Alert! Oppose the Loudoun County CPAM Defining Transmission Corridors Send Comments to the BOS

Loudoun County Comprehensive Plan Amendments On Electrical Infrastructure

Due to Loudoun Counties' economic plan which favours data centers plus the Loudoun County BOS' continued approval of rezoning application for data centers the county is facing a skyrocketing and unconstrained demand for energy from the data centers.

Loudoun County only has one Baseload power plant Panda Stonewall Natural Gas - 800MV
Energy demanded by data centers will have to be imported from other counties in Virgina or other states.

The county has no authority to define or approve HVAC transmission corridors. These are inter-state lines that impact multiple states. The VA SCC is the authority, not Loudoun County. There are no transmission corridors defined in Virginia and no transmission corridor approval process.

The county is planning two phases one to add the existing lines and a second to add new corridors just because your property is not in Loudoun Counties sights in Phase 1 doesn't mean you won't be effected by Phase 2 .

The Counties intention is to work with the energy companies in advance of public hearings and the application to the SCC and have the SCC rubber stamp what Loudoun County has "approved" through a "standard accord review" of their comprehensive plan. This concept is described by Mr. Giglio (Loudoun County Transportation and Land Use expert witness) during his cross examination in the Aspen Golden Case. The transcript can be read below.

Links:

Red lined proposed Electrical Infrastructure CPAM-2024-0006 (PDF).
Transportation and Land Use Committee Report : Electrical Infrastructure Comprehensive Plan Amendment (Individual documents available below)

What you can do :

Enter Comments on the Loudoun County Electrical Infrastructure Plan Amendments through the online form (available here) . You can attach documents to this form as well.

Letters in opposition to the BOS Electrical Infrastructure Plan Amendments can also be sent to bos@loudoun.gov

Please write Supervisor Caleb A. Kershner of the Catoctin District directly at caleb.kershner@loudoun.gov And copy Virginia State Delegate Higgins (DelGHiggins@house.virginia.gov) and Virginia State Senator Perry (senatorperry@senate.virginia.gov)

All of whom as I understand it are also supportive of these comprehensive plan changes. If you find out otherwise please let me know and I will correct this and link to their opposition comments to the Loudoun County BOS!

Read Letters Opposing the Transmission Corridor CPAM

Letters in Opposition to the Transmission Corridor CPAM

Below is a sample letter in opposition to Loudoun County's CPAM as well as letters that have already been submitted. Please feel free to download and modify as needed. Comments to the county can be uploaded here: Submit County Electric Infra CPAM Comments

SampleLetterToLoudounCo_OpposeElectricalInfrastructureCPAM (docx)Download

StewAndElisaMerrittsOpposeLoudounCountyTransmissionCPAM (pdf)Download

Ghiorzi_OpposeElectricalInfrastructureCPAMwithLegalBrief (pdf)Download

AlAndIreneGhiorziLetterToLoudounOpposeTransmissionLinesAndCPAM (pdf)Download

LOUDOUN EXPERT WITNESS ON PILOT Transmission Line Program

Below are excerpts from the pre-filed direct testimony of William Patrick Giglio On Behalf Of Loudoun County, Virginia during the Aspen/Golden transmission case. The pilot being discussed is to underground a 3 mile segment of an 500kV HVAC transmission line. There is only one reference case for an underground 500kV line in the entire world - its in Chino Hills California and its only 3.7 miles long. The "pilot" includes a "planning component" where Loudoun County plans and approves high voltage transmission lines using the comprehensive plan in place of a VA SCC hearing.

Pg 17 Lines 370 - 373 "Additionally, the pilot program will include a planning component designed to develop protocols to allow the eventual approval of high-voltage underground transmission lines through local planning processes, including substantial accord review and zoning review."

Pg 18 Lines 396 - 403 "The County envisions a pilot program that, in addition to undergrounding all or part of the pilot project under application, would initiate a long-term planning initiative that would include comprehensive plan reform in the participating locality, to identify future transmission corridors and specific criteria for selecting underground projects, which would be favored in all cases. This will create a basis for Planning Staff and the Planning Commission to review applications for substantial accord with the comprehensive plan and applicable zoning, which can stand in place of Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity review in the SCC."

