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[at-l] Power line in Roanoke area

I was visiting relatives in the Tri-cities area of Tennessee this weekend.
 The Kingsport paper had a front page article on proposed high voltage power
line into 
Roanoke.  This has been known in the SW Virginia area for some time.
 Appalachain Electric Power (AEP) is ramming this down every ones throat as
needed to prevent brownouts ect.  The AT will parallel this line and the
hundred foot tall towers for over 60 miles.  The Jefferson National,  Craig
County,  are dead against it.  I don't know where the great Roanoke powers
that be are on this as it would adversely affect  McAfees Knob/ Tinker Cliffs
and Dragons Tooth.  

Back to the newspaper article.  The original plan had WV against it too,  as
the line begins near Beckly and ends in Roanoke.  The article implies that
the tentative route has been changed to appease WV at the expense of
Virginia,, divide and conquer!  The article also tells how Kingsport could
suffer blackouts if the line is not built,  nothing like a brownout to get
peoples attention.  The map that went with the article does not show by any
stretch how the Tri-cities area could be affected as this line is feeding an
area over 100 miles away.  Brownouts are very good scare tactics.  The
article does mention that the population of this service area has remained
stable for the last 20 years only that per capita consumption is much higher.
 I do know heat pumps and appliances are much more efficient than 20 years
ago and anyone with old baseboard heat ripped it out years ago.  Something is
rotten here.  I believe we have to argue that the line is not needed.  Rumor
has it that the real use is to carry cheap Smith Mt. Lake hydro power out of
the area.

I hope others can chime in on this and add to this story.  We,  the hiking
community and others are going to have to fight tooth and nail to stop this
assault on the AT and Jefferson NF.  I do not know who to write to at this
time.
Your thoughts.

Walking on,

David Craft
Greensboro,  NC

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