SD11 - Report of the Joint Subcommittee Studying the Health and Safety Effects of High Voltage Transmission Lines
Executive Summary: In recent years there has been a significant increase in concern over the health and safety aspects of high voltage transmission lines as utilities have moved toward higher transmission line voltages in response to the nation's increasing demand for electricity. The recent interest in Virginia over the health and safety aspects of high voltage transmission lines was prompted by an application filed in 1974 by Appalachian Power Company with the State Corporation Commission to construct a 765 kV powerline from Jackson's Ferry near Wytheville to Axton in the Martinsville area. The application for this line was considered over a four-year period during which public hearings were held. In 1978, the Commission approved the construction of the 765 kV line yet the case was appealed by the Citizens for the Preservation of Floyd County to the Supreme Court of Virginia, where the Court upheld the Commission's decision. A more detailed description of the Commission's evaluation of the application and of the hearings which were held is attached to this report as Appendix I. In an effort to determine if there is legitimate cause for concern over the health effects of high voltage transmission lines and to study the adequacy of the present State Corporation Commission oversight, the health and safety rules and regulations, and the statutes in the Code of Virginia in protecting the citizens from potential harm, a joint subcommittee was established pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution No. 26 of the 1984 Session of the General Assembly. |
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