350+ Maryland & West Virginia Activists Unite to Oppose the Potomac Pipeline!

On Saturday, October 14, over 350 concerned West Virginia and Maryland residents joined hands over a key Potomac River bridge to send a powerful message urging Governor Hogan to stop TransCanada from building a fracked-gas pipeline underneath the treasured river.

Maryland Sierra Club members, on a break from our chapter jamboree, drove over to the James Rumsey Bridge to meet other Maryland and West Virginia residents and stand in opposition to the proposed Potomac Pipeline. We were joined by elected leaders, environmental and social justice advocates, and landowners as we held a press conference and rally before standing hand-in hand to span the James Rumsey Bridge.  This action came together through the No Potomac Pipeline coalition which includes Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Eastern Panhandle Protectors, Potomac Riverkeepers, Waterkeepers Chesapeake, Sierra Club, and other local activists.

The pipeline is being proposed by TransCanada, the company infamous for pushing the Keystone XL Pipeline, and Mountaineer Gas. It would ship fracked gas from Pennsylvania to West Virginia, passing through the town of Hancock, Maryland and underneath the Potomac River. This pipeline would not benefit Marylanders in any way, yet it would pose a grave threat to drinking water and deepen dependence on dirty fossil fuels for years to come.

This is just the latest in a series of actions, we’ve been a part of to build a movement and draw attention to this dangerous project. We’ve organized public information meetings, press conferences, and encampments to stop the pipeline. If you haven’t already, be sure to sign our petition calling on Governor Larry Hogan to reject this pipeline.

As Josh Tulkin, our Chapter Director, said: "Maryland understood that fracking posed a threat to our air, water, and the natural spaces that we hold dear. This proposed pipeline poses the same threat." If Governor Hogan is serious about protecting environmental and human health from the dangers of fracking, he will complete the fracking ban by rejecting this pipeline."

In order to prevent this fracked gas pipeline from being built, we’ll need help from all MD and WV residents to demonstrate to elected officials that this is a dangerous move that should not move forward. Stay tuned for more opportunities to voice your opposition to this gas pipeline!

Thank you to everyone who spent their Saturday afternoon with us fighting to protect their community’s health and environment!

Click here to see video footage from Hands Across the Potomac, including remarks from West Virginia landowner Patricia Kesecker, and Maryland Delegate Jheanelle Wilkins.

Want to help this effort? Call Governor Hogan and tell him to reject the Potomac Pipeline!