Pipelines
We believe that the construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) and Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) is unnecessary and will cause serious, lasting and expensive harm to America's public health, economy, and environment. It seems shortsighted to build pipelines designed to carry fossil fuels, with a cost that customers will bear for over 40 years, when it is likely that 10 years from now those fossil fuels will no longer be used or wanted. This is akin to buying typewriters as computers were developed, or buying Blockbuster stock as Netflix took off.
There are several pipeline connectors of interest in Hampton Roads.
- The Southside Connector is a gas pipeline that is proposed to go through Chesapeake (map) and Norfolk (map), which would be able to utilize Atlantic Coast Pipeline gas, if and when the ACP is constructed. Norfolk City Council voted in favor of this.
- The City of Norfolk has granted easements on property it owns in Suffolk for the construction of a spur of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline under Norfolk drinking water reservoirs.
- And, most recently, the Header Improvement Project, described below
Header Improvement Project Information
Why we are concerned:
The proposed fracked gas Gidley Compressor Station would be built right here in Chesapeake at 2512 Military Hwy S. https://www.google.com/maps/@36.7698114,-76.2819926,14z
This will affect much more than a few backyards. We will inhale, smell and hear the impact of the Compressor Station for miles, depending on how the wind blows. Fracked gas Compressor Stations have a very loud continuous hum. < https://youtu.be/_TYS65b> They blast noxious plumes of gas into the air with intense noise. This is called a “blow down” <https://youtu.be/WtSH5V1YQvQ>
The purpose of the noxious, ear splitting “blow down” is to prevent a natural gas explosion at the compressor station. A gas explosion at this location, between the Gilmerton Bridge and the on ramp for I-464 would put our major arteries, nearby businesses, and neighborhoods at risk. Moreover, it could hamper or even block evacuation and emergency response. Five nearby neighborhoods are: Portlock, Crestwood, Eva Gardens, Sturbridge Village Mobile Homes and McMillan Mobile Homes.
The Gidley Compressor Station would be the nexus that connects three gas pipelines: the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP), Transco and South Side Connector Transmission Line. The South Side Connector Transmission Line is a 24”wide high pressure pipeline buried three feet under the Chesapeake neighborhoods of Sunrise Hill, Holly Point and Georgetown. Transmission pipelines were not safety designed for urban or suburban areas. They leak odorless natural gas from their seams. Thurgood Marshall Elementary School, homes and churches would be in the blast zone. A blast zone is the area surrounding a pipeline where an explosion causes fire, destruction and large crater. Some people call the crater area the incineration zone. For a pipeline of this size the size of incineration zone, where there is no hope of survival, could be as large as a city block. https://www.pilotonline.com/opinion/columns/article_60e146b0-ed35-11e8-9787-ff35609b6556.html
Other similar struggles:
- Weymouth, Massachusetts has been fighting a situation similar to ours. Here are their grave concerns regarding emergency response. <https://www.wbur.org/earthwhile/2019/05/13/weymouth-natural-gas-compressor-emergency-response>
- Gas terminals and compressors at shipping ports in the Northwestern United States are also a serious threat to health and safety.<https://www.columbian.com/news/2019/jun/19/physicians-call-for-halt-to-natural-gas-fracking-projects/?fbclid=IwAR0ioLi3h3AH6BhPRrsDghUQEqKrlyrCjSdsjR1RuLj_FYn-Jvb8HtzsWWs>
- Weymouth has not given up the fight https://weymouth.wickedlocal.com/news/20191212/congressman-joseph-kennedy-demands-halt-to-weymouth-compressor-station-construction
Pipeline Effects
Why Mothers Out Front opposes new natural gas pipelines, locally or intra-state:
- The Atlantic Coast Pipeline has not received the required certifications to move forward with construction.
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- One of the certifications that the pipeline is lacking, and which should be critical to the Norfolk City Council’s decision to grant them an easement, is certification under section 401 of the Clean Water Act. Under the Clean Water Act, Virginia has the power to grant or deny water quality certification for the pipelines.
- The City of Norfolk should not grant easements to build the pipeline on land that supports our drinking water reservoirs and water system infrastructure without legal certifications that water quality will be protected. Those certifications have not yet been granted.
