I chose this image to try and give you a feel for what it is like where we live in an effort to underscore what the Dominion Power transmission lines mean to the environment. This is what you see when you stand on the patio and look out at our back field. That's Bull Run Mountain in the background. It is quiet, very peaceful, very relaxing, very beautiful.

Tony always says that we have more luck than most. It's true. We have a wonderful life, we have our love, we still have our brains (I think) and our health. Our children are very successful and our grandchild is incredible. (I know every grandmother feels that way about hers. I earned these bragging rights.) Part of this is our good luck.

Dominion Power has proposed building a high voltage transmission line on the next road over that we would see and probably hear. This is part of our bad luck. However, I believe that everything happens for a reason. Life presents one with opportunities all the time. Some we ignore and some act on. In this case we have no choice. This is literally too close to home.

If we followed the money trail we would probably see how some of the $3.75 million in political contributions and 19 lobbyists have influenced all that has happened.

1. Virginia has no energy policy
2. The state legislature just passed two bills that would reinstate many powers which Dominion enjoyed prior to deregulation
3. The bills do not adequately address energy efficiency
4. We need Prince William County to come to the table and support it's citizens.
5. We cannot get a resolution to do this passed..
6. One supervisor is with us and one is against us. The power lines are not in his district so he refuses to participate. I think they call this divide and conquer.
7. The large sub-divisions have 2000 families and a Home Owners Association. They have already hired a lawyer.
8. Tony and I live in a small sub-division with no Home Owners Association. We purposely bought a house where there was no HOA. Most of the people who live in this sub-division don't like HOAs. Nobody is representing us. The best we can hope for is to become the Poster Children for this campaign to destroy the environment and lives.
9. We should all be consuming less so there is no need for transmission lines so we can consume more. Tell New York City to stop lighting up the outside all those buildings at night
10. Global Warning and Energy Conversation go hand in had. Our strategy should be joining the groups like MoveOn that are focusing on Global Warming. They have some incredible tools. I helped in the campaign where they got over a million people across the country to call congress about stopping the war.
11. Fighting the power lines is tactical. We need to be thinking further out.
12. Right now here in our little sub-division our best defense is to say to Dominion Power "Rolling black outs! BRING 'EM ON!"