Ben Weiner, Communications Coordinator, Sierra Club Virginia Chapter
benjamin.weiner@sierraclub.org, (804) 241-9384
RICHMOND, Virginia – Today, on the Friday before Christmas, the Department of Environmental Quality opened a comment period on specific documents newly submitted to the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board (Board) on the Buckingham County Compressor station. The comment period will last only 14 days, four of which are Virginia state government holidays, ending on January 4. This follows the Board’s request for the comment period during their meeting on December 19.
Today’s announcement is the latest in a series of controversial moves by the Northam administration to clear the path for the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley fracked gas pipeline projects, including removing two members of the Board who raised questions about the health and environmental justice implications of the compressor station.
In response, Kate Addleson, Director of the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, released the following statement:
"DEQ’s decision to schedule this comment period over Christmas and New Year’s is nothing more than an attempt to silence the vast majority of Virginians who will now be unable to participate. Buckingham County communities, including Union Hill, have already been through the ringer as this compressor station threatens their community, homes and health, and this extremely brief comment period adds further tension to an already stressful situation.
"Virginians, just like Gov. Northam and those at DEQ, should be able to spend this time with their families and friends, not fighting against corporate polluters and government processes that have been bent to those corporations’ will. DEQ should extend the length of this comment period further into the new year in order to allow for adequate public engagement."
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About the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter
The Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club is over 20,000 members strong. We are your friends and neighbors working to build healthy, livable communities, and to conserve and protect our climate and environment. The Virginia Chapter is part of the national Sierra Club, the nation's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. For more information, visit http://www.sierraclub.org/virginia
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.