you're going to blame Western Land Services for going rogue behind your back, or a few "bad" agents who don't understand their job.  But I know that's just not true.  Land acquisition companies behave badly with the full knowledge of the company who is paying them.  So maybe it's time to fire this company.  And Transource needs to get all the money it paid Western refunded to the ratepayers so it won't cost the ratepayers anything extra to hire a reputable company with some moral and ethical standards.

Does PJM Interconnection know how badly you've screwed up this transmission project they "ordered" you to build?  If I was PJM, I'd cancel your contract and find a reputable company to build it instead.

Meanwhile, Representative Hill wants you to apologize to the landowners you harassed.  Try to be a big boy and take responsibility for your actions and don't blame them on rogue land agents or a fly-by-night company.  You all know what's going on and chose to try to strong arm this community willingly.  It blew up in your face.  

​Shame on you!