Residents press county on rate, tax and jobs questions for Marla Power Line; NextEra presentation expected
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Summary
During the July 9 public‑comment period, Monongalia County residents raised concerns about potential rate increases, tax revenue and local job commitments tied to the proposed Marla Power Line and a NextEra project. County officials said developers will be asked to answer those questions at a later public session.
Residents used the Monongalia County Commission’s public‑comment period on July 9 to press elected officials about a proposed high‑capacity transmission line referred to in the meeting as the Marla Power Line and an upcoming NextEra presentation.
“After going through that and reading through that, I I know that our rates are going to go up, and I don't really see any really benefit for the people of this county,” said Linda Campbell of Stuartstown, who told commissioners she had attended informational meetings and was concerned about ratepayer impacts, tax revenue estimates and the number of permanent West Virginia jobs the developer would commit to on the record.
Campbell said she had seen figures of “50 to a 100,000,000” in tax revenue over the lifetime of the project and asked where the money would come from. She also asked whether NextEra — which residents mentioned by name in the meeting — would guarantee permanent West Virginia jobs rather than relying on out‑of‑state specialists during construction.
Barbara Evans Fleischer, a former state delegate attending the meeting, urged commissioners to press the developer on a report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis that questions whether West Virginia ratepayers would shoulder much of the infrastructure build‑out cost. “This report says that… West Virginia taxpayers are gonna be footing the bill for that infrastructure build out without getting much, if any, benefit,” she said.
County officials and staff did not provide answers from the dais during public comment. Commissioners follow a practice of not responding during that portion of the meeting; county leadership later said staff have requested a separate public session with the developer so officials can ask a list of the same questions raised by residents and seek technical responses.
The transcript shows county officials expect a formal presentation from NextEra later in the meeting schedule or at a future session; residents and commissioners said they plan to use that presentation to press for clarity on rate impacts, tax revenue estimates and the local hiring plan. No regulatory findings, commitments from developers or formal county actions on the transmission project were recorded at the July 9 meeting.