Fracked-Gas Compressor Station Permit Vote Delayed

RICHMOND, Virginia – Today, the Virginia State Air Pollution Control Board (Board) delayed a vote on a crucial permit for a fracked gas compressor station. The Board will open a new public comment period on new information the Department of Environmental Quality submitted as part of the review process on a permit application for Dominion Energy’s proposed Buckingham Compressor Station.

The compressor station is a 54,000-horsepower industrial facility that Dominion must have to pump fracked gas through its controversial Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP). The facility is controversial because it would have serious negative effects on air quality, health, and quality of life and would be built in the historic Union Hill area of Buckingham County, a predominantly African-American community founded by formerly enslaved people. The industrial facility would run non-stop every day of the year, in close proximity to residents who vehemently oppose the threat of toxic air pollution, dangerous explosions, and disruptive noise pollution.

Today’s vote is not the first delay on this permit, as the decisive vote was deferred from an originally scheduled date of November 9. Days after that deferral, Gov. Ralph Northam suddenly and unexpectedly dismissed two members of the Board who had raised environmental justice concerns and asked questions about the facility’s environmental and health implications. After immense public pressure, the two new members of the board did not vote in today's decision. Residents and clean air advocates were still not assuaged, however, and continue to hound Northam over his decision. While Northam originally said the new board members would not be seated prior to the vote on the compressor station permit, they were sworn in but recused themselves. It is not clear whether they plan to do so again.

Today’s decision is good news for Virginia’s air, climate and communities and joins other positive developments over the last few weeks, including Virginia suing Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC, proprietors of another large-scale fracked-gas pipeline proposed for the Commonwealth, for repeated violations of laws that keep our water clean, and Atlantic Coast Pipeline, LLC notifying the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission it is stopping all work along its 600-mile route after a court stayed its authorizations related to endangered species. ACP also lost its permit needed to cut through national forests last week, and its permit needed to build through streams and waterways a month earlier.

In response, Kate Addleson, Director of the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, released the following statement.

"The Board was correct in November when it said that Virginia should carefully consider the true effects and environmental justice impacts for every project, and the Board was right today to allow the public to comment on new information added to this proposed fracked gas project.

This proposal is still woefully inadequate to protect the residents of the Union Hill community and all of Buckingham County from the disastrous effects this compressor station would have.

The Board’s decision shows the power concerned community members and activists have generated. Together, we have shown how Virginia must put clean air and water for Virginians over monopoly utility companies’ profits, politics, and power.

The only way to protect Virginians from the dirty and disastrous effects of fossil fuels is by not building unnecessary projects like the Atlantic Coast Pipeline at all. We will not rest until the current work stoppage is permanent."

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