Local News Outlets Kick Off Coverage of Valley Link's Joshua Falls to Yeat Project

Everything is WONDERFUL!

Initial reports from Virginia local media—such as WRIC (Richmond), WVIR/29News (Charlottesville), CBS19 (Charlottesville area), Farmville Herald, and others—have begun appearing in mid-February 2026, coinciding with Valley Link's February 12–13 announcement of the Joshua Falls to Yeat 765 kV transmission line project. These pieces largely announce the project's launch, highlighting its scale (115 miles, roughly $1 billion cost, spanning up to nine Central Virginia counties from Campbell to Culpeper), the joint venture partners (Dominion Energy, FirstEnergy Transmission, and Transource Energy), and upcoming community open houses and virtual meetings in March and beyond.The coverage frames the initiative positively as a necessary upgrade to strengthen grid reliability, meet surging power demand (projected to double in Virginia over the next 20 years due to population growth, electrification, industrial expansion, and data centers), and provide capacity equivalent to powering millions of homes. Quotes from Valley Link spokespeople emphasize collaboration, public input for route refinement, and benefits for the region's energy security and economy.However, these early stories offer little to no critical examination of key questions: Is the massive new overhead line truly essential, or are there alternatives like underground options or better use of existing corridors? Why should rural Central Virginians bear the burden—through new 200-foot rights-of-way clearing land across farms, forests, and private properties—for what PJM and industry data indicate is primarily driven by explosive data center growth in Northern Virginia (e.g., "Data Center Alley" serving tech giants like Amazon)? No reports delve into potential impacts on property values, electromagnetic fields, environmental disruption, or the broader debate over who truly pays (ratepayers vs. corporate beneficiaries) for this infrastructure.With more community sessions scheduled and the project heading toward Virginia State Corporation Commission review later in 2026, expect additional coverage—but so far, it's mostly straightforward announcements echoing the developer's messaging, without deeper scrutiny of the trade-offs for affected communities. For full details, check vltransmission.com/joshua-falls-to-yeat or local outlets directly.