- The City should not rely simply on the word of pipeline developers and list of terms approved by the developers as their assurance that water quality will be protected.
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- The Atlantic Coast Pipeline will materially increase climate change and sea level rise; this flies in the face of Norfolk’s efforts to be resilient and reduce carbon emissions.
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- The city shouldn’t facilitate this project by granting easements and arguably should be fighting it, or at least speaking out against it.
- The annual greenhouse gas emissions from the fracked gas associated with the pipeline’s operation is equivalent to 6 of the largest coal plants in Virginia.
- This pipeline, if built will lock us in to fossil fuels for another 30 years and will contribute to sea level rise which is already a big problem in cities like Norfolk.
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- There is a large supply of gas in the Marcellus fracking fields, so the fossil fuel industry wants to create demand, whether or not it is needed. There has been no notice or proof that this pipeline is necessary
- Pipeline builders are profiting in a big way
- Cost is borne by customers either way
- Both gas and electric bills will increase due to this pipeline
- The process seems to indicate basic dis-respect for African-American, low-income and rural people (which may not be “intentional,” but is part of the structure). This is environmental racism.
- Regarding the ACP, rural land is being taken by eminent domain from people who have lived on their land for generations. Their water comes from wells, and construction of the pipeline would threaten their water source for the foreseeable future.
- The compressor station required to pump the gas through the proposed ACP would be located next to two historic African-American churches founded by freed people and still active communities in Buckingham County. The compressor station would release toxic health-harming gases and health-harming noise pollution 24/7.
- Regarding the Southside Distribution Connector Project, the nine-mile line will be built perilously close to many predominantly African-American neighborhoods, senior citizen apartment complexes and houses of worship. Home owners in these neighborhoods know that their property values will decline as their properties will sit within potential blast zones.
- The lifetime effect of natural gas of climate change is just as high as coal.
- One example of a natural gas plant that emits more CO2 than the coal plant it replaced.
- The world is fast progressing to renewables. In 10 years, fossil fuel infrastructures will be antiquated. Why should we spend money on them now?
- Economic costs of the ACP
- If the ACP is ultimately denied, these pipelines would have no function.
- Which makes one circle back to the fact that the fossil fuel industry created this demand……do we want to let them endanger lives, devalue and damage properties, perpetuate social harms, and as rate payers, pay for it???
- Residents are already protesting the Southside connector line, see:
Rally of Chesapeake Georgetown residents,
Chesapeake neighborhood responses,
Change.org petition.
How can I take action?
- Call or email the Governor of Virginia and tell him you oppose the Southside Connector pipeline and Suffolk ACP spur because they are not needed.
- Call your state representatives and let them know you do not want the Southside Connector pipeline or Suffolk ACP spur in Norfolk -- or built at all!
- Sign the petition at Change.org.
- If you live in one of the neighborhoods impacted by the pipelines, please attend your civic league meetings and bring this up for discussion.
- Post this for discussion on your Nextdoor neighborhood site -- and start a Nextdoor group in your neighborhood if there isn't one yet.
- Put up a pipeline protest sign in your neighborhood -- request one from Mothers Out Front at info.va@mothersoutfront.org.
- Contact the state water board and ask them not to approve the pipeline.
Timeline
The affected states are starting to realize that these pipelines are not in their best interests:
- Sept 7, 2017, West Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection revoked its previous approval of the$3.5 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP)
- Sept 15, 2017, NC governor delayed the decision on the ACP, after receiving 9,000 written comments on the case
- Oct 9, 2017, NC DEQ denies ACP application
- The Roanoke City Council is asking Virginia state officials to require developers of the Mountain Valley Pipeline to either completely control sediment the project may cause in the Roanoke River or pay to clean it up
- Oct 17, 2017, federal appeals court on Tuesday sent a water quality permit for the MVP back to WV DEP for further review
- Oct 17, 2017, NC County commissioners unanimously passed a resolution calling for ACP officials to be more transparent with local government and property owners.
- Oct 27, 2017, MVP has filed a federal lawsuit against hundreds of landowners in Virginia to initiate acquiring easements through eminent domain across roughly 300 private properties and to seek a court order granting immediate access to the properties.
