STACY SHAW
The Civic Association of Brentsville & Surrounding Communities (CABSA) held a rally/media conference at Patriot High School, Thursday evening, protesting the Nokesville-Bristow 230kV transmission line the association said would harm small working farms and private property.
As Dominion Energy staff opened the doors to its open house in Patriot's cafeteria, approximately 50 residents gathered outside, holding protest signs. A few local farmers sat upon their tractors, overlooking the crowd.
Protesters demanded Dominion Energy bury the proposed 6.5 miles of 12-story extension line that would run from alongside farmland on Route 28 to a substation south of Fitzwater Drive. The line begins at a substation in the Innovation Park area and would power data centers in that industrial area.
Elected representatives State Sen. Jeremy McPike-D, State Sen. Danica Roem-D, State Del. Elizabeth Guzman-D and Prince William Chair Deshundra Jefferson-D, and former Prince William Planning Commissioner Patti McKay-R spoke at the conference, as well as Elena Schlossberg, Director of the Coalition to Protect Prince William County. Congressman Suhas Subramanyam-D did not attend, but offered his support.
"Let's talk about why we are really here," Chair Jefferson said. "We are here because of data centers. There is an enormous need for power that is driven - not by the people behind me - but by data centers. They have been anything but good neighbors, and it is not too much for us to ask Dominion to bury those damn power lines. We are the customers. We are the rate payers. We deserve infrastructure that reflects the values of what we call home....We don't want them on county or school property- and we sure as heck don't want them on our farms!"
Current Nokesville Transition Line route mainly runs up Route 28. Two options show how the line could diverge to avoid high traffic areas.
“Dominion has consistently refused to provide a buried option," said Vida Carroll, organizer of the rally. "Like wack-a-mole, the above-ground transmission line keeps moving around the Nokesville community...Our Brentsville community is tired of being forced to sacrifice our property and our pocketbooks to cover the energy needs of the data center industry. "
While Dominion eliminated its blue line proposal, a route through or along Bristow neighborhoods, Brentsville District residents from the Linton Hall corridor stood shoulder to shoulder, rejecting the alternative aboveground routes.
"We've seen this playbook before," said Sen. Roem, referencing the power transmission fight in Haymarket, circa 2014. "Oh, we could do the terrible, awful, no-good, very bad route through Braemar - oh, that is awful, we can't do this.... Multi-billion-dollar companies pitting residents against each other, that is BS. It has to stop!"
In the Virginia General Assembly, Roem is calling for a statewide moratorium on data centers, ending the data center sales tax exemption, and "taxing the damn generators," noting a data center diesel generator in Ashburn ran for 23 straight hours last week on the worst air quality day of the year.
She suggested the transmission line follow the VDOT line to preserve communities and farms.
"[Without recourse, people think] if no one else is going to fight for me, I am going to take mine, and I am going to get out. That is the ultimate form of corporate greed," Roem said, "and it has got to stop."
She told people to stand and fight every day. "Never let them grind you down!"
"Dominion, you are going to bury it, and you are going to pay for it as well!" said Del. Guzman, who resides in Nokesville. She said that Nokesville was a forgotten area without paved roads and internet. "Now that we built that community in Nokesville enough that our children enjoy our public schools, enjoy rural areas, and our green areas, we are not going to let this happen."
Guzman explains she does not take data center money in her campaigns and supports legislation to hold data centers accountable to residents.
Helen Taylor, owner of Windy Knoll Farms, described her family farm as an "agr-classroom," offering free hands-on education. However, having powerlines along an otherwise scenic landscape places local agrotourism in jeopardy.
Brentville Supervisor Tom Gordy-R attended the rally and open house, although he decided not to speak publicly. Gordy told Bristow Beat he believes Dominion will ultimately agree to bury the lines, explaining the original plan was to bury the transmission lines near the train tracks, but that faced other issues, being so close to Bristoe Battlefield Park.
"[Eliminating the blue route] keeps it out of the residential area and also protects Broad Run Linear Park. It didn't make sense, and it wasn't the right approach," Gordy said. "[And with the elimination of the blue lines] we can focus on a single message, which is to bury the lines.
In this case, no Special Use Permit [SUP] is required from the county to run the lines. The State Corporation Commission [SCC] will rule on the line after Dominion Energy submits a finalized proposal and a public hearing is held. At this part of the process, residents should send their feedpack to Dominion Energy.
STACY SHAW
STACY SHAW
STACY
Inside the school, Dominion displayed posters depicting the line as it would look along the roads, at intersections and in neighborhoods along the proposed route. At some stations, a second set of photos invited people to compare two options where the line diverges to avoid high-traffic areas.
Dominion Energy spokesperson Aisha Khan explained that burying the transmission line offers its own set of restraints. While it is true it costs much more, there are also places it cannot be buried due to existing underground infrastructure and hard rock. Burying means more construction that could be disruptive, and there has to be a wide enough pathway to run the lines. Others employees said burying transmission lines takes more time than installing them above ground.
Dominion Energy
Dominion Energy
Dominion Energy
Dominion Energy
Dominion Energy
However, residents remained hopeful that Dominion Energy would see that burying the lines is the path of least resistance.
Rally attendee Sonja Knecht-Hosi lives on a 10-acre lot in Nokesville where she also keeps her horses. She said she is not a multi-generation resident, but she values Nokesville's rural character and wants to protect it.
"I understand that growth and new development is inevitable, but part of the fun of living in Nokesville is the open land, not having this bohemeth," said Knecht-Hoshi. "Put them underground and make them safe and stable."
Dominion Energy provides information on the Nokesville-Bristow 230kV Electrical Transmission lines here.
