By Karen Mansfield

Staff writer

karenm@observer-reporter.com

ARDEN - State Public Utility Commission hearings continued Thursday night, with 20 people voicing their opposition to plans for a proposed high-voltage power line in their area.

It was the last of four hearings held at the Washington County Fair and Expo Center and was attended by nearly 70 people.

The hearings are being held in response to Allegheny Energy's proposal to build a 37-mile, 500-kilovolt transmission line through Washington and Greene counties that would bring power from southern Greene County to a substation in North Strabane Township.

When completed, the line would run for 240 miles, through West Virginia and Maryland, and end in Northern Virginia.

Some property owners expressed concerns over property value and health, while others questioned why Allegheny Energy did not consider alternative methods of providing power.

Katherine Stayduhar of McBride Road, Canonsburg, pointed out how the proposed line has galvanized the community, noting that supervisors, commissioners and several groups oppose the project

"Given that this is an interstate power line, why cannot the power line essentially follow the interstate highway route?" asked Stayduhar.

Albert Thomas of 52 Young Road in Eighty Four testified that he has completed about 90 percent of construction on a home he and his wife have spent the past three years building and is worried about the property value of the home. Had he known the power line would go through his property, he said, he would have stopped building sooner.

Residents' testimony becomes part of the record on which the PUC will base its final decision.

The next public hearings to discuss the power line will be held Sept. 19 and 20 at the Washington County Fair and Expo Center. Further meetings will be held Sept. 5 at Greensboro Volunteer Fire Department and Carmichaels High School auditorium.

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