Many thanks to the community of Summit Point and those passing through who supported our efforts to stop PATH by coming out to our yard sale and bake sale on Saturday!  The sale was another huge success and big fundraiser for our organization.  Together, we can beat the corporate greed behind this unneeded project!

We also owe our our gratitude to the ones who worked so hard to make this event possible.  Steve Smith and Sharon Wilson were at the sale the whole time and put many hours into preparation and clean-up  -- we couldn't do it without their expertise and organizational skills!  We also thank our many volunteers throughout the day because we couldn't have done it without their help either -- Bill Culley, Richard Crim, Stan Beall, Robin Huyett Thomas, Shirley and Sam Smith, Carol Brophy, Debbie Royalty, Ed Hannon, Patience Wait, Scott Tatina, Jane Minard, Curt Mason, J.P. and Donna Burns, and if I missed someone due to being in and out during the day, my apologies.  We appreciate everyone's effort and commitment to our cause!

StopPATH WV also hosted a well-attended landowners meeting just down the street at the library Saturday morning and lots of useful information about PATH's land agents was shared through discussion.  We appreciate those who came to share their experiences, tips and tactics.  A well-informed, cohesive community is a dishonest land agent's worst nightmare!  If you missed this meeting, contact us about additional landowner meetings to be held in the near future.  We guarantee it will be time well spent!

We're looking forward to working with everyone in our community on many upcoming events and forming the inevitable long-lasting bonds of friendship.  The best part is that we're always having fun while we work together!

If you're one of the ones who attended the EIS meetings in July or sent in your comments, you should pat yourself on the back.  The Public Scoping Comment Analysis Report has been completed.  It looks like PATH has a lot of opposition from citizens, environmental groups, civic groups, conservation/preservation groups, county government, federal government, state government, recreational groups and town or city governments.  All these comments are relevant and well thought out.

Be sure to check out the whining of PATH's attorney on comment #622.  I do believe they're a bit scared of the huge amount of support for expanding the scope of the EIS to cover the entire PATH project.  Lovely pity party talking about the "limited nature of federal control", when these very same companies play the FERC card repeatedly with the three states' public service commissions ('if you don't allow us to do "x", we're going to FERC for backstop siting authority").  Same crap they pull with their costs on the state level -- "those are beyond the state's control and are handled through FERC".  The federal government is a tool they use over and over, either rejecting it or clasping it to bosom, to suit their purposes on any given day.  Nothing like a little hypocrisy, is there?

They also think that the PATH EIS should be modeled after the Jackson's Ferry/Wyoming transmission line that was put online in 2006.  I think the NPS & NFS would do better modeling it after the EIS for the Susquehanna-Roseland line, which is still in process.  The power companies in that case have made a real mess out of it, tried to segment approvals and construction, and then sued the NPS when it didn't go their way.  NPS may have learned a thing or two about power company greed just lately.

It looks like PATH also activated their astroturf front groups in all three states to send in some uninformed, ridiculous comments in support of PATH.  Blah, blah, reliability, blah, blah, blackouts, blah, blah, economy.  What does the NPS & NFS care about any of that?  Hey, hey, let's trash our national resources so a brainless wench in Fairfax, VA can continue to play on her laptop!  And let's not forget Corky Demarco, he needs plenty of electricity to iron those shirts that creep up and attempt to eat his empty head.  Astroturf -- just another one of PATH's HUGE mistakes that are going to end up costing them dearly.

The next step is public comment meetings on the range of alternatives to be considered, which will be held in first quarter 2011.  Let's keep up the good work!

That's how the PATH companies were labeled last night at the conclusion of the Frederick County Maryland Planning Commission hearing regarding the PATH transmission lines.  The entire quote from Commissioner Richard Floyd was, "The applicant's absence indicates their arrogance and contempt for us and the Frederick County Commission."  Needless to say, the Commission voted unanimously that the PATH transmission lines are not consistent with Frederick County's comprehensive plan.  Their recommendation now goes to the County Commission for approval/disapproval.  The Planning Commission also recommended that the Frederick County Commission become an intervenor in the case.

