A lawsuit may be filed next week on behalf of about 16 Greene County property owners who want to stop Allegheny Power from building a high-voltage power line through their land.

The suit will be similar to the one filed in Washington County Court on Thursday, according to a representative of former Judge Richard DiSalle, who will represent the property owners.

Both lawsuits will challenge the legality of a 37-mile power line that Allegheny Power wants to build from Eighty Four to Mt. Morris. The local line is part of a larger project that will take a line through West Virginia to northern Virginia.

The property owners relinquished easements to the company about 30 years ago, but the lawsuits will claim those easements are no longer valid.

The easements were originally obtained for a project that never materialized. According to property owners, the line was supposed to be constructed of wooden utility poles no taller than 25 feet.

Allegheny Energy owns easements for 90 percent of the land it needs to build the power line. The company contends that the easements obtained 30 years ago are still valid.

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