FLASHPOINTS

The communication professionals working for Dominion are campaigning to convince everyone that the Atlantic Coast Pipeline is a done deal – despite the fact that challenges are mounting and the project has received none of the required state and federal approvals. An article just published in Southeast Energy News highlights some of Continue Reading →

A BAD ROUTE AND A BAD PLAN

Dominion intends to blast away, excavate, and partially remove mountaintops along 38 miles of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline in Virginia and West Virginia. The magnitude of this undertaking has been described in a fact sheet, New Data: Atlantic Coast Pipeline Would Trigger Extensive Mountaintop Removal. The fact sheet was Continue Reading →

THE GOVERNOR’S AUTHORITY

Congress explicitly reserved states’ authorities to veto federally-permitted projects, to protect state waters. That authority comes from section 401 of the Clean Water Act, which empowers states to grant or deny a “water quality certification” and forbids federal approval without that certification. The following op-ed by DPMC Regulatory System Investigator, Continue Reading →

HIGH-RISK DRILLING THROUGH THE BLUE RIDGE

The DPMC has submitted a report to FERC on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the ACP and the proposal to drill through the Blue Ridge Mountains under the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the George Washington National Forest. Implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act requires Continue Reading →

LANDSLIDES AND THE ATLANTIC COAST PIPELINE

Two documents that substantiate the dramatically increased probability of precipitation-induced landslides following the extensive excavation associated with construction of the proposed ACP and related roads were recently submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. One, submitted by the DPMC, concerns the Little Valley area in Bath County, Virginia. The other, Continue Reading →

WE WILL GET BACK TO YOU

Dominion officials acknowledge that the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline faces significant environmental challenges due to construction across steep, highly-erodible, and landslide prone mountain landscape. They assure us, however, that project construction will adhere to the highest standards, and that the company will go “above and beyond” legal requirements. Yet they will Continue Reading →

DEFERRED ANALYSIS OF CRITICAL ISSUES

If permitted, both the ACP and the MVP will cross steep-sided, highly erodible and landslide-prone mountains, sensitive and complex karst hydrology, high-integrity forests, and high-quality streams and wetlands. The scale of the projects and the risks are unprecedented. Yet the companies propose to wait until after completion of environmental review, until after Continue Reading →

OUR NATIONAL FORESTS

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement, to inform decisions by regulatory and land management agencies concerning the ACP. The Forest Service will use information provided in the EIS when deciding whether to revise management plans to accommodate a new utility corridor and the related access Continue Reading →