Not in my back foothills.

• Position: WESTERN REGION

With more people living and vacationing in western North Carolina, Duke Energy is planning a $320 million investment to make power more reliable and less dependent on coal. A variety of elected officials and environmental and small-business groups are unimpressed and want to block Duke's efforts because of the potential impact on the mountains and tourism industry. In early summer, Duke said it would close its Asheville coal-fired power plant within five years and replace it with a $750 million natural-gas plant on the same site. The shift to gas reduces carbon dioxide emissions and limits water usage, efforts typically championed by green groups. But Duke is proposing a 45-mile transmission line from Asheville to Campobello, S.C., strung from 140-foot-tall poles spaced 1,000 feet apart, which critics say could harm the area's beauty and wrest property away from landowners.

While a final route is to be selected this month, regulatory approval could take more than a year as various agencies study the plan. Groups in Buncombe, Henderson and Polk counties, forming the Carolina Land Coalition, are holding rallies and canvassing door-to-door to foment opposition. Some business...