The state Public Service Commission late Friday approved Allegheny Energy's plans to build a huge electric transmission line that will stretch across much of Northern West Virginia.

Just hours before a midnight deadline, commissioners issued a "certificate of public convenience and necessity" for the Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line, being promoted by Allegheny as TrAIL. The 500-kilovolt transmission line will run from southwestern Pennsylvania across West Virginia and into Northern Virginia.

Commissioners concluded in a 135-page ruling that the $1.1 billion project "results in an acceptable balance between reasonable power needs and reasonable environmental factors."

Commissioners Jon McKinney and Ed Staats heard the case. Commission Chairman Michael Albert did not participate because he did some work on the project before leaving the Jackson Kelly law firm.

The case was among the most controversial PSC matters in years, and is the first of two proposed major in-state power-line projects to go before the commission. Later this year, the PSC is expected to begin considering a second transmission line. AEP and Allegheny are partners in proposing the Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline, which would run from the John Amos power plant, located between Winfield and St. Albans, to Frederick, Md.

Supporters say these projects are needed so the nation's aging electrical grid can continue to provide cheap and reliable power to big Eastern cities and their growing suburbs.

However, TrAIL has - and PATH is almost certain to - draw intense opposition from West Virginians who fear that huge power lines and towers will mar scenic views, lower their property values, and continue what they say is an environmentally damaging reliance on coal-fired power.

Commissioners rejected concerns from the West Virginia Sierra Club, which intervened in the case, over greenhouse gas emissions from existing coal plants, and from other coal-fired facilities that might be prompted by TrAIL's added transmission capacity.

"TrAIL's transmission capacity will not discriminate against electrons based on the source or type of generation resources," the commission said. "TrAIL will provide both a direct pathway, and an alternative pathway in cases of outages of other transmission lines, that will be able to carry electricity from coal, oil, natural gas, wind, hydro, biomass, methane or any other generation source."

As originally designed, the West Virginia portion of TrAIL would have run about 114 miles through six counties, from north of Morgantown, through Monongalia, Preston and Tucker counties, and then across Grant, Hardy and Hampshire counties into Virginia.

The state Public Service Commission late Friday approved Allegheny Energy's plans to build a huge electric transmission line that will stretch across much of Northern West Virginia.

Just hours before a midnight deadline, commissioners issued a "certificate of public convenience and necessity" for the Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line, being promoted by Allegheny as TrAIL. The 500-kilovolt transmission line will run from southwestern Pennsylvania across West Virginia and into Northern Virginia.

Commissioners concluded in a 135-page ruling that the $1.1 billion project "results in an acceptable balance between reasonable power needs and reasonable environmental factors."

Commissioners Jon McKinney and Ed Staats heard the case. Commission Chairman Michael Albert did not participate because he did some work on the project before leaving the Jackson Kelly law firm.

The case was among the most controversial PSC matters in years, and is the first of two proposed major in-state power-line projects to go before the commission. Later this year, the PSC is expected to begin considering a second transmission line. AEP and Allegheny are partners in proposing the Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline, which would run from the John Amos power plant, located between Winfield and St. Albans, to Frederick, Md.

Supporters say these projects are needed so the nation's aging electrical grid can continue to provide cheap and reliable power to big Eastern cities and their growing suburbs.

However, TrAIL has - and PATH is almost certain to - draw intense opposition from West Virginians who fear that huge power lines and towers will mar scenic views, lower their property values, and continue what they say is an environmentally damaging reliance on coal-fired power.

Commissioners rejected concerns from the West Virginia Sierra Club, which intervened in the case, over greenhouse gas emissions from existing coal plants, and from other coal-fired facilities that might be prompted by TrAIL's added transmission capacity.

"TrAIL's transmission capacity will not discriminate against electrons based on the source or type of generation resources," the commission said. "TrAIL will provide both a direct pathway, and an alternative pathway in cases of outages of other transmission lines, that will be able to carry electricity from coal, oil, natural gas, wind, hydro, biomass, methane or any other generation source."

As originally designed, the West Virginia portion of TrAIL would have run about 114 miles through six counties, from north of Morgantown, through Monongalia, Preston and Tucker counties, and then across Grant, Hardy and Hampshire counties into Virginia.

Under a modified route that ended opposition by PSC staff, the line would run for about 120 miles in West Virginia. Instead of cutting across southern Monongalia and Preston counties - where opposition has been the most organized - the line would go more directly south before cutting east and following existing transmission lines from Pruntytown to Mount Storm.

As part of the same deal, announced in mid-April, Allegheny also promised to move a transmission operations center to West Virginia, and to save customers more than $40 million in industry rate reductions, low-income assistance and conservation plans, and deferments of rate hikes to fund the transmission line construction.

In an earlier settlement, the PSC consumer advocate also dropped opposition to the project. That deal required Allegheny to provide free electricity to residents whose property is crossed by the transmission line. Allegheny also pledged to severely limit clearcutting and not use aerial herbicide spraying to maintain the power line right of way.

Before the two settlements, the PSC staff and consumer advocate had staunchly opposed the line, questioning the need for the project, the route and raising other concerns.

Under state law, the PSC was charged with deciding if TrAIL "will economically, adequately and reliably contribute to meeting the present and anticipated requirements for electric power of the customers served and if it is "desirable for present and anticipated reliability of service area or region."

Commissioners also must consider if the project "will result in an acceptable balance between reasonable power needs and reasonable environmental factors."

In a news release issued just before the formal ruling was distributed Friday night, the commission said it "looked not only at reliability needs within the borders of West Virginia, but also the surrounding region.

"The power grid is interconnected, and West Virginia must participate in that interconnected electric system to safeguard the availability of well-maintained grid resources," the news release said.

McKinney said in the release, "Decisions concerning projects of this magnitude are never easy. However, the commission believes that [the company] proved the need for this project as an active part of the solution to regional electricity supply issues, and also showed a good-faith effort to minimize environmental and cultural impacts."

Reach Ken Ward Jr. at kw...@wvgazette.com or 348-1702.