Power Companies' Reach May Expand
U.S. Plan Could Aid Disputed N.Va. Line
By Sandhya Somashekhar
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, April 27, 2007; Page A01
The federal government said yesterday that it would give power companies special rights to build their lines in the Washington region and some other parts of the country, permitting the companies to bypass state authority if necessary in the interest of bolstering the nation's electrical grid.
The change could give Dominion Virginia Power greater authority to build a controversial line through Northern Virginia. The company says it has no plans to bypass the state's authority but won't rule it out.
During an afternoon briefing, U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman announced that the networks of high-voltage power lines in two regions -- the Southwest and the mid-Atlantic -- are so inadequate that fixing them
is a national priority.......
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/26/AR2007042602825.html?hpid=topnews