Dominion Resources Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Feds Allow Atlantic Coast Pipeline Construction to Resume

Federal regulators gave the Atlantic Coast Pipeline the green light to restart construction Monday.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission halted construction of the 600-mile pipeline last month after a federal court threw out two of the project’s federal permits.

In early August, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) needed to revisit a key endangered species permit. It also ruled the National Park Service (NPS) needed to reissue a right-of-way approval to allow the pipeline to pass under the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Until those were completed, FERC told pipeline officials most construction should stop.

Then, in a letter sent to Atlantic Coast Pipeline officials on Sept. 17, agency staff said both permits had been received and construction could resume.

“On September 11, 2018, the FWS issued a revised Biological Opinion (BO), which included a modified Incidental Take Statement, for the ACP and [Supply Header Project],” wrote Terry Turpin, director of FERC’s Office of Energy Projects. “Additionally, on September 14, 2018, the NPS issued a new right-of-way permit for crossing the Blue Ridge Parkway. Construction activities along project areas which had previously received a notice to proceed may now continue.”

ACP spokesperson Aaron Ruby said in an emailed statement that pipeline developers are “pleased” construction can move ahead and will closely monitor the wet weather conditions before resuming work.

“We commend the Fish & Wildlife Service and National Park Service for promptly addressing the issues raised by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and FERC’s Stop Work Order,” he stated. “The agencies have reaffirmed that the project does not threaten any federally protected species and is consistent with the public use of the Blue Ridge Parkway.”

Environmental groups have repeatedly challenged the pipeline, arguing it’s not needed and will harm water and other natural resources across its route in West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina.

“Rather than taking the time to address the major problems we have seen in federal agencies’ reviews of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, these agencies continue to rush through a rubberstamp process that ignores legal requirements – not to mention the public interest,” said D.J. Gerken, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmetnal Law Center, in a statement.

FERC’s decision to life the stop work order on the ACP follows the agency’s decision to allow the Mountain Valley Pipeline to resume the bulk of its construction despite having not yet gotten new federal permits as required by the federal court.

In that case, agency staff wrote order to “mitigate further environmental impacts” construction along rights-of-way could resume, except on federal lands.

Federal Regulators Weigh in on Proposed Natural Gas Pipeline

A proposed natural gas pipeline that would cross West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina would have adverse environmental impacts, but most could be avoided, minimized or mitigated, according to an analysis federal regulators released this week.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s more than 2,300-page draft environmental impact statement for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline outlines the potential effects of the project on vegetation and wildlife, water, public land and other resources. While the lead company behind the pipeline heralded the report’s findings, a number of groups that oppose the project said the commission hadn’t honestly assessed the impacts and had dismissed clean energy alternatives.

A statement posted along with the report on the commission’s website says “the majority of project effects, with the exception of impacts on forest vegetation, would be reduced to less-than-significant levels” as long as the companies building the pipeline follow a number of recommendations.

The report says that while most vegetation wouldn’t be seriously harmed, forested areas “would experience significant impacts.” Construction would remove the tree canopy in certain areas, which would change the forest structure, and regrowth could take years or decades, the report said. The project would also contribute to forest fragmentation and would have “long-term to permanent” impacts to about 33 acres in the Monongahela National Forest and 146 in the George Washington National Forest, it said.

Leslie Hartz, vice president of pipeline construction for Dominion Energy — which is partnering with other energy companies on the approximately 600-mile-long project — said the report was a major step forward.

“While we have to review the draft further, we believe it confirms that the project can be built in an environmentally responsible way that protects the public safety and natural resources of our region,” Hartz said in a statement.

Proponents have said the pipeline, which would carry fracked natural gas, will generate thousands of jobs, enrich local tax collections and attract businesses seeking relatively cheap natural gas. Hartz also said in her statement Friday that the pipeline is “critically important to meeting the growing energy needs of public utilities in Virginia and North Carolina.”

Opponents Criticize Report

Some environmental and community groups in all three states, however, criticized the report’s findings and some said the energy companies behind the project haven’t done enough to show that the pipeline is necessary. Opponents have put up strong resistance to the project, saying it could decrease property values and disrupt historic and environmentally sensitive locations.

“Dominion’s Atlantic Coast pipeline will not only irreparably alter our natural terrain but it is also unnecessary. … This is a Dominion self-enrichment project, not a public necessity,” Greg Buppert, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center, said in a statement.

The commission, which has the final say on interstate pipelines, is accepting public comment on the draft report until April 6. After that, it will release a final environmental impact statement before issuing a decision on the project.

Forest Service Raises Concern About Pipeline Path

The U.S. Forest Service said it is “highly concerned” about the potential impact a proposed natural gas pipeline could have on a wild brook trout stream in Bath County, Va.

The Forest Service filed comments Thursday, Sept. 1, with regulators about the proposed path of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.

The service said it wants the pipeline builder to re-evaluate its proposed stream crossings and access roads in the George Washington National Forest.

Aaron Ruby, a spokesman for Dominion Resources, said the company will continue to work with the forest service to find an acceptable route. Dominion is one of the energy companies behind the proposed pipeline, which would stretch from West Virginia to North Carolina.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which has the final say on interstate pipelines, is still reviewing the project.

Donated Shoes to be Given to State Flood Victims

Employees of a Virginia-based utility have gathered thousands of pairs of donated children’s shoes for young flood victims in southern West Virginia.

Richmond-based Dominion Resources’ Sharing Our Soles campaign gets into high gear Wednesday.

Dominion Resources Services Inc. external affairs representative Christine Mitchell in Hastings says volunteers will sort shoes by gender and size at the company’s Bridgeport facility. The shoes then will be loaded into trucks for shipment to areas hit hard by flooding in late June.

Mitchell says deliveries are planned Thursday to students at four schools in Kanawha County and two schools in Clay County. Depending on shoe availability, additional stops are planned Friday at schools throughout Nicholas County.

Mitchell says shoes are still arriving and the goal is to have 4,000 pairs for distribution.

Dominion Outlines New National Forest Route for Pipeline

Energy companies behind the Atlantic Coast Pipeline have carved a new proposed route through national forests in West Virginia and Virginia.

The alternate released Friday is in response to federal concerns about the national gas pipeline’s initial path through sensitive areas.

Dominion Resources Inc. says the new route would reduce by one-third the pipeline’s path through the George Washington and Monongahela national forests, but add 30 miles to the project. The alternate route would also affect 249 new landowners.

Dominion said it worked extensively with the U.S. Forest Service to select the new route after foresters rejected the initial plan. The Forest Service feared, in part, the pipeline would harm a salamander that lives in high elevations in the Shenandoah Mountains and is found nowhere else in the world.

Dominion Resources Workers Help Spruce up Jackson's Mill

Jackson’s Mill has been spruced up for the upcoming 4-H camping season with help from Dominion Resources.

More than 100 Dominion workers spent Wednesday at the state 4-H camp in Lewis County revitalizing the grounds. They landscaped flower beds, painted and repaired a gazebo, rebuilt a stone patio and power washed and painted the amphitheater. They also installed a water filtration system in the fish pond.

West Virginia University Extension Service director Steve Bonanno tells The Exponent Telegram that it would take months for the facility’s maintenance staff to do what the Dominion employees did in one day.

Dominion senior policy adviser Robert Orndorff says the company frequently holds meeting and other functions at Jackson’s Mill. He says Dominion has a history of helping the facility.