- (But, unfortunately...) November 1, 2017, WV Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) waives Clean Water Act permit for MVP, an apparent about-face less than two months after the agency said it would withdraw and reevaluate its review.
- November 8, 2017, NC DEQ issues letter of disapproval for ACP erosion plan
- November 14, 2017, ACP, MVP Challengers Flood FERC with Rehearing Requests
- November 15, 2017, N.C. Utilities Commission asks FERC for a 'rehearing' on ACP
- November 16, 2017, Judge denies request by MVP to "fast-track" eminent domain lawsuit against landowners
- November 21, Norfolk City Council votes to allow Southside Connector in Norfolk
- November 22, 2017 Sierra Club takes VA SCC to court over failure to review ACP
- November 29, 2017 North Carolina asks ACP for more information and details on supposed economic growth, potentially pushing any decision into 2018.
- January 9, 2018 Norfolk City Council has postponed again a vote on whether to allow the ACP an easement to run beneath the city’s drinking-water reservoirs.
- January 11, 2018 Atlantic Coast Pipeline hits more delays in North Carolina.
- January 22, 2018 Environmental groups file suit challenging Virginia water board approval of ACP
- January 27, 2018 NC issues water quality certification for ACP
- January 27, 2018 WV issues permit for ACP sediment and erosion control
- February 1 2018 Tim Kaine asks FERC for re-vote now that they have all 5 seats filled (previous vote was 2-1 with only 3 board positions filled)
- March 13, 2018 Norfolk City Council votes to allow ACP spur under Norfolk drinking water reservoirs to bring ACP fracked gas into Norfolk
- March 28, 2018 Federal regulators deny Dominion request to extend tree-felling period for ACP
- March 31, 2018 Activists mark path of ACP with orange ribbons
- April 12, 2018 MVP proposes extension into NC
- April 12, 2018 VA Water Board opens 30-day comment period to re-open scrutiny of pipeline permits
- May 16, 2018 Federal court orders stop work on ACP by nullifying wildlife permit
- May 18, 2018 Atlantic Coast Pipeline Faces Civil Rights Complaint After Key Permit Is Blocked
- May 18 2018 With ACP setback, Suffolk landowner digs in for fight
- May 18 2018 FERC votes along party lines to stop considering upper-bound estimates of GHG emission in pipeline evaluation
- May 21, 2018 Construction halted at Mountain Valley Pipeline work site following severe erosion in Franklin County
- May 29 2018 U.S. Army pulls MVP permit in West Virginia
- May 31 2018 DOE IG report faults FERC pipeline reviews for lack of transparency
- June 5 2018 Dominion won’t build new baseload gas plants. So why is it still building the Atlantic Coast Pipeline?
- June 7 2018 Federal regulators face allegations of cherry-picking data to approve the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which will disproportionately impact communities of color
- June 7 2018 For a second time, regulators cite Mountain Valley Pipeline for erosion problems after workers failed to prevent sediment-laden water from running off a West Virginia work site
- June 20 2018 The 'ah-ha' moment of a FERC commissioner
- June 21 2018 Federal court puts Mountain Valley Pipeline water crossing permit on hold
- June 21 2018 Representatives for a rural Massachusetts county advise FERC on how to improve its review of natural gas pipeline proposals
- July 3 2018 Environmental groups ask a federal court to review a Clean Water Act permit in West Virginia for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline just days after the court stayed the same permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline
- July 20 2018 Mountain Valley Pipeline cited 5th time by state regulators for violations
- Aug 1 2018 Two chapters of the NAACP call for a halt to construction on the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast pipelines in Virginia
- Aug 4 2018 Federal regulators order a halt to Mountain Valley Pipeline construction a week after a court vacates a permit to construct on federal land
- Aug 10 2018 Federal regulators halt all construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline following a federal court’s ruling that vacated two permits
- Aug 17 2018 Citizen groups file a lawsuit with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals challenging a federal permit that undergirds all other permits for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline - broadest legal challenge so far of the ACP
- Aug 17 2018 The Mountain Valley Pipeline cuts half its workforce and pushes its completion date back to 2019
- Aug 18 2018 After people submitted more than 13,000 comments about federal permits for the MVP and ACP, Virginia water regulators meet to discuss the projects