Yes, it's true, PATH did not even bother showing up for the hearing last night.  Not even one representative.  I guess they took my last blog post to heart and didn't bother to show up since they were ill-prepared and uninformed.  Or maybe they thought we might hurt their itty-bitty feelings *sniff, sniff, tear* and couldn't bear it.  However, true to every paranoid's fantasy, the hearing went on without them while they were ridiculed, laughed at and vilified.  In fact, without PATH there to obfuscate and try to defend themselves, the hearing ran very smoothly and was concluded in record time -- we were out of there before 10:30!

The meeting began with the Commission's staff attempting to present PATH's case, since they weren't present to do it.  This necessitated quite a lot of unanswered questions, speculation and assumption on the part of the staff.  The staff relayed that PATH was not "required" to be present, but notice was given to them regarding this hearing at the previous substation hearing.

The large crowd of "public" waiting to give comment once again filled the room at Winchester Hall and here are a few highlights:

Esther Brinkmann asked the commission to "judge the credibility" of the applicants and asked why anyone should "trust the integrity of the applicants".  Esther provided testimony regarding EPA-enforced TMDL allowances from run-off and shared that under previous questioning PATH had claimed to be "unaware" of any standards and did not have a plan to mitigate PATH's construction contributing to the problem.  If TMDL allowances are not in compliance, Frederick County faces fines from the EPA.  PATH just doesn't care!

Dick Ishler of CAKES came to the podium with the best prop I've seen in a while -- a gigantic, mounted, poster-sized image of the proposed new line feeding from the substation.  Dick testified that a total of eight lines would eventually emanate from the substation, laying a dangerous spiderweb over the heads of nearby residents.  Dick pointed out that PATH has continually denied there will be any future expansion at the death site, despite plans showing bays for future expansion and the appearance of the first new line in PJM's TEAC.  PATH lies and its construction would be "unconscionable".

There were several comments from impacted small farms and agricultural business owners, as well as more than a handful of comments from directly affected property owners, some of whom became quite emotional.  One commenter talked about PATH's "fear campaign" PR efforts and PJM's "playing the game" while their credibility is shredded.

StopPATHWV's Patience Wait testified that PATH's application to the PSC provides for a 1200 ft. wide "preferred corridor" within which PATH can move the location of the line around without further approvals, significantly enlarging the "construction zone".

I provided testimony about this and this regarding PATH's repeated claims in Frederick County that PJM "ordered" them to build PATH in an exact location.  The commissioners were so flabbergasted at the lies (and that's exactly what I called them since I don't mince words and PATH wasn't there to defend themselves) that they insisted I continue, even after my four minutes were up.

Watch the meeting on video here.  Click on Planning Commission and it should be the first one on the list.  You can either watch the meeting on video or listen to the audio.

Stick a fork in PATH, they're done in Frederick County.

We attended another marathon segment of the Frederick County Board of Zoning Appeals Special Exception Application hearing for the Mt. Airy "death site" gigantic substation last night.  It's still far from over and the next session has been scheduled for Thursday, November 18th at the tentative time of 2:00 p.m.  Please check back before then for a confirmed start time.

We got through another two PATH witnesses last night, the civil engineer and Allegheny's engineer Mike Gogol, who was produced to answer some of the questions that the engineer could not (or would not).  He wasn't much of an improvement though in shedding light on the truth.

Here are some of the incredulous statements PATH's witnesses testified to (and remember, they were under oath!):

1.  Security was not considered when screening for the substation was planned, only aesthetics.

2.  The substation will be "consistent" with the surrounding neighborhood not because the white metal buildings and shiny equipment are similar to the 1300 homes surrounding the site, but because they are "similar" to the two existing transmission lines either traversing the site or in close proximity.  Talk about bending the truth to suit your own purposes, this statement is preposterous.

3.  The "re-forested area" that will replace the 7 acres of mature growth forest leveled for the substation and the planting of new vegetation around streams on the site will "enhance" the site.  Imagine that!  PATH can improve on the work of God and make it better!

4.  Sites in Montgomery County were rejected because they were near residential areas.  The Mt. Airy site is surrounded by over 1300 homes and the logic of this statement escapes me.

5.  PATH-MD will eventually own the substation site, although "Potomac Edison" will operate it.  Oh, sure they will, *wink, wink*.  Potomac Edison's 5% share in PATH-MD and involvement in the project is going to disappear quicker than a keg of beer turns into a line for the bathroom once they have their approvals.