The most alarming thing about this so called pilot is the thought that the Loudoun County Planning Staff and Planning Commission believes they can site transmission lines based on their comprehensive plan, approve the lines and issue a certificate that involves eminent domain takings of private property - without a VA SCC hearing. Where are due process rights for private property owners? Why would anyone think that giving the same people responsible for the data center re-zoning mess eminent domain authority to plan and approve transmission lines across private property for those data centers is a good idea?

2024_0814_Giglio_PreFiledDirectTestimony_Highlight-Pgs17to22

LOUDOUN EXPERT WITNESS on PLAN for Transmission corridors

Cross Examination of Mr. Giglio Expert Witness for Loudoun

Cross Examination of Mr. Giglio during the Aspen- Golden Transmission line case at the Virginia SCC:

PLEASE READ THIS DOCUMENT IT SPEAKS DIRECTLY TO LOUDOUN COUNTY'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TRANSMISSION CORRIDOR LAND GRAB for Data Center Energy Infrastructure.

Loudoun County BOS wants to approve and site the lines and decide where they are underground themselves, using a "standard accord review" in place of a CPCN from the Virginia SCC.

Download Transcript Of Mr. Giglio's Cross during the Aspen/G

Loudoun County Comprehensive Planning Transmission Corridor Land Grab

Loudoun County is in the process of creating a Comprehensive Plan Amendment on transmission corridors. The proposed amendments are from the Loudoun County Transportation and Land Use Committee and include adapting policies to encourage the "grouping of these tall structures within an existing and/or expanded transmission corridor right-of-way." Loudoun County has contracted with an engineering firm (Kimley-Horn) to map all the high voltage transmission lines in the county. This targets the property of every land owner along the existing HVAC transmission lines!!

Virginia is a Dillon Rule state which means a county has no authority except what the state has granted it. Loudoun County has no authority to site HVAC transmission lines or designate transmission corridors. Loudoun County also intends to add an overlay with the transmission lines on the county map. This will have serious implications for our property values and eventually the "By Right" use of our property !

This is a power grab and a land grab on the part of the Loudoun County BOS! It is essentially re-zoning our properties for energy infrastructure for the data centers and is setting us up for losing our properties by successive Eminent Domain takings piece by piece!

Loudoun County BOS states "we don't have the authority to site the line the VA SCC does". The fact of the matter is they are doing this to influence / pre-empt the VA SCC to have their preferred route proposed in advance of the application submission / hearing.

As reported by Loudoun Now: "... the consultant recommended identifying and siting preferred transmission corridors to be considered by PJM Interconnection, the region’s power coordinator and the State Corporation Commission, which give final approval on power projects."

The Loudoun County BOS has already decided they will NOT be intervening in the MARL/Doubs-Goose Creek (500kV) transmission line on behalf of the property owners along the existing lines.

From Item #4 "Resolution Opposing the Proposed Western Loudoun Route for the New 500kV Electrical Transmission line: "FISCAL IMPACT: There are no fiscal impacts associated with adopting the Resolution. In the event there is no change to the proposed Western Loudoun Route, then Loudoun County may need to participate in proceedings to oppose approval of the Western Loudoun Route. The County will likely incur significant expenses retaining outside counsel and experts."

Loudoun County BOS did not oppose the 500kV transmission line, they only opposed the route that may have impacted the Waterford view shed!

Amending the plan to add transmission corridors creates two classes of property owner's - those that will not have to worry about a transmission line on their property or in their view shed, whose properties will be PROTECTED by Loudoun County in intercession at the VA SCC using OUR tax payer funds AND those whose land will be chipped away in 200' increments to support the energy infrastructure needed to power the data centers! Its essentially re-zoning this area for industry without any due process.

Stay engaged!! Everyone in the vicinity of the existing power lines will need to send comments to the Loudoun County Board Of Supervisors in opposition to the Comprehensive Plan Amendments, in order to have standing for a LAWSUIT.

If the county persists in this we will need to take them to court or risk losing our properties entirely!

LoudounNow 7/18/2025: "Loudoun Supervisors Advance Study of Electrical Infrastructure"

LoudounNow 12/27/2024: "Supervisors to establish preferred Corridors for Transmission Lines"