The Huffington Post recently reported how controversial the fracked gas Mountain Valley (MVP) and Atlantic Coast Pipelines (ACP) have become. Dubbing the ACP the Atlantic “Trump” Pipeline because this is the only pipeline on President Trump’s “Top 50” domestic priorities, this $5.5+ billion project has sparked a sea of resistance along the proposed route and throughout Appalachia. Though the publicly disclosed route ran from West Virginia through Virginia and into North Carolina, leaked audio revealed the pipeline's investors—including Duke Energy and Dominion Energy and their subsidiaries—plan to run the project into South Carolina, too.
It’s a matter of protecting the people and places we love
Since 2014, landowners have been fighting Duke Energy and Dominion’s 600+ mile proposed venture. It was supposed to already be under construction months ago. Now it’s December and they still do not have a single permit from the state of North Carolina. Not only that, they are still awaiting crucial permit decisions in Virginia and West Virginia thanks to thousands of people that have raised their voices over many years.
As the battle to protect water and defend land from corporate charlatans heats up, people everywhere are calling on our leaders to rise to this momentous occasion and reject this Trumpian pipeline. Although Dominion’s public relations squad is running an expensive “campaign to elect a pipeline,” no one is being fooled, and many news outlets have reported and editorialized on the deceptive and untrustworthy behavior of the corporate polluters pushing these pipelines.
The tide is turning against fracked gas
In a noteworthy editorial, The News & Observer in Raleigh, NC recently published their view against the ACP, correctly stating how every dollar put into more fossil fuels is a dollar not spent on renewables. Building the ACP would slow our transition to a more just energy economy, but every day, people are rising up to contest it’s every step - and we’re winning. People are taking note of how this would ultimately be paid for by ratepayers, and even regulatory agencies are starting to question such high rates of return. The time for 100% renewable energy is NOW.
Environmental Justice is the heart of the matter
More than 70 residents turned up at a recent public hearing in Northampton County on the proposed compressor station slated for North Carolina. Around 30 people signed up to speak, with opposition to the ACP outnumbering supporters by a 2:1 margin. The day before the hearing, the NAACP and Clean Air Task Force released a report, Fumes Across the Fenceline, The Health Impacts of Air Pollution from Oil & Gas Facilities on African American Communities. Its case study is on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the siting of gas infrastructure in environmental justice communities, which are defined as: “An EJ area is any census tract where 20 percent or more individuals live in poverty, and/or 30 percent or more of the population is minority.” According to the report, “Northampton’s African American population is 54.6 percent, and the median household income is $31,453, nearly $15,000 below the state average. Almost 32 percent of Northampton residents live in poverty, compared to 17.2 percent statewide.” This visual from the Rachel Carson Council report, Blast Zone, clearly illustrates this point.
What happens next?
Over the next few weeks, crucial decisions will be made about the fate of this unneeded, unjust proposed pipeline. Check out these 10 myths about the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline that (almost) everyone believes.
Want to get more involved?
Take this survey about what you are interested in doing here: sc.org/ACPipeline