6.  PATH's counsel stated that there would be no future expansion at the substation.  This flies in the face of the planned expansion bays and the statements of Kerry Stroup of PJM at PATH's Charlie Foxtrot Public Meeting and PJM's June 9, 2010 TEAC that shows this new line beginning at the substation.

7.  PJM ordered PATH to connect to the two existing 500kV lines in proximity to the selected site and this is the only site where it can be accomplished.  Yeah, we've heard about how big bully PJM orders the poor, defenseless PATH companies around time and again, but it's all one great big lie!  Allegheny Energy and AEP actually proposed the two separate projects that were combined to create PATH to PJM first.  In fact, Allegheny Energy even suggested that PJM use its RTEP process as "a vehicle" for advancing their new transmission project, which was intended to further the aims of Project Mountaineer, which are to transport an additional 5,000 MW of coal-fired electricity to the east coast from the Ohio Valley.  This game of which came first, the chicken or the egg, has already been played out.  The chicken (PATH) came well before the egg (PJM's "need") and is fully documented.  PATH needs to quit lying before nobody believes a word they say any longer.  Ooops!  Too late already!

Other amusing items:

PATH needs to buy their counsel a dictionary.  He claimed to not know what the word "occluded" means.  Is he really this dumb, or was he just playing an idiot last night?

At the beginning of Gogol's testimony he began to talk about how electricity is like water flowing through a pipe.  No sooner were the words "he's going to start talking about the buckets again" out of my mouth before he uttered the word "bucket" and the back corner of the room erupted in laughter.  The only thing being carried in a bucket at the substation is the manure they continue to produce as sworn testimony in Frederick County.

And speaking of laughter, PATH was loudly laughed at several times last night by the huge crowd in attendance.  Even the chairwoman of the Board got into the act and asked them if they were joking when the witness asked to have the question repeated after a painful 10 minute discussion and precise determination of exactly what the question was.

And that wasn't the only instance of applicant subterfuge as most of the questions posed to them were answered with "I am not the proper witness for that question" or "I don't know".  If they are that ill-prepared and uninformed, why bother even showing up?

The only thing that keeps this from being completely annoying is the obvious frustration PATH has with the glacial pace at which this hearing is proceeding.  At this pace, it could well extend into the new year.  Perhaps if they stopped playing games and told the truth their misery would be over much quicker, but I won't hold my breath for that to happen.

Tonight the Frederick County, Maryland, Planning Commission found in a 6-0 decision that the gigantic substation in "Kemptown" (really Mt. Airy) is inconsistent with the county's Comprehensive Plan.  In front of a packed house of over 200 citizens (estimated by the Frederick News Post), PATH was put on the spot with some very hard questions (to which they responded with prevarication of the highest order), laughed at and publicly ridiculed for their premise that a 42-acre substation with towers 175-feet tall and surrounded by 1300 homes was consistent with the surrounding area.

The meeting began with PATH asking for 30 minutes in which to present their case, although they were only allowed 15 as per the rules.  The commission denied their request.... and it was downhill from there.  PATH's attorney tried to object and complain early in the public comment portion, but was immediately shut down by the Commission.  They finally just slunk low in their seats and took their beating, all their pre-meeting arrogance whipped out of them.

One of the hard questions asked was regarding the intended use for PATH's payload.  The site currently houses two 500kV lines, which, according to PJM and PATH, are severely overloaded.  The new substation will have not only the two current "overloaded" 500kV lines feeding into it, but also the 765kV PATH line.  The only thing feeding out of it in their plan are the two existing 500kV lines.  Logic says this is a big dead end for a lot of juice.  According to PATH, the electricity flowing in is going into "buckets" where it will be re-distributed onto the two existing lines.  Is "bucket" some kind of PATH code word for "bulllsh*t"?  PATH promised there would be no additional lines constructed out of the substation, despite designing the substation to accommodate another exiting 765kV, as well as two 500kV future lines. Also despite the appearance of this line in PJM's plans.  You believe them, don't you?

The best question of the evening, which was also the last, came from Commissioner Kai Hagen, who asked PATH's attorney if he would want to live next to their substation.   The attorney decided that he was very happy where he was currently living, and the room erupted with laughter and catcalls.

