| By Bob Weaver
The Upshur County commission is putting their foot down on a proposed high-voltage electric transmission line project that would run through their county.
The Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline project, or "PATH," would run through several counties between the John Amos plant in Putnam County to central Maryland.
The Upshur Commission has joined the Calhoun Commission and about a half-dozen other county governments in formally opposing the project, saying they are unclear how residents would benefit from the project.
The Upshur Commission says Allegheny isn't giving them the answers they want.
The Commission has asked Allegheny where the lines would go, how much land it would take up and any restrictions, including voltage loss, while expressing concerns about decreased property values.
The Roane County Commission is looking at the issue and is expected to take a position on the matter.
Much of the opposition is based on the building of coal-fired generation plants in West Virginia that emit toxic chemicals, requiring mega-transmission lines to deliver electric to urban areas in the eastern corridor.
The USA appears on the verge of moving away from oil and fossil-fuel dependence, with some opponents of the multi-billion dollar project suggesting smaller generation plants should be built closer to the metro areas they serve, as opposed to stretching hundreds of miles of mega-transmission lines on giant towers.
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