MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - s4story -- A coalition of Democratic candidates for federal and state office held a press call today to report back on what they heard from West Virginians during a series of stops across the state opposing new high-voltage transmission lines. Candidates who joined the caravan of stops beginning July 21 said the message from residents was consistent and came from across the political spectrum: the project raises utility bills, lowers property values, threatens public health, and moves forward without meaningful input from the people who live along its path.

"Whenever we talk to anybody in our state, there's nobody, Republicans, Independents, or Democrats, who says they are really for these transmission lines, because it's a raw deal for West Virginia," said Ace Parsi, the Democratic nominee for the state's 2nd Congressional District. "It increases our utility prices, reduces our property values, and strips regular residents, farmers, small businesses, people who have had a family home for hundreds of years, of their property rights, and it gives us nothing."

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Candidates said the project is tied to the build-out of gas-fired power plants and AI data centers, and that the public still doesn't know the proposed route.

"They're not releasing the path of the lines, because they know that people would organize around those," Parsi said. "I asked them point blank at these open houses: if you're so certain this isn't going to increase people's utility bills or reduce their property values, why wouldn't you put that into the contract? They will not do that. That should speak volumes."

A growing, bipartisan coalition

Candidates said the effort began as informal conversations among several campaigns who were independently hearing the same concerns from voters, and stressed that opposition to the project is not limited to Democrats. Candidates said they would welcome Republican officials and candidates who want to join, and that they are calling for the state's Public Service Commission to be an elected rather than appointed body, and for local governments to regain control over whether the lines can cross their communities.

"We wanted people who are running for office, because this is such an essential issue to people's lives, to take a stand," Parsi said. "While people feel like their government's not listening, we wanted to make sure that we're listening."

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The caravan and press call were organized independently by the candidates and are not affiliated with any outside advocacy organization.

For More Information on Ace Parsi :https://www.aceforcongress.com/

ABOUT:

Ace Parsi is a community-centered leader running to represent West Virginia's 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Born into an authoritarian regime in Iran, Ace and his family fled in search of freedom and opportunity,  a journey that forged his deep belief in democratic ideals and the promise of America. After arriving in the United States with no English, his family relied on the support of public schools, community support, and essential programs such as SNAP and Pell Grants, experiences that shaped his commitment to policies that expand opportunity and lift up working families.