****For Immediate Release****
Constitution Party of West Virginia Strongly Opposes Proposed Mid-Atlantic Resiliency Link and Valley Link Transmission Lines.
The Constitution Party of West Virginia (CPWV) today announces its firm opposition to two massive high-voltage transmission line projects: the Mid-Atlantic Resiliency Link (MARL, 500kV), proposed to traverse Preston, Monongalia, Mineral, Hampshire, and Jefferson Counties, and the Valley Link (765kV), slated to cut across Putnam, Kanawha, Roane, Calhoun, Braxton, Lewis, Upshur, Barbour, Tucker, Preston, Grant, Hardy, Hampshire, and Jefferson Counties.
These projects, driven by out-of-state corporate interests to power data centers in Northern Virginia, represent an egregious assault on West Virginia’s sovereignty, private property rights, and natural heritage.The MARL and Valley Link lines, spearheaded by entities including NextEra Energy Transmission and a joint venture of Dominion Energy, American Electric Power, and FirstEnergy, would impose towering structures—up to 160 feet high—across vast swaths of West Virginia’s rural landscapes.
While proponents claim these lines enhance grid reliability, the reality is that West Virginia ratepayers and landowners bear the burden, with little to no local benefit. Instead, the power flows eastward to fuel the explosive growth of energy-intensive data centers in Virginia, leaving West Virginians to foot the bill for infrastructure that erodes their communities and environment.
“The Constitution Party of West Virginia stands with the citizens of these affected counties who are fighting to protect their homes, farms, and way of life,” said Tricia Jackson, Interim Chairman of the CPWV. “These projects exemplify the kind of corporate-federal overreach that our Founding Fathers warned against. We support every West Virginian impacted by this threat, from families in Monongalia County to landowners in Hampshire and beyond, in their rightful defense against eminent domain abuse and environmental degradation.”
At the heart of the CPWV’s opposition lies a steadfast commitment to the U.S. Constitution.
These transmission lines flagrantly violate the Fifth Amendment, which safeguards private property from being taken for public use without just compensation and due process of law. Routing massive power lines through private lands for the benefit of distant private corporations does not constitute a legitimate “public use” but rather an unconstitutional seizure that prioritizes profit over people. Furthermore, such initiatives undermine the Tenth Amendment by encroaching on powers reserved to the states and the people, allowing unelected regional entities like PJM to dictate land use and burden West Virginia without meaningful state input or consent.
The environmental toll is equally alarming, with potential irreversible damage to West Virginia’s forests, waterways, and wildlife habitats—resources that belong to the people, not to be sacrificed for external gains. Local opposition has already mounted, with counties like Monongalia and Hampshire passing resolutions against these lines, and grassroots petitions gathering thousands of signatures from concerned residents.
The CPWV calls on West Virginia’s elected officials, both local and state, to reject these projects outright and advocate for alternatives that respect constitutional principles and prioritize local needs. We urge all citizens to join the fight by contacting their representatives, signing petitions, attending public hearings, and submitting comments to the PSC to voice their opposition.
The Constitution Party of West Virginia is dedicated to upholding the principles of the U.S. Constitution, promoting limited government, individual liberty, fiscal responsibility, and the protection of God-given rights. For more information, visit cpwva.org.