- Aug 20 2018 An advisory council to Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam recommends he rescind Clean Water Act certifications and not issue any more permits for the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast Pipelines
- Sept 6 2018 The Augusta County, Virginia zoning board delays a vote on a permit for an Atlantic Coast Pipeline storage yard after intense opposition from residents at a public hearing
- Sept 12 2018 A conservative, rural North Carolina town passes a resolution opposing an expansion of the MVP, which could signal trouble for the project
- Sept 12 2018 Dozens of people attend an air pollution control board meeting in Virginia to speak out against a planned compressor station for the ACP
- Sept 28 2018 Colonna's Shipyard battling Virginia Natural Gas over Southside Connector pipeline project
- Sept 28 2018 Press conference from Colonna Shipyard CEO
- Sept 28 2018 Owner of Colonna Shipyard in press conference
- Sept 28 2018 News13 video of Colonna press conference
- Sept 28 2018 Godfrey discusses danger of high pressure transmission line
- Oct 3 2018 A federal appeals court vacates a permit the Mountain Valley Pipeline needed to cross streams and rivers in southern West Virginia
- Oct 4 2018 West Virginia environmental regulators are rewriting rules to allow construction to continue after a federal appeals court revoked a Mountain Valley Pipeline permit
- Oct 5 2018 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers suspends a permit that allowed the Mountain Valley Pipeline to cross more than 500 streams and wetlands in southwest Virginia
- Oct 8 2018 Atlantic Coast Pipeline developers haven’t yet paid the $57.8 million they owe eight North Carolina school districts
- Oct 20 2018 Virginia regulators approve three environmental permits for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, allowing construction to begin in the state
- Oct 24 2018 A group of landowners whose property was taken through eminent domain for the Mountain Valley Pipeline appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court
- Oct 25 2018 Norfolk residents shouldn’t be lulled into a false sense of security about the safety of a so-called “routine” pipeline project, a shipyard executive writes
- Nov 2 2018 The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is now expected to cost up to $7 billion, up $2 billion from when it was first announced
- Nov 7 2018 A woman inspired to run for office after a pipeline was built next to her home is elected to Pennsylvania’s legislature
- Nov 7 2018 A federal appeals court orders a temporary halt to a water-crossing permit for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in West Virginia
- Nov 8 2018 West Virginia regulators repeatedly cite the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast pipelines for environmental problems
- Nov 9 Virginia regulators unexpectedly delay voting on an Atlantic Coast Pipeline permit affecting a historic African American community
- Nov 14 2018 North Carolina lawmakers vote to hire investigators to look into whether Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration improperly approved the Atlantic Coast Pipeline on a condition that the developer contribute almost $58 million to a state environmental mitigation fund
- Nov 15 2018 Since 2010, interstate pipelines have exploded or caught fire 137 times and in 90 percent of cases, federal regulators sought no fine
- Nov 15 2018 Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam replaces two air pollution control board members after they raised concerns and delayed a vote on an Atlantic Coast Pipeline compressor station in the historic black community of Union Hill
- Nov 20 2018 Gov. Northam dismisses regulators who expressed concerns about pipelines
- Nov 23 2018 Army Corps suspends stream crossing permit for entire Atlantic Coast Pipeline, shutting down work at more than 1,500 stream and wetland crossings
- Nov 28 2018 Virginia Natural Gas refuses Norfolk city officials’ request to delay construction of a natural gas pipeline because of safety concerns
- Nov 30 2018 A regional advocacy group requests an investigation of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s firing of two air pollution board members before a vote on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
- Dec 5 2018 Nelson County, Virginia officials deny four variance requests for floodplain areas needed by Atlantic Coast Pipeline developers
- Dec 5 2018 Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam should reinstate the two air pollution control board members who expressed skepticism about the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, an environmental hydrologist says
- Dec 7 2018 Dominion halts all Atlantic Coast Pipeline construction after a federal appeals court stays two permits for the project
- Dec 7 2018 Virginia sues Mountain Valley Pipeline developers, alleging more than 300 environmental violations
