Reading your post makes me feel like I just ate a batch of spoiled food.
My first advice would be to find out if an organization has been established to provide landowner advice and protection. When I was going through this, there were two such groups. One was a quasi-news blog, where we were kept informed of nearly every move being made. The other was basically a lobbying group that met with the power company, state, and federal officials. They also held regular meetings.
Being very active here on Pond Boss prior to this gut wrenching adventure was invaluable. I had the advice of the Pond Boss himself, Bob Lusk. I received advice from a land use attorney who is a fellow moderator. And, we had an active Pond Boss member (and very close personal friend because of Pond Boss) who is a West Virginia lawyer. My wife and I refused to talk to the power company without his presence, even if it was via a phone conference when we were meeting face-to-face with the power company representatives.
In our case, there was a lot of opposition to the new powerline for good reason. I was one of many who already had a major powerline right-of-way that is 150'x1500 feet. It has been there since the early 1960s and provide power to the local northern Virginia area.
The new powerline was going to take a 1200 x 1500 foot right of way, which was going to require taking our entire property. We were in limbo for about three years. We couldn't sell. We quit doing improvements. The neighbors next to us went bankrupt during this time, as he and his wife were getting a divorce. They were to go to settlement on the sale of their home the day before the Power Company announcement was made. The buyers backed out immediately. The house, property, and outbuildings were worth about $200,000 to $225,000. The power company bought it in foreclosure for $96,000.
This was a very controversial powerline because it was to provide power to New Jersey using coal-fired power plants in West Virginia. While this was happening, many other things were happening also.
The powerline that has been on our property for nearly 60 years was ready for a major upgrade, which was approved by the state and the feds. It upgraded the line from approximately a 500,000 volt line to approximately a 750,000 volt line, but with much higher efficiency. It meant all new towers and all new lines. The new towers are about 30-35 feet higher than the old towers. The new system causes far less issues in my garden, the pond under the power lines, and far less power line noise for my amateur radio hobby. Their power from fossil fuels continues to be lessened continuously as they continue their push for renewable energy. A trip from my pond to Sunil's pond allows a view of the many hundreds, maybe thousands, of slowly turning windmills high on ridges of the Appalachians.
At the same time this was happening, Google and some other large companies announced they were going to be putting in off-shore infrastructure for wind energy about 20 miles offshore from the Virginia/North Carolina border to the New York/New Jersey border.
These announcements killed the project that was supposed to go through my land. The decision was announced three days before we were to have a major pow-wow at my place. Lusk was here. LaNeve was here. So were others. I'd already had the value of my forest surveyed by someone that Todd LaNeve recommended.
So instead, we had a Pond Boss gathering and party.
Unfortunately, over about a three year period it cost us big time in many ways, especially financially and mentally.
I don't have a basic problem with utilities/energy distribution. I have a problem when it is done using a very authoritarian method.
It is a very complicated issue. Here is a Wisconsin case involving my former neighbors and my niece-by-marriage. The neighbors were the losing more of their property. My niece was the voice of the utility. Everybody knew everybody else fairly well, including the sheriff and is deputies. It is a very small community.
Wisconsin Court of Appeals The landowners kind of won. But, it was a painful process that split families.
There are no easy answers. It will take some strong willed people to make this situation palatable. You may not be able to stop it, but you may be able to keep them from taking your trees, ruining your privacy, and killing your pond.
Start talking to everybody you know, especially the politicians.
Good Luck,
Ken
