Documentarian Ken Burns Joins Opposition Of Valley North Project

In a video released Friday morning, Ken Burns said he was “gravely worried” about the 260-mile power line “that’s going to plow through much of West Virginia, including historic Jefferson County and the lower Shenandoah Valley.”  

He added that data center power line fights are being waged all across America but there’s no more important fight than Valley Link.  

“Every step along the proposed power line is sacred ground. If Valley Link is allowed to go forward, it will damage our history in ways that can never be undone,” Burns said. “To desecrate this land and destroy countless farms and homes by building a massive 765 kilovolt power line is unthinkable, particularly in the year when we commemorate our 250th anniversary as a nation.”  

The Valley North project, first proposed by regional energy grid manager PJM, would construct 200 miles of power transmission lines through central West Virginia connecting the John E. Amos Power Plant to substations in Maryland. Developer Valley Link is a joint venture of Transource, Dominion Energy and FirstEnergy Transmission. 

Burns, known for his expansive documentaries on topics ranging from jazz music to baseball and most recently the American Revolution, expressed his love for Jefferson County and the Shenandoah Valley, calling the region the center of our shared national history.  

Shepherdstown is recognized as a founding location for the U.S. Army when the The Beeline March departed from there in 1775, and George Washington was a prominent landowner in the county and a frequent visitor. Charles Town is named for his brother, and nearly 80 members of the Washington family are buried in the Zion Episcopal Church Cemetery. The county is also home to 25 Civil War battlefields and the arsenal in Harpers Ferry was the target of John Brown’s raid. 

“Soldiers from Shepherdstown were among the first to join George Washington in the Revolution. Civil War battles were fought here,” he said. “I’m proud to be on the side of farmers and history lovers, and I’m urging you to add your voice to this important and urgent cause. Say no to Valley Link.” 

“Say No To Valley Link” is the name of the organization that put out the video. Organizer Dan McGinn calls it a grassroots movement of neighbors, farmers and citizens outraged by a transmission line he said will only benefit data centers in Loudon County, Virginia. 

“It is one of the wealthiest counties in the country. Why would you ask average West Virginians to pay for their data centers? Why aren’t they building a power plant in Virginia?” McGinn said. “Build your own power plant, bulldoze your own farms and pay your own bills.” 

McGinn said he believes the Valley North proposal has made several errors and he and his neighbors aren’t interested in paying the $650 million in utility increases the project is estimated to incur. 

“It doesn’t make economic sense, the layout doesn’t make sense,” he said. “At the very least, they need to go back to the drawing board.”