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Louisa County supervisors pass resolution opposing ValleyLink transmission route through county
Summary
The Louisa County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution March 16 opposing the proposed ValleyLink Joshua Falls–Yeet 115‑mile, 765‑kilovolt transmission project and urged the State Corporation Commission and ValleyLink to prioritize alternatives that avoid the county or require undergrounding.
The Louisa County Board of Supervisors voted March 16 to formally oppose the ValleyLink Joshua Falls–Yeet high‑voltage transmission project as proposed, with board members urging state regulators and the project’s sponsors to explore alternatives that do not place an overhead 765‑kilovolt line through the county.
Mister Goodman, reading the resolution on behalf of the board, said the project’s currently proposed routes would create roughly 20 miles of new corridor through Louisa County, use steel lattice structures up to about 160 feet tall, require permanent clearings and pass within 500 feet of numerous homes. The resolution states that an overhead 765‑kilovolt line would cause "significant and irreparable harm" to Louisa’s rural character, agricultural heritage and forest lands, and would provide no direct benefit to residents and businesses who would bear most impacts.
Supervisor Williams moved an amendment to the resolution to remove language limiting opposition to "as currently proposed," clarifying the board’s intent to oppose the project being routed through Louisa County at all. "We are in this fight together," Williams said, urging coordinated action with neighboring counties and higher levels of government. The chair said the resolution is intended to amplify local opposition and that the board will offer to host a summit of impacted counties.
Public commenters at the meeting urged the board to push utilities and regulators for undergrounding and broader routing alternatives. Amy Daney, a resident of the Patrick Henry district, told the board that Dominion and PJM had discussed underground options in other proceedings and urged citizens to file timely FERC paperwork. Construction and utility workers who spoke said burying lines is technically feasible and asked that project costs be borne by the developers rather than by local communities.
The resolution instructs the county to forward copies to the Virginia State Corporation Commission, the governor’s office and Louisa’s representatives in the General Assembly and urges ValleyLink to minimize impacts to working agricultural and forestry lands and to prioritize existing infrastructure corridors where feasible.
The board moved on to subsequent business after the vote; staff said the county will continue coordination with neighboring localities and notify statewide regulators as spelled out in the resolution.
