StopPATH WV

Word from our Maryland and Virginia compatriots is that PATH has donated money to "sponsor" Brunswick Railroad Days on October 2 & 3, and that their logo appears on the program.  PATH seems to be under the impression that they can buy the support and goodwill of the folks who attend the event, as well as the town of Brunswick, and get a little PR equity at the same time.  The Town of Brunswick seems to be under the impression that taking a handout from PATH won't affect the attendance of locals who are being severely impacted by PATH's plans.  Looks like Tweedledee and Tweedledum are going to be very unhappy together.  When you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.

I won't be attending this year -- I refuse to give my support to a town and event that is so easily bought by a corporation with ruinous plans, not only for my area -- but their own backyard as well!  If you feel the same way, be sure to let the town of Brunswick know how you feel.

PATH has been quite busy "donating" to the communities it's about to devastate -- to the tune of $53,054 in 2009.  Reminds me of a praying mantis, where the female eats the male's head after mating.  I have heard many tales of organizations that were approached by PATH as donation targets who turned the money down or gave it back when they realized whose name was on the check. In fact, one tale included a quote from the Allegheny employee being handed back a check from PATH as saying, "We can't give this money away!"  Indeed. Who wants any of your dirty money?

Oh, wait, that's really MY dirty money -- because these donations come from electric ratepayers and are used as a deduction to PATH's income (which comes entirely from the ratepayers) for tax purposes.  Who pays PATH's taxes? You do and I do.  It's all part of that great cost recovery set-up they were granted by FERC.

Just say NO to Brunswick Railroad Days this year.

We've wrapped up another successful fair week here in Jefferson County and we would be remiss if we didn't publicly thank all the folks who made it happen.

Thanks to volunteers Steve Smith, Sharon Wilson, Patience Wait, JP & Donna Burns, Debbie Royalty, Robin Huyett Thomas, Cathy Jackson, Suzin Wright, Sondra Hosey and Bob Montgomery who kept our booth fully staffed and open for the entire week.

Thanks also to the local merchants and citizens who donated merchandise and gift certificates for our silent auction:  Dickinson & Wait Craft Gallery, DISH restaurant, Stan Beall, Sharon Wilson and Cathy Jackson.  Thanks also to our very talented local artists who donated beautiful pieces of art for the auction:  Kenneth Walker, Johanna Grodzicki and Scott Tatina.

The silent auction raised a significant sum to benefit our legal and expert witness fund and the winners were thrilled with their purchases.  Thanks to all who participated!

Special thanks to "Electra" aka Clissy Funkhouser who joined us Tuesday and Wednesday evenings to perform her "Wrath Against PATH" song at the booth and walk through the fair grounds enlightening folks about PATH's destructive plans for our area.  She was a big hit and crowd magnet wherever she went!  Watching heads swivel and seeing the looks on the faces of the crowd as Electra did her thing was quite entertaining -- the smiles were a mile wide and the curiosity went a long way toward getting our message out.  Who can resist a lady in a blinking light-up dress and hat (and, no, she's not Lady Gaga!)?

Special thanks also to our own little "mini-Mays" Samuel Smith who did his thing with the kid's games at the StopPATH booth.  Watch out world -- someday you're going to buy something from this expert salesman-in-training!

Last, but certainly not least, thanks to all the fair attendees who came by the booth over the last seven days and supported us with petition signatures and donations. It was both inspiring and gratifying to hear our own message repeated back to us thousands of times from perfect strangers.  Although the battle is far from over, the groundswell of public outrage at the PATH project and support for our efforts is overwhelming and demonstrates the effectiveness of a true grassroots movement.  While PATH spent currently unknown thousands of dollars (to be recouped from our electric bills) hiring RL Repass to conduct phone surveys and focus groups several months ago to gauge public opinion in Jefferson County, we accomplished the exact same thing for the extremely low cost of booth rental at the fair and a week of my time (free, but not cheap!)  PATH needn't waste any more of our money with additional propaganda campaigns in Jefferson County -- they are sure to be DOA -- PATH is not welcome in Jefferson County!  The public is not the uneducated, easily-swayed patsys they expected.  We're not anything like the stereotype PATH has labeled us with, but instead are knowledgeable, engaged and fed-up with West Virginia being used and abused for out-of-state corporate profits.

