Thread: Sign the petition against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline

Sign the petition against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline




The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is accepting public comments on its draft environmental impact statement for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline now through April 6, 2017. The proposed pipeline would cut a massive scar across WV, VA and NC, threatening water resources, polluting the air, and hastening climate change. Worst of all, the pipeline is not even needed to meet our energy demands.
Ensure your voice is heard! Sign our petition at link in opposition to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.

It can also be influential to write your own comments, especially if you own land along the pipeline’s proposed route. Our allies at Wild Virginia have shared an excellent “how-to” document that can help guide you.
Sign our petition today!

The petition at link reads:

The proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) is not in the public interest. It poses very real threats to public health and safety across West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina. Not only will it create permanent adverse impacts on the local environment, it will contribute to several more decades of global climate pollution.

Studies show that existing gas infrastructure is more than sufficient to meet regional energy needs for residents and industry. Therefore, the primary beneficiaries of the pipeline will be private companies. This is deeply concerning, given that a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity would allow the taking of private property for this project.

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) fails to provide adequate information for public comment and fully account for all of the environmental threats posed by the ACP. Among them:

1. 1. Forests and Habitat. The project will adversely impact 6,800 acres of pristine forest, with 3,800 acres damaged permanently. It would fragment habitat for listed species and disrupt views from the Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian Trail. The Applicants request an amendment to the George Washington National Forest plan that would convert 104 acres to a “utility corridor.” Yet the Applicants have not provided the U.S. Forest Service with requested surveys. The EIS process cannot move forward until consultation with the U.S. Forest Service is complete.
2. 2. Surface Water and Wetlands. The ACP would cross 1,989 streams or rivers and affect 786 acres of wetlands, yet several crossing plans and mitigation plans are missing or incomplete. It is impossible to conclude that impacts will not be significant without this information.
3. 3. Climate Change. The DEIS does not analyze the greenhouse gas lifecycle of a project that enables 1.5 Bcf/day of a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) to be shipped and burned. While the DEIS does provide a rough calculation of GHG emissions resulting from end-use, it does not analyze upstream or fugitive emissions in a meaningful way.
4. 4. Air Pollution. Operation of the ACP would produce emissions of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds, GHGs, and hazardous air pollutants, and each of the three new compressor stations would require a federal permit as major source emitters. Yet the DEIS refuses to take seriously system alternatives, including existing pipelines and emission-free sources of electricity generation, despite a stated purpose that roughly 80% of the gas proposed to be shipped is intended for electricity generation.
5. 5. Safety. Federal data and independent studies show that natural gas pipeline leaks and explosions occur regularly, and these accidents have increased in frequency in recent years. (http://ieefa.org/wp-content/uploads/...ril-2016.2.pdf) The DEIS states that the Applicants would comply with federal construction and operation standards and that emergency contact information for local fire, police, and public officials would be provided. This is cold comfort to people living near the route, especially in cases where communities are serviced by a single road.
6. 6. Environmental Justice. The DEIS states that more than half of the census tracts within 1 mile of the proposed route have poverty rates above their respective statewide averages (WV, VA, NC). Therefore, its conclusion that “there is no evidence that ACP...would cause a disproportionate share of high and adverse environmental or socioeconomic impacts on any...socioeconomic group” is specious. DEIS at 4-413.
7. 7. Karst Terrain and Groundwater. The pipeline would cross between 32.5 and 71.3 miles of karst terrain, characterized by sinkholes, caverns, underground streams, and springs. The DEIS explains how a gas leak in karst terrain may contaminate groundwater. It also states that surveys of private land and drinking water wells are incomplete. FERC cannot conclude that threats to groundwater would be minimized without securing and analyzing this information.

We appreciate the opportunity to provide comments on this project, which stands to have enormous impacts on the Appalachian region. For the reasons outlined above, we urge you to reject the Atlantic Coast Pipeline’s application. The project is not necessary, nor is it in the public interest.

Sincerely,
http://appvoices.org/fracking/acp-ferc-comments/

I would have been happy to sign it if not for the "environmental justice" and "climate change" clauses included.

There is a hyperlink to use your own words.

Atlantic Coast Pipeline

The proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) is an interstate natural gas transmission pipeline that would serve multiple public utilities and their growing energy needs in Virginia and North Carolina. Atlantic, a company formed by four major, regionally based energy companies; Dominion, Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas and Southern Company Gas, would develop, construct and operate ACP.




The pipeline will create new jobs, maintain cleaner air, and provide lower prices to heat and power homes and businesses. View our fact book, "Powering the Future."

https://www.dom.com/about-us/news-ce...coast-pipeline

UPDATES: On March 24, 2017, Atlantic submitted a Supplemental Filing to FERC that includes Site-Specific Crossing Plans for Recreational Trails. For this and other documents included in the filing, visit our FERC Filings and Information page. On February 24, 2017, Atlantic submitted a Supplemental Filing to FERC that includes a Tiger Salamander Study Plan and updates to the Karst Assessment and Survey Report. For this and other documents included in the filing, visit our FERC Filings and Information page. Atlantic submits its comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Thursday, February 9, 2017. Visit our FERC Filings and Information page for the complete filing. On January 27, 2017, Atlantic submitted a Supplemental Filing to FERC. This filing includes updates to the Draft Migratory Bird Plan and a Karst Monitoring and Mitigation Plan. Visit our FERC Filings and Information page for the complete filing.