- Dec 14 2018 A federal court throws out key Atlantic Coast Pipeline permit: rules the U.S. Forest Service improperly granted permits for the ACP to cross under two national forests and the Appalachian Trail
- Dec 14 2018 The Virginia water control board votes to hold a hearing to consider revoking a water quality certification for the Mountain Valley Pipeline
- Dec 14 2018 North Carolina lawmakers hire investigators to look into Gov. Roy Cooper’s acceptance of $57.8 million for a state fund from companies building the ACP
- Dec 15 2018 Stream crossing issues are creating roadblocks and delaying construction on the Mountain Valley Pipeline
- Dec 18 2018 SCC cracks open the door on Dominion’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline costs
- Dec 20 2018 Virginia air pollution regulators delay a vote on a permit for an Atlantic Coast Pipeline compressor station, instead opening another public comment period
- Jan 2 2019 A federal appeals court declines Atlantic Coast Pipeline developers’ request to speed the pace for a case over permitting
- Jan 2 2019 Mountain Valley Pipeline opponents in Virginia call for a stop work order along the entire length of the project
- Jan 4 2019 A Virginia state representative urges lawmakers to invest in renewable energy instead of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
- Jan 8 2019 Virginia’s air pollution control board unanimously approves a permit for an Atlantic Coast Pipeline compressor station after Gov. Ralph Northam controversially removed two board members
- Jan 14 2019 A federal appeals court declines to soften a ruling that prompted Atlantic Coast Pipeline developers to stop construction
- Jan 16 2019 A review of environmental requirements for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline could delay completion until 2021 and increase costs
- Jan 16 2019 The legal fights over the expansion of natural gas pipelines on the East Coast are starting to arrive at the Supreme Court
- Jan 21 2019 The National Park Service asks a court to vacate its permits for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
- Feb 1 2019 Dominion Energy says the cost of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline has risen above $7 billion and that it won’t be completed until 2021 (original cost estimate was $4.5B)
- Feb 4 2019 North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper requests a public meeting for state officials to answer questions about the Atlantic Coast Pipeline approval process
- Feb 15 2019 Mountain Valley Pipeline developers disclose to investors that they are under federal criminal investigation for possible violations of the Clean Water Act and other federal laws
- Feb 25 2019 A federal appeals court denies Dominion Energy’s request to reconsider a ruling that vacated a permit for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline to cross two national forests
- Feb 26 2019 Dominion Energy will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its appeal after a lower court would not reconsider a ruling that tossed a permit allowing the Atlantic Coast Pipeline to cross two national forests
- Feb 28 2019 Mountain Valley Pipeline developers ask Virginia water regulators to stop a process that could end up revoking the project’s water certification permit
- March 4 2019 Moody's finds ACP is “credit negative”, 4th Circuit’s dismisses Dominion’s request for reconsideration
- March 5 2019 Atlantic Coast Pipeline construction unlikely to recommence prior to September
- March 6 2019 Carcinogenic pellets to prevent erosion are being dropped near the Mountain Valley Pipeline path in West Virginia, worrying farmers
- March 21 2019 A revised generation plan leaves Dominion’s case for its pipeline in shambles
- April 17 2019 Twenty-two North Carolina lawmakers call on FERC to suspend its certificate for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
- April 23 2019 Two Virginia counties file a joint challenge against FERC’s approval of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
- April 25 2019 West Virginia regulators modify 50 Mountain Valley Pipeline water crossing permits so that the project can move forward
- April 30 2019 Mountain Valley Pipeline developers say it’s unlikely the project will be completed this year due to legal and regulatory challenges
- May 3 2019 Dominion Energy says it plans to resume work on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in the third quarter of this year
- May 7 2019 Dominion Energy’s CEO says he’s prepared to take the Atlantic Coast Pipeline fight to the Supreme Court if necessary
- May 10 2019 Environmental groups argue in court that the Atlantic Coast Pipeline could endanger four threatened species
- May 12 2019 Dominion Energy says a ruling on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline isn’t expected until August
