Tag: Atlantic Coast Pipeline
-
Virginia Voters Back Pipeline by Nearly Two-to-One
Registered voters in Virginia favor construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) by an almost two-to-one margin over those who oppose it, according to a poll released by the Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) today. Fifty-four percent support the controversial project strongly or somewhat, while 31% oppose it. Eighty-three percent of voters say they consider “energy…
-
The Failed Mountain “Decapitation” Narrative
Environmentalists say the Atlantic Coast Pipeline will “decapitate” pristine mountaintops in western Virginia. They have no evidence to back the claim. Last week foes of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) leveled their most rhetorically heated charges against the 600-mile pipeline project yet. Construction teams would have to excavate some 247,000 dump-truck loads of rock and…
-
Pipeline Approaches Approval, but Foes Still Full of Fight
From the perspective of its managing partner, Dominion Transmission, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline is looking more and more like a done deal. Dominion has completed more than 65% of the high-performance steel pipe needed to build the roughly 600-mile pipeline, and it has procured almost 85% of the land, materials and services it needs, pipeline…
-
A Brain-Frying Foray into the Regulatory Maze
OK, folks, it is time to plunge into the arcana of environmental regulation. The subject matter might prove of interest if you’ve been tracking the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) and Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) controversies, especially if you’re deeply immersed enough to be familiar with the dust-up over seemingly contradictory press releases issued by the Virginia…
-
What’s Next for the Pipeline Controversies?
With the announcement last week that Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) would provide closer scrutiny of water-quality standards than legally required, battles over the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and Mountain Valley Pipeline shift from the federal level to the states. Foes of the natural gas pipelines have failed so far to block the projects in the…
-
Fix the Broken Regulatory Process
There must be a better way for federal agencies to review infrastructure mega-projects. A few days ago, I asked why, after three-and-a-half years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has yet to give a yea or nay on Dominion Virginia Power’s permit request for the Surry-Skiffes Creek transmission line. The issue I’m raising isn’t what the Army…
-
FERC Finds Pipeline Impact “Less than Significant”
FERC’s pipeline impact study says proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline will have minimal lasting effects on the environment. Dominion claims the study confirms it can build the pipeline while protecting the environment and public safety. Foes contend the study ducks the question whether the pipeline is a public necessity that justifies the use of eminent domain to acquire rights of…
-
Gas Pipeline puts Virginia in Race for Three Prospects
Virginia is in the running for three economic development projects that would rely on natural gas, and one is “mammoth,” Governor Terry McAuliffe told a group of manufacturers yesterday. “The only reason I’m in the hunt is because of the pipeline,” he said, referring to the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The 600-mile gas pipeline would…
-
Hundreds Seek Pipeline Construction Jobs
The proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) is highly controversial in Augusta County, where property owners fear pipeline construction will jeopardize water supplies, create a safety hazard for nearby residents, and drive down property values. But hundreds of mechanics, welders, electricians and other blue-collar workers see the $5 billion project as a potential boon. By noon Thursday,…
-
Pipelines Offer Hope, Provoke Despair
Recent articles have highlighted rural communities that stand to win and lose from proposed natural gas pipeline mega-projects crossing the state. On the hopeful side, the Daily Press reports that Isle of Wight County economic development director Tom Elder would like to build a lateral line off the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) to supply…
-
Pipeline Creates Opportunities in Buckingham
Kyanite Mining Corp. , one of the largest employers in Buckingham County, has entered into an agreement to access a natural gas tap off a lateral line from the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP). And now the county is exploring the possibility of acquiring 200 acres of land along the tap line for industrial development.…
-
Trenches, Sinkholes and Slippery Slopes
Building gas pipelines over steep mountains and sinkhole-prone terrain risks erosion, sedimentation and drinking-water pollution. Are state regulators on top of the situation? by James A. Bacon Early this year James Golden and Melanie Davenport, senior managers with Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), were hearing increasingly vocal concerns about the environmental problems posed by the proposed Atlantic…
-
Dueling Polls on the Pipeline Issue
A month ago, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) published the results of a poll that found that 55% of Virginians opposed Governor Terry McAuliffe in his backing of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) and the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). Only 28% of respondents endorsed the pipeline plans. Yesterday the Virginia Chamber of Commerce released a…
-
Gas Pipeline Approvals Out of His Hands, Guv Says
Governor Terry McAuliffe says he can’t stop the planned Atlantic Coast Pipeline even if he wanted to — and he really doesn’t want to. Responding to a question on WTOP’s “Ask the Governor,” McAuliffe said he supports the project as a boon to manufacturing jobs and as an alternative to transporting natural gas over roads…
-
A Matter of Public Necessity
Eastern Virginia and eastern North Carolina need more natural gas, and the Atlantic Coast Pipeline is the most cost-effective way to to deliver it, say the four pipeline partners. by James A. Bacon Two years ago, four electric and gas utilities announced the formation of a joint venture, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The 600-mile project, the partners…