ACP Route Maps


Information and News


FERC Filings/Documents

View the latest regulatory filings and related documents.


Speak Up for the ACP

Send a message to your elected officials now.


NEW JOBS

Support 17,240 jobs during construction and 2,200 operation jobs.

LOWER ENERGY COST

Saving consumers an estimated $377 million annually.


CLEANER AIR

Delivering clean-burning natural gas to homes, businesses and power plants; assisting in the transition away from older, higher-emission power sources.

ENERGY SECURITY AND INDEPENDENCE

Providing access to enough natural gas to reliably power and heat for generations.

RENEWABLE AND BACKUP POWER

Providing reliable backup power during peak times when less sun or wind are available.


URGENT ENERGY NEEDS

Helping multiple public utilities in Virginia and North Carolina meet energy needs exceeding system's capacity.


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Trump Team Has Ties to Atlantic Coast Pipeline Now Being Pushed by White House

By Steve Horn • Monday, February 6, 2017 - 18:00

By Steve Horn and Itai Vardi

On January 25, President Donald Trump’s team listed the Atlantic Coast pipeline among the White House’s top priorities for infrastructure projects, an attempt to deliver on his campaign promise to invest in U.S infrastructure programs.

Of the 50 on the list, Atlantic Coast is surprisingly the only pipeline project named. Some had suspected Trump’s infrastructure promise would serve as a massive pipeline giveaway. So, why prioritize this one?

A possible answer: Several members of Trump’s transition team, landing team, and current White House operation have connections to companies behind the project or to firms lobbying for it.

The Atlantic Coast pipeline has been proposed by a partnership among Dominion Resources, Duke Energy, and Southern Gas Company.

The natural gas pipeline, currently under review by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), has faced staunch opposition from environmental activists and residents along its 550-mile-long path stretching from West Virginia through Virginia to North Carolina. It will carry natural gas obtained via hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”).

Among other things, detractors argue that the pipeline will have adverse effects on sensitive habitats, reduce property values, and introduce dangerous precedents for the seizure of private property through eminent domain.

The pipeline is included in a document listing the Trump White House’s highest priority infrastructure projects. The document, which was leaked recently to the Kansas City Star, had reportedly been sent by Trump transition team members to the National Governor’s Association for review and comment.

Titled, “Priority List: Energy and National Security Projects,” the list includes various highway and rail expansions, airport upgrades, hydro and wind power projects, new transmission lines, and a sole natural gas pipeline: the Atlantic Coast.

Among Trump's 50 top priority infrastructure projects, Atlantic Coast was the only pipeline that made the cut; Image Credit: “Priority List: Energy and National Security Projects,” White House

“The projects are among a total investment of $137.5 billion described in the document,” reported the Star.

“Half that amount is supposed to represent private investment. The document does not specify how any of the projects, including KCI [Kansas City Airport], would be funded, how the federal government prioritized these projects or any timeline for completion.”

Trump also recently signed an executive order calling for expedited permitting and construction of all pipeline projects.

Trump Beneficiaries

DeSmog research has revealed that a few Trump associates could benefit financially if this prioritized pipeline opens for business.

One is Dan DiMicco, who served as a Senior Economic Adviser to Trump’s campaign and led the new administration’s U.S. Trade Representative transition team. He also sits on the Board of Directors of Duke Energy, one of the pipeline project co-owners.

DiMicco, the former CEO of steel giant Nucor, met with Trump in Trump Tower in mid-December, when he was considering DiMicco for the position of U.S. Trade Representative. Eventually, former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer got the job.

Another tie can be seen between Trump presidential campaign adviser, U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC), and his former chief-of-staff Pepper Natonski. Since the fourth quarter of 2015, Natonski has been lobbying on behalf of Duke and its stake in “natural gas utilities regarding pipeline safety legislation and any regulatory regime affecting natural gas utilities” and serves as Director of Federal Affairs for the company, according to Politico Influence.

In its Resource Report submitted to FERC, Atlantic Coast pipeline lists Natonski among the stakeholders it contacted to educate about the project. The company says it met with Hudson or his staff on five different instances and also had six different pipeline-centric email interactions. Today, this rising influencer among D.C.political circles is lobbying Congress on behalf of one of the project's owners.


Image Credit: U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Yet another connection between the Atlantic Coast project and the Trump White House is Rosario Palmieri, who lobbies on behalf of the pipeline for the National Association of Manufacturers. He formerly worked as a staffer for Vice President Mike Pence when he served in the House of Representatives.

“Very Encouraged”

Dominion appears excited to have been included on the list of Trump's top infrastructure projects.

“We're very encouraged by the Trump administration's strong commitment to rebuilding the nation's energy infrastructure,'' Aaron Ruby, a spokesperson for Dominion Resources, said of his company’s inclusion on the list for Atlantic Coast.

“This administration has taken some important first steps to clear the path for critically important projects, and we're eager to work with the president to ensure that projects like the Atlantic Coast Pipeline are approved and built in a timely manner.”

On the list of priority infrastructure projects, the Trump team claims Atlantic Coast could create 10,000 jobs. By way of comparison, Keystone XL — which is about twice the length as Atlantic Coast — will create 2,500–4,650 construction jobs, according to a report published by Cornell Unversity's Global Labor Institute. As the Kansas City Star pointed out, there is little information to back up the claims made in the leaked document at this point.

https://www.desmogblog.com/2017/02/0...coast-pipeline