Hearings Coming to Pendleton

17 April 2006 - FRANKLIN, W. Va. - The Public Service Commission hearings are to be held in Franklin on Thursday 4 May at 1:30 p.m. and again at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Building.

This is what we have been waiting for — a chance to be seen and heard in person by the Public Service Commission, a state agency created by the Legislature to act on behalf of the general public in dealings with regulated utilities. It is important to be there, even if you have no statement to give. If only a few show up, it will tell the Commissioners that Pendletonians really aren't concerned about wind turbines.

Conduct at the Hearings
If you plan to speak, arrive early to sign up to do so.

Begin by stating your name and address.

If you are an experienced speaker, speak extemporaneously; otherwise, use notes or a written script.

Be respectful of the Commissioners and all speakers, including those who may speak in support of Liberty Gap.

Take note of what is said by supporters and consider including a rebuttal of it with your statement.

Take advantage of this opportunity to speak directly to the state-level people, who will be making the decision about Liberty Gap, based in part on what they witness in Pendleton County.

Making statements to the PSC
There is still time to prepare a statement to read. Here are some suggestions:

Two types of statements will be effective at the hearings. The first type is the heartfelt statement that expresses how you feel about the county and what the coming of wind turbines will do to it. Express how the turbines will affect you personally and how you feel about any aspect of Liberty Gap's actions in the county.

The second type is a statement that can call into question some aspect of Liberty Gap's application with facts of which you have particular knowledge. It could be something as simple as stating that although the Liberty Gap application claims there are no water wells within 3,000 feet of the project, you own a well that is closer than that distance and will hand over to the Commission a copy of your survey map to be entered into the record of the proceedings.

The more of this second type of statement that can be presented, the stronger our case will be. Finding discrepancies in the application, however seemingly minor, adds more and more weight to the argument that Liberty Gap's application is fatally flawed.

After the PSC has heard from the citizens of Pendleton, the application process moves back to Charleston for a series of testimony and rebuttals by intervenors, PSC staff and the applicant through June and ends with formal evidentiary hearings with cross-examination of witnesses. This is scheduled for 28 - 29 June 2006.