This week has been a tsunami of events and emotions relating to the future of transmission lines, beginning with the recommended approval by the Virginia SCC hearing examiner on the Loudoun Line, and ending the week with an announcement by the West Virginia Public Service Commission to approve their portion of the construction.

As we wait for word from the Pennsylvania utility commission, there remains a glimmer of hope that they will deny approval and forestall the process for TrAILCo and Dominion Power to move forward with the construction.

In Virginia, we have been told office space has been rented in southern Frederick County to house construction offices and crews are busy laying out boundary flags along the preferred route's right-of-way.

The Potomac Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH), a joint project of American and Allegheny Power companies, which will provide yet another transmission line project from West Virginia to Maryland, has been busy flooding the media this week with ads relating to the urgency for installing new transmission lines to ensure long-term reliability of the grid.

In Virginia, parties in the Loudoun Line case before the SCC have until August 18 to respond to the SCC hearing examiner’s recommendation. A final decision on the case must be made by October 2 before it would revert to the control of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). This still leaves time for an appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court by either party, depending on the SCC judges’ ruling.

I questioned our legal counsel on whether court proceedings would trump FERC from taking immediate control after the October deadline. Absent a stay from the Virginia Supreme Court, which could create a very interesting legal situation, FERC and the Supreme Court proceedings would probably proceed simultaneously.

More to follow in the days ahead.