Virginia Delegate’s Bill Would Limit Where High-Voltage Transmission Lines Can Be Built

A case playing out before the State Corporation Commission regarding a controversial high-voltage transmission line in Northern Virginia has inspired legislation in the General Assembly to keep the powerful lines away from residential areas and schools.

House Bill 1491, sponsored by Del. J.J. Singh, D-Loudoun, and Del. John McAuliff, D-Fauquier,  directs the SCC, when considering the approval of transmission lines that are more powerful than 136 kv, to try to the greatest extent possible to keep the lines over 500 feet away from schools, residential properties, daycares, parks, playgrounds, recreational areas, or places of worship.

It also aims to limit lines that would impede the locality’s plan for a space.

In Singh’s district, the Loudoun Valley Estates neighborhoods and county government have been rallying against Dominion Energy’s plan to build a 165-foot 500 kV line, dubbed the Golden to Mars line, through the Ashburn neighborhoods to bring more power to scores of nearby data centers.

Last year, the Loudoun County School Board voted against allowing the transmission lines to be built on their properties, which led to Dominion Energy to create a new route that cuts through the backyards of some of the homeowners.

The residents in those neighborhoods have stated they have major concerns about potential health impacts from living below the high-powered lines and about their home values dropping due to the massive towers being placed in or near their yards, which would require vegetation and landscaping to be cleared away.

“There’s never been definitive proof that there are no risks for co-locating near massive transmission lines,” Singh said in an interview Thursday. “Property values decline when you have transmission lines so close to your house, and we have incredible power needs in Loudoun County, some of which is driven by the data center sector.”

Community members have mounted a strong campaign against all proposed routes leading up to the evidentiary hearing. The Loudoun Board of Supervisors previously voted against two proposed routes along the Loudoun County Parkway, stating that the transmission lines did not align with the community’s aesthetic.

Dominion maintains that the Golden to Mars line is part of a “reliability loop,” a three-pronged transmission line connecting substations to power the high volume of data centers. If the final portion of the loop is not built, it could create issues with the existing infrastructure, and there is a risk of violations from PJM, the regional grid operator, for failing to provide power.

Residents and local officials have been working to put the transmission lines underground. Dominion has pushed back on the idea, stating it would take up too much land for the transition sites and would be too expensive to pass down to ratepayers.

Singh is also supporting legislation that helps localities with zoning for the data center industry, which would allow leaders and residents to better understand the environmental, noise, water, and other impacts that could be caused by individual projects. The goal is to prevent concerns prompted by the Golden to Mars project in Loudoun.

“We should be addressing this problem even before it gets to that point,” Singh said. “Localities should have the tools in their zoning to prevent those data centers from going so close to residential communities.”

The SCC’s decision on which proposed transmission line route, if any, will be selected has not yet been announced. HB 1491 will be heard in committee next week.

by Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury

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