Lots of news and information at the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance and Dominion Pipeline Monitoring Coalition
October 2017 FERC Approves BOTH ACP and MVP (FERC announcment (157 page document in which they deny a trial hearing to establish need, and say that the ACP is not being subsidized by rate payers, even though Dominion customers will pay more than 1 billion for the project over time), ABRA comment)
What Can I Do?
Want to have an impact on the Dominion Atlantic Coast Pipeline planned through the headwaters of the Maury River? Here are some suggestions. Send more ideas to Barbara or David if you have them and we’ll post them.
- Reduce your energy footprint
- Install solar power for your home as offered by these nonprofits (VASun and Leap-VA)
- Buy renewable energy certificates from out of state (read about that here, and also why Dominion’s Green Energy program isn’t green)
- Install a solar hot water heater.
- Put up a residential/business windmill.
- Conserve energy in your home, vehicle, and daily life. Find ideas here
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- Attend a meeting
- Virginia State Water Control Board (SWCB) has implemented townhall meetingsfor the ACP and MVP. The SWCB must approve the draft 401 certification by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). See the DEQ pipeline web page. The meetings are scheduled for:
- Mountain Valley Pipeline. 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, December 6, 2017, and Thursday, December 7, 2017. Location: Trinity Family Life Center, 3601 Dill Road, Richmond, VA
- Atlantic Coast Pipeline. 9:30 a.m., Monday, December 11, 2017, and Tuesday, December 12, 2017. Location: Trinity Family Life Center, 3601 Dill Road, Richmond, VA
On the first day of each meeting, those who made oral or written comments during the public comment period will have an opportunity to sign up to speak to the board under the board’s policy for public participation. The official agenda containing more details will be available in early November. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality will present a summary of the public comments it received and will make its recommendations to the board on the proposed additional conditions at each meeting. Also at each meeting, the board may approve, deny or amend the recommendations.
- Virginia State Water Control Board (SWCB) has implemented townhall meetingsfor the ACP and MVP. The SWCB must approve the draft 401 certification by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). See the DEQ pipeline web page. The meetings are scheduled for:
- Pray or protest
- Events will be posted here.
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- Events will be posted here.
- Donate (again) to your favorite pipeline fighting organization
July 2017
FERC staff releases Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. In short, the EIS denies significant environmental impacts…
” …..Implementation of Atlantic and DETI’s respective impact avoidance, minimization, and mitigation measures, as well as their adherence to staff’s recommendations in the EIS would further avoid, minimize, and mitigate these impacts. Most, but not all of these impacts, would be reduced to less-than-significant levels.”
See the ABRAlliance Press Release about the release of the EIS.
The US Forest Service issued a draft decision to permit the pipeline for 21 miles crossing federal land. Comments/objections guidelines posed; due Sept 5 for those who made comment during FERC process.
As part of their water quality protection measures for pipelines, Virginia DEQ issues a draft 401 certification for the ACP, with public comments due August 22. More information and links at the DEQ website.
Virginia DEQ Pipeline Erosion and Sediment Control and Stormwater Management Plan Review in place and the $2.2 million contract awarded to a company with ties to Dominion. DEQ will consider input on the technical and engineering requirements of the ESC and SWM plans for each site-specific stormwater manaagement plan (apparently at the ACP website), are due October 13.
Think natural gas is better than coal? These pipelines may be be a greenhouse gas nightmare
Is FERC a pipeline facilitator or regulator? A new study of the boom in pipeline projects and proposals by Center for Public Integrity as featured in a story aired NPR on July 17, 2017
Source: Energy company filings (shapefile)
Energy Information Administration
Credit: Leanne Abraham, Alyson Hurt and Katie Park/NPR July 13, 2017
Foxes guarding the hen house: revolving door between FERC & energy companies.
June 2017
New Atlantic Coast Pipeline Video – The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) has just released the first in a series of short video clips profiling the impacts of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCTB_4y92SE. The Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance recommends this excellent video (under 4 minutes long). Please distribute it far and wide, via social media, email, smoke signals, etc. Excellent work and congrats to the Southern Environmental Law Center. Other clips in the series will be announced as they are released. For more information, please contact ABRA at www.abralliance.org .
‘Walking the Line’ Set for June 17 to July 4
A celebratory walk along the Atlantic Coast Pipeline route in Virginia is planned to commence on June 17 in Highland County and conclude July 2 in Buckingham County at the site of the proposed compressor station. A second leg of the walk will continue July 3 and 4 to the Virginia-North Carolina state line.
March 2017
- FERC posted a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the ACP. Comments are due April 6th.
- FERC information about the DEIS and links to the documents
- ABRA Alliance summary of the DEIS including how you can comment.
