The Board of Supervisors will consider the proposed changes on March 2.

On Wednesday, Feb. 18, the Rappahannock County Planning Commission unanimously approved the proposed update of the county code of ordinances to require a special exception for new or expanded electrical substations. 

The proposal will now head to the Board of Supervisors on Monday, Mar. 2, when the Board will consider the proposal at a public hearing. 

PEC supports this ordinance change, which will require utilities to seek approval from the county before expanding the Sperryville substation or building a new substation in Rappahannock. 

This change is important because, while local governments have very limited authority over the building of new transmission lines in their localities, they can require use permits (or special exceptions) for substations. This additional step adds the requirement for a public hearing on any proposed new substation or proposal to expand an existing substation, giving the locality the opportunity to minimize the impacts on the community and natural resources. 

Transmission lines require substations, so in this way, the locality can indirectly influence transmission line placement in cases where it would impact quality of life without serving the needs of Rappahannock.

The new ordinance will allow the county to:

• Limit the zoning categories where a substation can be built.
• Require additional screening or reduced equipment height to protect local views.
• Account for and restrict potential noise impacts as part of the planning process.

Rappahannock is a special place, and residents have worked for generations to protect its rural character and unparalleled views. These additional regulations help ensure that needed infrastructure, when it is built, will not detract from the local quality of life. 

By requiring a special exception for new and expanded substations, Rappahannock is also bringing its regulations in line with that of neighboring Culpeper and Fauquier counties. Both counties already require local approval of substations, which has given them more control over transmission growth within their jurisdictions. In Fauquier, the permitting requirement has given the county greater leverage when dealing with Dominion Energy’s proposed expansion to the Morrisville substation – forcing the utility to negotiate with the county and consider less impactful options when routing additional power to Northern Virginia’s data centers.

We do not want to see Rappahannock become the path of least resistance for utilities looking for places to route unpopular infrastructure, which is why we are asking the Board to pass these changes without delay. 

How do I get involved?

You can send letters of support to the Board of Supervisors (the link will take you to lists of their email addresses) before Monday, Mar. 2. Your letters of support can help expedite these changes so that Rappahannock can be ready for any substation challenges that may arise in the future. 

This ordinance change will not directly impact the proposed Page-Sperryville transmission line wreck and rebuild project because the Sperryville substation’s footprint will not be increased. Read more about that project here. →