Thanks to Irene Leech for these thoughts about the proposed Buckingham ACP compressor station communications tower.

Also, please click here for a brief look at the shocking unequal protections/standards meted out by the Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration [PHMSA]  summary document by Blue Ridge Environmental League [BREDL].

1. Congress established that national pipeline safety requirements are lowest in areas like Buckingham where there are few people and buildings per mile.
2. ACP originally said they would use fiber broadband to constantly monitor the pipeline and compressor station.  Now they have decided to use old technology instead.
3. Today almost everything developed is designed to be used on the internet.
4. Over the air internet is far less dependable than fiber broadband.
5. Citizens of Buckingham deserve the same level of safety as people in more populated areas.
6. This infrastructure would be in Buckingham for over 50 years.
7. It is important that we would have access to the most dependable safety monitoring and management throughout those years.
8. If the Communications Tower is approved, Buckingham would no longer have leverage to nudge the ACP to improve the technology.  We would just have the powers of persuasion and financial considerations would drive company decisions.  They would use risk models that are designed to accept some risk, likely more risk than those living near the infrastructure want.
9. When there would be problems with the compressor station, there would be automatic cutoff valves and monitors in West Virginia that would be alerted.  Since after the first year there would not be a person at the compressor station 24/7 who could take action if something goes wrong, it is critically important that we have monitoring by the best technology available.  Today that is fiber broadband.  It is not acceptable to use anything less.  Two less dependable monitoring systems used so one works if the other does not are still not acceptable.  We need the technology that would accept updated technology without complete replacement in the future, fiber broadband.
10. If Buckingham accepts the ACP offer to use the tower for improved local public safety communications, this would help the county in the short term.  However, it would sacrifice the opportunity to ensure that fiber broadband, the most dependable and universal technology today would be installed at the compressor station.
11. ACP says state and federal regulators prohibit it from using fiber broadband.  They do not prohibit it from using that technology.  They do currently prohibit it from selling access to that technology to others.  This could change in the future.  However, nothing prohibits ACP from using the best technology currently available to monitor the pipeline.  Our only opportunity to demand fiber broadband is now.Buckingham Board of Supervisors Public Hearing at 7 pm. Sign up to comment by 6:55 pm. You will have a strict 3 minutes to comment. Buckingham Administration Building on HWY 60, Buckingham Court House, VA. Thank you!