- June 3 2019 There’s no public need for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and a proposed natural gas plant in eastern North Carolina
- June 12 2019 North Carolina regulators deny Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate’s applications for water quality certification
- June 15 Construction delays raise questions about the future of the Mountain Valley Pipeline
- June 17 Mountain Valley Pipeline developers propose a land swap with the Interior Department in order to cross the Appalachian Trail, but it would delay the project until mid-2020 and increase costs to up to $5 billion
- July 2 2019 The Supreme Court will review a Mountain Valley Pipeline case where developers used “quick take” power, which allows them to take private property months or years before paying
- July 3 2019 Federal regulators ask Atlantic Coast Pipeline developers to answer opponents' questions about protective coating on the pipes
- July 16 2019 Eighteen Virginia state lawmakers ask federal regulators to stop the Atlantic Coast Pipeline over fears that rising costs could fall on ratepayers
- July 26 2019 A federal court throws out two key Atlantic Coast Pipeline permits, siding with environmental groups who argued that regulators failed to consider potential impacts to endangered species
- Aug 2 2019 Virginia regulators order all work to stop along a 2-mile section of the Mountain Valley Pipeline because of failure to comply with erosion control plans
- Aug 12 2019 Conservation groups file a new lawsuit challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s approval of the Mountain Valley Pipeline
- Aug 15 2019 Mountain Valley Pipeline developers voluntarily suspend work on parts of the project after environmental groups filed a lawsuit about its impact on endangered species
- Aug 21 2019 Environmental groups file a petition to revoke a key water quality certificate for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in North Carolina, using a little-known administrative rule that lets state officials cancel the certificate if conditions change
- Aug 28 2019 Federal regulators ask the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reconsider its earlier finding that the Mountain Valley Pipeline would not significantly harm endangered species in its path
- Oct 4 2019 The U.S. Supreme Court will hear an appeal by Dominion Energy of a lower court ruling that stopped construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
- Oct 7 2019 The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear an appeal from a group of Virginia landowners whose property was taken by eminent domain for the Mountain Valley Pipeline
- Oct 9 2019 The Trump administration’s effort to speed up three major pipeline projects backfires as they’re stalled by legal challenges from environmental groups
- Oct 11 2019 A federal appeals court puts a hold on two permits for the Mountain Valley Pipeline while it reviews a lawsuit by environmental groups
- Oct 16 2019 Federal regulators order all construction on the Mountain Valley Pipeline to stop except for stabilization and restoration work
- Oct 18 2019 In November, private investigators will hold a public questioning of North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration about the permitting of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
- Oct 22 2019 Mountain Valley Pipeline developers delay the completion date to 2020 and raise the cost by half a billion dollars amid legal challenges
- Nov 5 2019 Tar sands oil spilled from the Keystone Pipeline into North Dakota wetlands was a “worst-case scenario” for cleaning up
- Nov 6 2019 Con Ed, a co-owner of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, says it is scaling back its investment in the project
- Nov 22 2019 Virginia regulators will consider public comments on a proposal for a $2.15 million settlement of a lawsuit alleging the Mountain Valley Pipeline caused environmental damage
- Dec 5 Union Hill, Virginia’s fight to stop Atlantic Coast Pipeline developers from building a compressor station has pressured state leaders to prioritize environmental justice
- Dec 12 2019 Mountain Valley Pipeline will pay $2.15 million for environmental damage it has caused in southwest Virginia, and could be fined more for additional violations
- Jan 7 2020 Noting that “environmental justice is not merely a box to be checked,” a federal court cancels the air pollution permit for an Atlantic Coast Pipeline compressor station slated to be built in the historic African American town of Union Hill, Virginia, and orders regulators to reconsider
- Jan 22 2020 Virginia’s attorney general files an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to block the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
- April 13 2020 Atlantic Coast Pipeline opponents hope the project will be stopped by a new Virginia law requiring regulators to consider whether pipeline capacity is needed for reliability before approving projects
