Allegheny Energy, Inc.'s Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line Company (TrAILCo) subsidiary filed a motion with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to defer any decision on a portion of its proposed transmission line project, the Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line.

The request will allow the company to pursue a more collaborative process to explore whether there are new and creative alternatives to the proposed 36-mile portion of the 500 kilovolt line in Greene and Washington counties and related facilities.

The company’s motion also requests that the Commission timely approve a 1.2 mile section of 500 kilovolt line extending from the West Virginia border to a new substation in Greene County, Pennsylvania known as 502 Junction. This portion of the project addresses critical reliability concerns that could adversely impact the mid-Atlantic region, including Pennsylvania electric customers, as early as 2011.

The motion is intended to be considered in conjunction with exceptions filed today by TrAILCo in response to two Administrative Law Judges’ recent recommendation that the company’s application be denied in Pennsylvania. In its exceptions, TrAILCo also explicitly asks the Commission to reverse the recommended decision of the Judges and approve the 1.2 mile segment between the West Virginia state line and 502 Junction.