I am truly grateful and enjoyed spending time with each and every one of you this past week!

August 22 - 28 StopPATH WV will have a booth open at the Jefferson County Fair.  Hours are 3 - 11 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.  Wednesday 11 - 11 and Saturday 10 AM - 11PM.  We've got fun games, a new stock of StopPATH t-shirts, fans and glow-in-the-dark bracelets, as well as lots of handouts and information about the PATH project.  We are also hosting a silent auction offering original artwork and crafts donated by local artists, as well as gift certificates and merchandise donated by local businesses.  Bidding closes at 6 PM on Saturday. Come by and put in a bid and get a beautiful piece of art or useful gift certificate for a great price!  All proceeds from the booth will benefit StopPATH WV's legal and expert witness fund.

Don't miss Tuesday night's special event!  StopPATH member Clissy Funkhouser will be performing live at the booth singing her "Wrath Against PATH" song decked out in full costume after 6:00 PM.  Clissy is the original singer/songwriter of this creative musical protest.  If you haven't seen Clissy performing in full costume before, you can't miss this!

Hope to see you all there!

The EIS Scoping Meeting in Harpers Ferry on Monday night was well attended, with the final tally at 106 attendees. The public did their job and provided the Park and Forest Services with their comments and opened their eyes to the reality of PATH and power company abuse of the citizens of West Virginia.  Thank you to all who came out to become a part of the process!

StopPATH WV presented a combined binder of comments on a number of specific topics from West Virginia citizens for inclusion in the EIS scope consideration.  We also made public comment during the "open mic" portion of the meeting.

Despite the dour faces and worried looks among the AEP & Allegheny Energy personnel present, we did manage to have a little fun with Allegheny's Randy Palmer.  He was a great sport and we hope he enjoys his little collection of anti-power company trinkets.

The Park and Forest Services and their EIS contractor, CH2MHill, have been great throughout the meeting process and their impartiality and willingness to listen have been very refreshing.  We look forward to working with them as this process continues.

Because PATH is planned to cross Federal land at Harpers Ferry National Park, the Appalachian Trail and the C & O Canal National Park, an environmental impact statement must be prepared.  Scoping meetings will be held in mid-July and we need everyone to participate in this process. 


The public comment meetings will be held:
July 19, 2010 - 4-8pm - Quality Inn, Harpers Ferry, WV
July 20, 2010 - 4-8pm - Loudoun Valley High School, Purcellville, VA
July 21, 2010 - 4-8pm Tuscarora High School, Frederick, MD
July 22, 2010 - 4-8pm Tucker Co. High School, Davis, WV

If you cannot attend in person and make comment, you may instead submit your comments in writing either via the web here or via U.S. Mail to:


National Park Service
ATTN:  PATH EIS Planning Team
Denver Service Center -- Planning
P.O. Box 25287
Denver, CO  80225

Here in the Eastern Panhandle, these are our local parks -- the ones we visit frequently and the ones we proudly show off to those who come to visit us.  Please help to protect these valuable resources by becoming an active participant in the scoping process.

Calhoun Powerline has a very informative article about the process, what you can do and how important it is that you contribute.

Watch this website and Calhoun Powerline for more information.  If you need help with your comments or have additional questions email keryn@stoppathwv.com

A delegation from StopPATH WV attended the CAKES Open House in Frederick County, Maryland this morning.  The Open House was designed to provide important information for affected citizens and was set up as a series of activity/information stations.  The CAKES folks did a great job and the event was attended by hundreds of citizens who oppose PATH and its endpoint substation, both staunch opponents and those just finding out about the project and pledging their support.


It was nice to see the CAKES members we have already been working with again, and to meet some of the other folks from their group to share information, strategize, and compare notes.  We look forward to a continued cooperative working relationship as all the PATH opposition groups join forces against their common enemy.


No matter where we travel up and down the proposed PATH of Destruction, we always find committed, knowledgeable kindred spirits and come home with not only new hope and enthusiasm, but new friends as well.