- April 20 2020 The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is becoming riskier every day and won’t spur economic development or save customers money, says a former utility worker (by Thomas Hadwin)
- April 27 2020 A federal appeals court hears arguments over a FERC ‘Kafkaesque’ practice that often keeps pipeline opponents out of court while projects are being built
- April 28 2020 A House Oversight committee probe finds FERC consistently sides with gas pipeline companies over property owners in eminent domain disputes
- April 28 2020 Several major pipelines, including the Atlantic Coast, Mountain Valley and Permian Highway, could be at risk of delays after a judge ruled the Army Corps of Engineers inappropriately used a permit program
- May 29 2020 The Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines will likely face delays after a court rules against an Army Corps permitting program, energy analysts say
- June 1 2020 Environmental groups file a motion urging FERC to do a supplemental environmental impact assessment for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline that takes climate change and energy market changes into account
- June 11 2020 A FERC ruling this week will require pipeline developers to delay construction until requests for appeal are processed
- June 15 2020 The Supreme Court reverses a lower court’s decision and upholds a U.S. Forest Service permit allowing the Atlantic Coast Pipeline to cross the Appalachian Trail
- July 5 2020 SUCCESS and an historic day...Dominion canceling controversial natural gas pipeline (ACP) across Virginia
- July 6 2020 Dakota Access Pipeline to Shut Down Pending Review, Federal Judge Rules -- it must be emptied of oil by Aug. 5
- July 6 2020 U.S. Supreme Court rejected a Trump administration request to allow construction on parts of the Keystone XL pipeline
Background
One fundamental issue is that the ACP and MVP pipelines are not necessary -- existing pipelines are adequate to serve customers for the projected future. See this Synapse report showing that existing pipelines are adequate to meet future needs.
Why anyone would want to build an unwanted pipeline? Follow the money.
See Southern Environmental Law Center's excellent and moving story on the ACP and MVP.
SELC strong page on risks.
CCAN blog on the fight against the pipelines.
Sierra Club presented very strong comments to the FERC as to why the pipelines should not be allowed.
SELC presented very strong comments to the NC Water Resources Board as to why the ACP should not be allowed.
EDF testimony to the Senate Energy Committee.
Letter on why there is no reasonable assurance that ACP will meet water quality standards, from SELC, Chesapeake Bay Foundation. and Appalachian Mtn Advocates to the water control board on 401 water certification issue.
Cost of ACP could be over $2B to Virginia customers; Dominion will make a profit of 14% of $5B cost.
A great article on pipelines and McAulliffe in Huffington Post.
ACP in a Nutshell by Augusta County Alliance.
Pennsylvania TV news story on how methane is more harmful than CO2.
Studies on why this disproportionately affects the black community
- NAACP says Atlantic Coast Pipeline would hurt black residents most
- Black People Are 75 Percent More Likely to Live Near Toxic Oil and Gas Facilities
- The Health Impacts of Air Pollution from oil & Gas Facilities on African American Communities
Jobs:
Many proponents of the pipelines state that it will bring many permanent jobs to Virginia. But there many studies showing that investing that money in renewable energy would bring many more jobs:
- http://bluevirginia.us/2014/09/earth-to-barbara-comstock-keystone-pipeline-will-create-zero-jobs-in-virginia
- http://bluevirginia.us/2015/10/clean-energy-vs-dominions-pipeline-wha
Pipe Dreams: Economic & Jobs Myths of Natural Gas Pipelines
From other pipelines:
- How eminent domain was attempted for Nexus in Michigan and Ohio
- Example of safety violations and leaks at the Rover pipeline:
- Two pipeline explosions in one week: Lee County and New Mexico.
Remarks by a Dominion Energy executive underscore that there’s not enough demand for new gas-fired power plants in Virginia or North Carolina to justify the project:
"For us, that underscores this issue that we’ve been focusing on: that there’s not demand for new gas-fired power plants in Virginia or North Carolina that will justify the Atlantic Coast Pipeline,” said Greg Buppert, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center in Charlottesville, which has fought the project. “That sounds like companies looking for a market for their products because the market they’ve been banking on isn’t materializing."
Here are some decision makers with Dominion Energy ties
Minutes of Chesapeake Indian River Town Meeting discussing Southside Connector and ACP.
