Coalition to Protect Prince William County
PO Box 382
Haymarket, VA 20168
www.protectpwc.org
PRESS RELEASE
For more Information contact:
Elena Schlossberg
Executive Director, Coalition to Protect Prince William County
admin@protectpwc.org
DOMINION DAMAGING COMMUNITIES TO HANG AMAZON EXTENSION CORD
Executive director says: ”Treat Amazon like any other customer – build in the right place, or pay to play.”
Haymarket, Virginia (February 24, 2016) – Today, the State Corporation Commission (SCC) will hold the first of three public hearings at Battlefield High School in Haymarket on Dominion Virginia Power’s application for the Haymarket 230kV Transmission Line and Substation Project to power Amazon data centers. Instead of the I-66 Overhead/Underground “Hybrid” route demanded by the Coalition, residents, community and homeowner associations, and state and local governments, Dominion selected the I-66 Overhead route as its preferred route.Coalition executive director Elena Schlossberg observed, “Dominion says it selected the shortest route with a ‘reasonable cost.’ In service to their “client,” Dominion seems quite comfortable determining what is reasonable with other peoples’ property. Actual residents and established businesses in the path of Amazon’s $51 million extension cord may find overhead high-voltage lines and millions in lost property values decidedly unreasonable.”
The Coalition will host a pre-hearing press conference on February 24 at 6:30PM, Battlefield High School, 1500 Graduation Drive, Haymarket, VA. Standing with Schlossberg at the press conference will be: Ken Aitchison, President, Heritage Hunt HOA; Dan Glicoes, President, Parks at Piedmont HOA; Mac Haddow, President, Western Prince William HOA Alliance; David Leake, Mayor, Town of Haymarket; Jim Napoli, President, Somerset Crossing HOA; and Karen Sheehan, Secretary, Rose Hill Estates Owners Association. These communities are but a few representing thousands of residents that will be affected by Amazon’s extension cord.
Schlossberg continued, “Why are we here – again – standing shoulder to shoulder to defend our communities? First, if we have learned anything, it is that Dominion will stop at nothing to get what it wants – a high-voltage transmission line running along the mountains from Fauquier through Prince William to Loudoun. Second, we now know Amazon’s vision for western Prince William County includes at least four data centers. We run the risk of becoming Jeff Bezos’ digital dumping ground.”
Schlossberg noted, “This is the worst kind of crony capitalism – one large, monopolistic corporation serving another large private corporation, all sanctioned by the state agency designed to protect citizens. And the citizens? We end up subsidizing Amazon’s profits while property values drop and rural communities suffer. Amazon should get no favors: you either build near the appropriate infrastructure, or you pay to get service.”
Schlossberg reminded all residents to stay vigilant, “While people on the Carver, Madison, Railroad, and Overhead I66 routes are in the bullseye right now, no one on the New Road, Northern, and Western routes should relax. Any of these routes can be considered – or the SCC can develop its own alternative. And we know we’re in Dominion’s crosshairs as they look ahead to future transmission lines. The fight will come to us again.”
Schlossberg concluded, “There is a right way and a wrong way to participate in the 21st century economy. Hanging a $51M extension cord over residents’ heads and ringing up millions in lost property values is the wrong way.”
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