Allegheny Energy

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - The state Public Service Commission says it will hold 11 public hearings on a proposal to build a 756-kilovolt power line across West Virginia to Maryland. The PSC announced Friday that the first hearings will be held in Shepherdstown, W.Va., on Sept. 22 and 23. Other West Virginia hearings are planned for Sept. 28 in Flatwoods, Oct. 2 in Charleston, Oct. 13 at Canaan Valley State Park near Davis and Oct. 22 in Buckhannon. Allegheny Energy and American Electric Power propose to build the Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline, or PATH, from AEP's John Amos plant in Putnam County across parts of northern Virginia and end at a substation near Kemptown, Md. The project is being opposed by individuals and government agencies along the proposed route.

GREENSBURG, Pa. -- Allegheny Energy recently donated nearly $17,000 to the United Way of Washington County as a result of the company's 2008 employee donation campaign. For more than 30 years, Allegheny employees have donated their time, energy and financial support to United Way. Each year, this long-standing partnership benefits more than 50 United Way chapters in Allegheny's Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia service territories. Throughout the company's four-state service area, the 2008 campaign raised more than $650,000, including employee donations and contributions from Allegheny's corporate match program.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. --  First, there was PATH. Now, there's PEAT. PATH is the acronym for Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline, a proposed 276-mile, single 765-kilovolt power line that runs from a substation in Putnam County, W.Va., to a proposed substation in Kemptown, Md., in Frederick County. The line crosses through southern Jefferson County, and runs for 31 miles in Virginia and 20 miles in Maryland. Its cost is pegged at $1.8 billion. PEAT, an acronym for PATH Education and Awareness Team, is a joint venture financed by Allegheny Energy and America Electric Power, builders of the proposed power line, in answer to its critics.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- Nearly a year has passed since the hoopla over an India-based university's purchase of the former Allegheny Energy headquarters near Hagerstown. Washington County officials and the sellers wore Indian shawls and garlands to celebrate. The new owners announced grand visions -- undergraduate and graduate degree programs, a hospital and trauma center, and $3.5 million worth of upgrades within a year. Eleven months later, little more has happened. It's not known when or if Vinayaka Missions America University will move ahead with its higher-education plan, which would have to go before the Maryland Higher Education Commission for approval.

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Two energy companies have filed an application with Maryland regulators to run part of a high-voltage, multistate power line across southern Frederick County. American Electric Power Co., of Columbus, Ohio, and Allegheny Energy Inc., of Greensburg, Pa., filed the application with the Maryland Public Service Commission on Tuesday. The Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline, or PATH, would run from AEP's John Amos power plant in western West Virginia, across parts of northern Virginia and eastern West Virginia, and end at a substation near Kemptown, Md. The 20-mile Maryland section would cross the Potomac River near Point of Rocks.

o Jefferson County protesters plan to tie up traffic CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- The developers of a multistate power line asked Friday for state Public Service Commission's approval to build the 280-mile line between West Virginia and Maryland. Developers of the Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline, or PATH, said they planned to file similar requests with regulatory agencies in Maryland and Virginia within the next 10 days. Columbus, Ohio-based American Electric Power and Greensburg, Pa.-based Allegheny Energy have said the 765-kilovolt line is needed to address regional electrical reliability concerns.

SEPT. 23, 1931-FEB. 11, 2009 INWOOD, W.Va. - John William "Bud" Wetzel, 77, of Inwood, died Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009, at City Hospital in Martinsburg, W.Va. Born Sept. 23, 1931, in Union Bridge, Md., he was the son of the late John Morris Wetzel and Lenora Davis Shifler. He retired from Allegheny Energy after 44 years of service. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He was a member of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Taneytown, Md. He was a member of VFW Post 8806 of Union Bridge.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. -- An Allegheny Energy official said Sunday that the electric provider will hold three open houses in December, including one on Dec. 3 at Washington High School, where the public can learn about the newest proposed routes for a new high-voltage power line that has raised concerns in Jefferson County. Allegheny Power officials have said recently that possible routes for the Potomac Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH) have been eliminated in Washington County, Md., and Berkeley and Morgan counties in the Eastern Panhandle.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - The Jefferson County Commission on Thursday offered another round of opposition to the proposed high-voltage power line that could cross through the county. Allegheny Power officials said recently that possible routes for the Potomac Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH) have been eliminated in Washington County, Md., and Berkeley and Morgan counties in the Eastern Panhandle. But the line could still cross through Jefferson County, Allegheny Energy officials said.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Concerned about the potential effects on residents of a proposed new high-voltage power line that could cross through Jefferson County, the county commission on Thursday decided to take action. The commissioners voted to intervene through the state Public Service Commission, which regulates utility companies and would review the proposal if Allegheny Energy officials move forward with the project. By intervening, the commission would express citizens' concerns that have been raised about the Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH)