| By Bob Weaver
A new, giant electric power transmission line will be crossing Calhoun, a project that stretches from the John Amos power plant in Putnam County to New Jersey.
Public meetings are being scheduled for Calhoun residents to comment on the line.
Roane County residents have already attended a PATH public hearing.
During that meeting, two options that affect Calhoun was presented.
Sources said their presentation made a strong case for passing through central and northern
Calhoun County, following a current high-line that crosses from Roane and the Husk Ridge near Hur, on to Cabot Station, south of White Pine Road into Gilmer.
A second route is proposed to cross the county in the Oka, Mud Fork and Stinson area.
The current central and northern right-of-way is already 100-feet wide. The new project would call for widening that
right of way an additional 200' for the new transmission line.
The Herald has attempted to obtain a photo and dimensions of the large towers, but the company says it has yet to decide on the issue.
If the southern Calhoun route is chosen, several completely new miles of right of way would have
to be purchased and cleared.
The line would enter Calhoun from Roane and exit into Braxton in the general Wilsie, Chapel and Exchange area.
The company is scheduling a total of 16 public sessions across the state.
About 25 individuals representing the project answered questions during the Spencer meeting, reportedly organized by a Virginia public relations firm.
The company has said they want to use routes that have the less negative impact on communities.
Chesapeake Energy, the nation's third biggest gas producer, was spending so much money on public relations to sell WV residents on their royalty and drilling operations, they went out and bought the largest PR and advertising
firm in Charleston.
Maps and information regarding the project will follow.
- The Herald has been reporting on this project since 2005, with numerous stories in the archives
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