The Commission then made and seconded a motion and began to cite various sections of the comprehensive plan which PATH's plan violated.  One of the PATH players seemed confused and asked if this was a recommendation for a future decision.  The Chairman of the Commission smiled so sweetly when he told PATH that this WAS the decision.

The PATH representatives were then forced to make the walk of shame out of the building in front of celebrating citizens, who had some pretty creative praise for their efforts during the evening.

Want to know exactly what all this means?  Check out this post on Calhoun Powerline.  No sense in trying to repeat something that's already been written very succinctly. 

If you want to spend 4 hours watching PATH squirm in their seats, you can watch a video of the meeting here.

Thanks to PATH "security" guy Jim Fields for keeping the PATH folks in line last night.

It was lovely to see PATH lose in a big, big way.  It's a look of which I could grow very fond.



Frederick News Post story

Word from our Maryland and Virginia compatriots is that PATH has donated money to "sponsor" Brunswick Railroad Days on October 2 & 3, and that their logo appears on the program.  PATH seems to be under the impression that they can buy the support and goodwill of the folks who attend the event, as well as the town of Brunswick, and get a little PR equity at the same time.  The Town of Brunswick seems to be under the impression that taking a handout from PATH won't affect the attendance of locals who are being severely impacted by PATH's plans.  Looks like Tweedledee and Tweedledum are going to be very unhappy together.  When you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.

I won't be attending this year -- I refuse to give my support to a town and event that is so easily bought by a corporation with ruinous plans, not only for my area -- but their own backyard as well!  If you feel the same way, be sure to let the town of Brunswick know how you feel.

PATH has been quite busy "donating" to the communities it's about to devastate -- to the tune of $53,054 in 2009.  Reminds me of a praying mantis, where the female eats the male's head after mating.  I have heard many tales of organizations that were approached by PATH as donation targets who turned the money down or gave it back when they realized whose name was on the check. In fact, one tale included a quote from the Allegheny employee being handed back a check from PATH as saying, "We can't give this money away!"  Indeed. Who wants any of your dirty money?

Oh, wait, that's really MY dirty money -- because these donations come from electric ratepayers and are used as a deduction to PATH's income (which comes entirely from the ratepayers) for tax purposes.  Who pays PATH's taxes? You do and I do.  It's all part of that great cost recovery set-up they were granted by FERC.

Just say NO to Brunswick Railroad Days this year.

We've wrapped up another successful fair week here in Jefferson County and we would be remiss if we didn't publicly thank all the folks who made it happen.

Thanks to volunteers Steve Smith, Sharon Wilson, Patience Wait, JP & Donna Burns, Debbie Royalty, Robin Huyett Thomas, Cathy Jackson, Suzin Wright, Sondra Hosey and Bob Montgomery who kept our booth fully staffed and open for the entire week.

Thanks also to the local merchants and citizens who donated merchandise and gift certificates for our silent auction:  Dickinson & Wait Craft Gallery, DISH restaurant, Stan Beall, Sharon Wilson and Cathy Jackson.  Thanks also to our very talented local artists who donated beautiful pieces of art for the auction:  Kenneth Walker, Johanna Grodzicki and Scott Tatina.

The silent auction raised a significant sum to benefit our legal and expert witness fund and the winners were thrilled with their purchases.  Thanks to all who participated!

Special thanks to "Electra" aka Clissy Funkhouser who joined us Tuesday and Wednesday evenings to perform her "Wrath Against PATH" song at the booth and walk through the fair grounds enlightening folks about PATH's destructive plans for our area.  She was a big hit and crowd magnet wherever she went!  Watching heads swivel and seeing the looks on the faces of the crowd as Electra did her thing was quite entertaining -- the smiles were a mile wide and the curiosity went a long way toward getting our message out.  Who can resist a lady in a blinking light-up dress and hat (and, no, she's not Lady Gaga!)?

Special thanks also to our own little "mini-Mays" Samuel Smith who did his thing with the kid's games at the StopPATH booth.  Watch out world -- someday you're going to buy something from this expert salesman-in-training!

