APPOMATTOX CO., Va. – Valley Link is back with another round of community meetings, giving residents a chance to weigh in on a proposed transmission line stretching from Campbell County north to Culpeper.
The project, known as the Joshua Falls to Yeat Transmission Line, would cross Appomattox County and several communities along the way. Officials say the goal is straightforward: keep homes and businesses powered as the region continues to grow.
Listening to community
George Porter, a Valley Link spokesperson, says public feedback is driving the process.
“We want to hear from customers, we want to know how they feel, we don’t know what we don’t know,” Porter said. “That’s the most important thing about these open houses; we need customers to come out, tell us their opinion, give us their feedback, so we can build the best route possible.”
Since the first round of meetings, Valley Link has adjusted its route options — moving the original starting point near BWXT farther south in Campbell County.
“It was just more cost-effective to make sure we move to a location where we can get in and out without putting any major impacts on the community,” Porter said.
Opposition grows over land use concerns
Not everyone is welcoming the project. Benjamin Pennington, president of Preserve Orange Alliance, is protesting the proposed line, arguing it would cut through private property and benefit for-profit companies at residents’ expense.
“You’re taking citizen land under the guise of utility requirement, and then you’re feeding that to for-profit companies, so that’s easily the biggest heartache,” Pennington said.
Pennington and others worry the line will run through backyards and do more harm than good for the communities it crosses.
What comes next
Valley Link is currently presenting updated route options, construction timelines, environmental reviews and information on how to submit public comments. A map of the proposed corridor shows the dotted line stretching across Appomattox County, touching neighborhoods, farms and small businesses along the way.
No final route has been selected. That decision comes after additional studies and public input are completed. The next formal step is a filing with the Virginia State Corporation Commission, referred to as “Queue Three,” which will include recommended routes. Officials say this project is part of a larger plan to meet future electric demand across the commonwealth.