Valley Link transmission line faces criticism over limited public outreach

The Valley Link transmission line, a 260‑mile, 765‑kV project involving AEP subsidiary Transource Energy, FirstEnergy Transmission and Dominion Energy, proposes a route from the John Amos Power Plant in Putnam County, West Virginia, to Frederick County, Maryland. Organisers have held 23 open houses across affected communities, but a recent open house in Buckingham County, Virginia was cancelled because of a measles outbreak and replaced with a small office‑hours session limited to landowners. Residents such as Amy Crawford criticised the narrow invitation process, saying many community members were excluded.

In Kanawha County, West Virginia, the county commission hosted a public discussion on the proposal. Valley Link spokesperson Alex Weld emphasized that no final route has been chosen and that thousands of comments from the open houses are being analyzed. Plans call for a second round of open houses in November and a proposed alternative route to be presented to state public service commissions in early‑mid 2027. Local residents expressed concerns about impacts on farms, health, the environment and questioned whether the line would primarily benefit data centers in Virginia and Maryland.