Virginia Governor implements Clean Power Plan which will regulate emissions from power plants, and could include cap-and-trade for emissions.
Check out the Norfolk City Council meeting on November 14th where citizens spoke on the easements for the ACP connector.
The Southside connector pipeline path runs through Berkley, under the Elizabeth River, and past Harbor Park and Thurgood Marshall Elementary school (excavation has yet not started there).
The Norfolk/Suffolk easements for the ACP are on land that city staff have described as being “there to support the water system” and includes the Pine Lake and Western Branch Reservoirs, both of which provide drinking water to residents. The Atlantic Coast Pipeline would cross more than 1,000 bodies of water in Virginia, slash through special places like national forests, the Appalachian Trail, and family farms across the Commonwealth.
Pipelines can cause harm to life and property
- Many harmful accidents have been documented
- Pipelines can be ruptured or leak and cause evacuations
- Harbor Park, where the Southside pipeline would pass, is a brownfield, with buried pollutants such as creosote; this construction could stir up many of those buried pollutants
- Customers have already had trees on their property cut down without warning to make way for this pipeline
- New pipelines pose a danger to neighborhoods; residents have not been notified of the risks to their families and households
- The Southside pipeline will run under the Elizabeth River, posing a risk to that waterway
- The land for the Suffolk easement for the ACP includes the Pine Lake and Western Branch Reservoirs, both of which provide drinking water to residents
- "Natural" gas is mostly methane, which is a greenhouse gas that traps 84 times more heat than CO2 -- this presents a huge risk in terms of increasing climate change
Information for affected residents or property owners
When Atlantic Coast Pipeline seeks to take an easement on your property, it is typically a much more complicated process than you may expect. There can be unpleasant surprises and intrusions on your property for years to come. It is very wise to get legal advice before you sign anything.
Mark Short is an eminent domain attorney at Kaufman & Canoles in Norfolk, and the Chair of the firm’s Eminent Domain Practice Group. Mark has substantial experience in dealing with pipeline cases . He can give legal advice, assist with review of documents, assist with negotiation, and assist in providing protections for you and your property. His firm’s fee arrangement is typically based on a contingency arrangement, with no fee for an initial consultation.
Mark Short's contact and website information:
Phone: 757-873-6351
E-mail: mashort@kaufcan.com
http://www.kaufmanandcanoles.com/practices/eminent-domain
Also see this excellent summary of eminent domain by Friends of Nelson.
Renewable Energy Information
Virginia could create 50,000 jobs by committing to 10% solar in 5 years
Renewable Energy Has Arrived -- GreenLink report to SELC.
Extensive links on how easy it would be for America to achieve numbers like 50% renewable by 2030 and 100% renewable by 2050.
What cities can do: an example for Norfolk VA
Recommended Reading
Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming, http://www.drawdown.org, ranking and description of the top 100 methods for cutting carbon emissions world-wide
Guide to Political Revolution by Bernie Sanders
A few excerpts:
"For every dollar invested in renewable energy in the last 15 years, fossil fuels have received $80 in subsidies."
"American taxpayers are subsidizing the most profitable industry in history, whose products are literally killing us, to the tune of more than $20.5 billion every year."
Climate of Hope: How Cities, Businesses, and Citizens Can Save the Planet, by Carl Pope and Michael Bloomberg
Climate Change: What Everyone Needs to Know, by Joseph Romm
Plan B 4.0 -- a comprehensive look at worldwide energy use and ways to become more sustainable. http://www.earth-policy.org/images/uploads/book_files/pb4book.pdf
Climate Change Denial: Heads in the Sand, by Haydn Washington & John Cook
Recommended Viewing
Toby Seba's video on the disruptive nature of the transition to renewable energy and electric vehicles, and how both the energy and transportation sectors could be radically transformed in the next 10-15 years. An hour long but worth the time.
Paul Hawken describing the work in the book Drawdown; Paul starts at 11:28 in if you want to start there.
A short posted local video with a summary of the Southside Connector.
Success Stories
This kind of pushback on utilities can work:
- See how local residents got Dominion to change the path of a power line.
- TransCanada killed $15.7B Energy East Pipeline due to climate change impacts and the changed market.
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