A coalition of environmental groups wants a hearing on the need for Dominion Energy’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline, claiming in a federal filing today that the justifications for the 600-mile, $5.5 billion natural gas pipeline project have “eroded, if they ever existed.”
“The pipeline, which is slated to fuel gas-fired power plants in Virginia and North Carolina, is not needed to keep the lights on,” says the filing by the groups, which includes the Natural Resources Defense Council, a large national environmental group, and local organizations, including the Shenandoah Valley Network, Friends of Buckingham, Cowpasture River Preservation Association and the Winyah Rivers Foundation, among others.
The groups are seeking an evidentiary hearing before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is weighing the proposed pipeline’s environmental effects, rates and necessity. The filing cites energy demand forecasts they say will be level or declining through 2030, which could undercut the need for the project. They also argue that existing natural gas infrastructure is sufficient to meet demand and that “rapidly declining costs of renewable energy will render gas-fired power generation uneconomic in coming years.”
“Demand for gas-fired generation is not growing in the region or across the country thanks to increased energy efficiency and the availability of solar and wind alternatives,” the document says. “The commission must resolve these factual issues before making a decision on Atlantic’s application or risk a decision clouded by uncertainty or, worse, construction of an unnecessary pipeline with significant adverse impacts for ratepayers and landowners.”
Richmond Times-Dispatch – Robert Zullo – 06/21/2017
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