VELCO agrees to notify landowners

Burlington Free Press, July 22, 2003

By David Gram
The Associated Press

MONTPELIER -- The company seeking to build a series of major new power lines in Vermont has reversed itself and agreed to tell abutting landowners about its plans.

Kimberly Hayden, a lawyer for the Vermont Electric Power Corp., told the Public Service Board last week that state law and a 1970s Vermont Supreme Court decision allow the company not to provide such notification.

But VELCO, which handles bulk transmissions of power being shipped to Central Vermont Public Service Corp., Green Mountain Power Corp., and other Vermont distribution utilities, reversed course Friday.

"Since (Wednesday's) conference, VELCO has an opportunity to review its records concerning landowner information along the project corridors," Hayden wrote to the Public Service Board on Friday.

She added that "we believe we have sufficient landowner information to mail out individual notices to all adjoining landowners."

Hayden's remarks on Wednesday came in response to a line of questioning begun by Charlotte resident Sylvia Knight, who attended Wednesday's hearing.

Knight asked whether the company would be required to notify adjoining landowners so they could have a say in VELCO's plans to build:

-- A new 345,000-volt power line parallel to a smaller, existing line, from an existing major transmission station in West Rutland to New Haven .

-- A new 115,000-volt line along the route of an existing 34,000-volt line owned by GMP between New Haven and South Burlington .

-- Installing a larger wire on an existing line between Barre and Williamstown.

-- And upgrades at 13 substations around Vermont .

Knight on Friday called VELCO's decision "amazing. I'm very glad to hear that." She said she was gratified to see democracy in action, with one citizen's question at a Public Service Board producing results within days.