Last, but certainly not least, thanks to all the fair attendees who came by the booth over the last seven days and supported us with petition signatures and donations. It was both inspiring and gratifying to hear our own message repeated back to us thousands of times from perfect strangers.  Although the battle is far from over, the groundswell of public outrage at the PATH project and support for our efforts is overwhelming and demonstrates the effectiveness of a true grassroots movement.  While PATH spent currently unknown thousands of dollars (to be recouped from our electric bills) hiring RL Repass to conduct phone surveys and focus groups several months ago to gauge public opinion in Jefferson County, we accomplished the exact same thing for the extremely low cost of booth rental at the fair and a week of my time (free, but not cheap!)  PATH needn't waste any more of our money with additional propaganda campaigns in Jefferson County -- they are sure to be DOA -- PATH is not welcome in Jefferson County!  The public is not the uneducated, easily-swayed patsys they expected.  We're not anything like the stereotype PATH has labeled us with, but instead are knowledgeable, engaged and fed-up with West Virginia being used and abused for out-of-state corporate profits.

I am truly grateful and enjoyed spending time with each and every one of you this past week!

August 22 - 28 StopPATH WV will have a booth open at the Jefferson County Fair.  Hours are 3 - 11 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.  Wednesday 11 - 11 and Saturday 10 AM - 11PM.  We've got fun games, a new stock of StopPATH t-shirts, fans and glow-in-the-dark bracelets, as well as lots of handouts and information about the PATH project.  We are also hosting a silent auction offering original artwork and crafts donated by local artists, as well as gift certificates and merchandise donated by local businesses.  Bidding closes at 6 PM on Saturday. Come by and put in a bid and get a beautiful piece of art or useful gift certificate for a great price!  All proceeds from the booth will benefit StopPATH WV's legal and expert witness fund.

Don't miss Tuesday night's special event!  StopPATH member Clissy Funkhouser will be performing live at the booth singing her "Wrath Against PATH" song decked out in full costume after 6:00 PM.  Clissy is the original singer/songwriter of this creative musical protest.  If you haven't seen Clissy performing in full costume before, you can't miss this!

Hope to see you all there!

The EIS Scoping Meeting in Harpers Ferry on Monday night was well attended, with the final tally at 106 attendees. The public did their job and provided the Park and Forest Services with their comments and opened their eyes to the reality of PATH and power company abuse of the citizens of West Virginia.  Thank you to all who came out to become a part of the process!

StopPATH WV presented a combined binder of comments on a number of specific topics from West Virginia citizens for inclusion in the EIS scope consideration.  We also made public comment during the "open mic" portion of the meeting.

Despite the dour faces and worried looks among the AEP & Allegheny Energy personnel present, we did manage to have a little fun with Allegheny's Randy Palmer.  He was a great sport and we hope he enjoys his little collection of anti-power company trinkets.

The Park and Forest Services and their EIS contractor, CH2MHill, have been great throughout the meeting process and their impartiality and willingness to listen have been very refreshing.  We look forward to working with them as this process continues.

Because PATH is planned to cross Federal land at Harpers Ferry National Park, the Appalachian Trail and the C & O Canal National Park, an environmental impact statement must be prepared.  Scoping meetings will be held in mid-July and we need everyone to participate in this process. 


The public comment meetings will be held:
July 19, 2010 - 4-8pm - Quality Inn, Harpers Ferry, WV
July 20, 2010 - 4-8pm - Loudoun Valley High School, Purcellville, VA
July 21, 2010 - 4-8pm Tuscarora High School, Frederick, MD
July 22, 2010 - 4-8pm Tucker Co. High School, Davis, WV

If you cannot attend in person and make comment, you may instead submit your comments in writing either via the web here or via U.S. Mail to:


National Park Service
ATTN:  PATH EIS Planning Team
Denver Service Center -- Planning
P.O. Box 25287
Denver, CO  80225

Here in the Eastern Panhandle, these are our local parks -- the ones we visit frequently and the ones we proudly show off to those who come to visit us.  Please help to protect these valuable resources by becoming an active participant in the scoping process.

Calhoun Powerline has a very informative article about the process, what you can do and how important it is that you contribute.

Watch this website and Calhoun Powerline for more information.  If you need help with your comments or have additional questions email [email protected]