Will Dominion be the DuPont of 2042?
While I was excited to read that decades of hard fought battles are resulting in the grants that Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced for Waynesboro last week, it’s sad to think that DuPont, the very “jobs lifeline” of this area for so long, had to be forced to make reparations to the communities that allowed them to reap incalculable profits.
This same enormous settlement also affects DuPont communities in West Virginia and Ohio.
The Waynesboro and Augusta dollars are earmarked for prevention of stormwater runoff, wildlife habitat restoration, stream restoration/stabilization, flood plain protection, and creation of new greenways. Worthy projects, all.
Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources Molly Ward, in the top seat with oversight of the Virginia DEQ, applauded the governor’s role in these grants. This is starkly relevant to the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline which inarguably threatens local streams, wetlands, flood plains, and wildlife habitats, as well as the health and safety of residents.
Will McAuliffe join whoever is governor of 25 years from now and announce similar Dominion settlement dollars earmarked for reparation of these same types of damages? Is DuPont’s corporate greed not to be a lesson learned? Are the Atlantic Coast Pipeline’s sparkling promises of jobs and local economic gains not just a new verse added to an old song?
Marilyn Shifflett
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