- Some examples of deficiencies in the DEIS (from a Wild Virginia press release)
- The core issue of whether the massive project is needed to meet electricity
demand, and whether alternatives including energy efficiency, solar and wind
would be more environmentally responsible sources; - A complete analysis of the cumulative, life-cycle climate pollution that would
result from the pipeline; - A full accounting of the negative economic consequences to communities,
including decreased property values, loss of tourism revenue and other factors; - Any accounting of other environmental and human health damage from the
increased gas fracking in West Virginia that would supply the pipeline; and - Thorough, site-specific analysis of damage to water quality and natural resources throughout the pipeline route.
- The core issue of whether the massive project is needed to meet electricity
- A pipeline movie, Q&A, and letter writing night is planned for the end of March.. Stay tuned for details.
July 2016
- March on the Virginia Governor’s Mansion – This video, by the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition, shows the power and energy of 600 citizens marching July 23rd to demand that Governor McAuliffe finally put people over polluters.
May 16, 2016
- Friends of Wintergreen report the results of a consultant study of a proposed alternative route.
- In their comments to FERC, they ask that this new alternative be studied
- The proposed route follows Dominion Electrical transmission right of way through the Game and Inland Fisheries land south of Goshen Pass, across the Maury River, and then up a private corridor near route 56.
- The new route crosses exceedingly steep terrain where Dominion power lines have spans of nearly a mile over high-relief valleys.
It is uncertain whether FERC or Dominion will consider this route.
June 2, 2016 RACC comments on the alternative route
March 11, 2016. The Jefferson National Forest responds to the Mountain Valley Pipeline resource reports with a 32-page list of deficiences. Many of these same conditions and requests would apply to the ACP. Read their letter at FERC repository.
February 12, 2016. ACP announced a new alternative route through neighboring Highland, Bath, Augusta, and Nelson counties. This route does not enter Rockbridge County, but does propose a greater distance of disturbance through the Maury River headwaters.
–Below is a web map of pipeline and watersheds (loads here–be patient). It is based on the Dominion Pipeline Monitoring Coalition environmental mapping system.
Information about that new route is found below.
- Dominion ACP press release, landowner letter and FERC filing
- Richmond Times-Dispatch story by Michael Martz
http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/article_11de13b2-8055-536b-a941-bea2e8
10cf4f.ht - Dominion released pdf map
- pdf map with easements & VOF statement on alternative
- NEW: ArcGIS Online mapping system of preliminary and former routes
hosted by Dominion Pipeline Monitoring Coalition who rectified the pdf from Dominion (more information and detail is shown as you zoom in) - Allegheny Blue Ridge Alliance (ABRA) RACC is a member
February 16, 2016 – “Dominion’s ACP: Costs vastly outweigh benefits study shows” ABRA commissioned economic study suggests that impacted counties will bear a great financial burden for the pipeline.
February 11, 2016 – – The two bills related to the pipeline (repeal of right of natural gas companies to enter property without permission, and improved erosion and sedimentation protection) were both defeated in committee during the 2016 legislative session. link (scroll down to 2nd page).
More information about votes will be posted here soon.
February 2016 VA Sierra Club study shows net gain in greenhouse gas emissions if two proposed pipelines are built —Press Release – Report – Sierra Club page
This is not a simple issue. Inform yourself by reading material from some of the organizations leading the way.
- Allegheny Blue Ridge Alliance is a coalition of groups largely in the path of the ACP,
and their Policy on the Atlantic Coastal Pipeline to which RACC is signatory - Sierra Club of Virginia
- Dominion Pipeline Monitoring Coalition is amassing data and will have a mapping project online soon
- Preserve Craig County stopped a transmission line in the 1990’s and is now fighting the MVP pipeline proposed to deliver fracking gas along a route through counties to the south. They have an excellent approach to informing FERC of all of the ways that the pipeline destroys the value of the county land and heritage.
- Preserve the New River Valley video series explores many facets of pipeline impacts.
- www.AugustaCountyAlliance.org
12 inch pipeline case study from the Dominion Pipeline Monitoring Coalition
February 9, 2016 Could the Atlantic Coast Pipeline move south to Rockbridge?
On January 19th, the US Forest Service rejected the current route of Dominion’s ACP because of dangers to animals and ecosystems of Cheat Mountain, WV, and Shenandoah Mountain, VA, and for failure to follow Federal guidelines.
“Develop and evaluate system and/or route alternatives that avoid Cheat Mountain and Back Allegheny Mountain on the Monongahela National Forest (MNF) and Shenandoah Mountain on the George Washington National Forest (GWNF).”
(http://www.abralliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/FS_Permit_Letter_1-19-2016.pdf)
FERC told Dominion’s ACP the same thing on December 9th, 2015
“…we have determined that alternative routes to the south of the currently proposed ACP route may offer environmental advantages over the currently proposed route…“
(full text)
Where would that “southern alternative” be? Here is one from Dominion itself, which is cited by FERC in its December 9 letter.