Pardee Virginia Timber LLC ?

Based on publicly available records, the parcels most likely being considered for the Yeat substation in Culpeper County include Parcel ID 68-29 (approximately 306 acres) and Parcel ID 68-40 (approximately 142 acres), both owned by Pardee Virginia Timber LLC. These are large, contiguous forested tracts that represent not only local value, but part of a broader working forest system that has regional significance.

At this time, there is no indication that these parcels are under contract with Valley Link or Dominion. In addition, a March 24, 2026 FOIA request indicates that neither the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors nor the Planning Department had any correspondence or formal plans on record related to the Yeat substation at these locations.

According to PJM’s Reliability Analysis Update dated February 3, 2026 from the Transmission Expansion Advisory Committee (TEAC), “Valley Link is evaluating ‘options’ for relocating the Yeat substation further south… Next steps are for Valley Link to finalize location following investigation of options and for PJM to perform the required reliability studies. Scope change, if needed, to be brought forward at a future TEAC meeting.” Citizens can sign up to virtually attend the future TEAC meetings and listen in.

This is important context. While PJM’s own planning materials clearly indicate that the Yeat location is still under evaluation and subject to additional reliability studies and potential scope changes, Valley Link outreach materials dated February 12, 2026 were sent to residents presenting the Culpeper location as if it is already assumed. As many of us have seen, those letters were sent even before the required reliability studies were completed and before any potential scope change has been reviewed through the PJM process that will occur no earlier than April.

That disconnect raises a broader concern about how this process is unfolding and what level of transparency communities are being given as decisions are still actively being shaped.

It also highlights the importance of the land itself. These Pardee timber tracts are not vacant or insignificant. They are part of Virginia’s working forest landscape, supporting environmental, economic, and conservation values. Decisions about their future should not be made quietly or prematurely, especially while the project itself remains under evaluation.

Community members may want to consider respectfully engaging with Pardee Virginia Timber LLC to express the importance of conserving these forested lands and to ensure that any potential future decisions reflect the long-term value of these tracts to the region. The parent company, Pardee Resources Company, can be contacted here.

More broadly, this reinforces a key point. The Yeat substation location is not finalized. The project configuration tied to it is still being evaluated. And local governments have not yet been formally engaged.

Planning materials also indicate that the Yeat location will be a major transmission hub moving power north toward the Northern Virginia grid. Concepts discussed in the 2025 RTEP planning cycle include connections such as:

• Joshua Falls – Yeat (765 kV)

• Vontay – Yeat (765 kV)

• Heritage – Yeat (765 kV)

• The formerly named Kraken Loop and related 765 kV transmission expansion concepts

Decisions of this scale should not move forward without clear transparency, proper sequencing, and meaningful community involvement. This is still a moment where public awareness and engagement can shape the outcome. Engage the Culpeper Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission and ask them to take a critical look at future plans. It increasingly appears that Dominion may be positioning Culpeper for a major substation that would support Northern Virginia data center demand, while also making Culpeper and Orange County more attractive for large-scale data center development. Is that the direction we as residents want to go in?