Coalition Forms Over Proposed Dominion Pipeline

A coalition of 22 organizations from across Virginia and West Virginia has formed the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance in response to the September 2 announcement of the proposed 550-mile natural gas pipeline from Harrison County, WV, to Robeson County, NC. Dubbed the “Atlantic Coast Pipeline” by its proponents, the project is a joint venture of Dominion Resources, Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas and AGL Resources.  The companies have not yet applied for a permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.  Contrary to recent suggestions, construction of the project is not a certainty.  

The Alliance and its member organizations are gravely concerned about the proposed route of the pipeline, which could disrupt some of the most ecologically sensitive areas in the Eastern United States, including more than 50 miles of public lands in the George Washington and Monongahela national forests.  Further, much of the pipeline’s path, particularly in Highland and Augusta Counties in Virginia, would be built over fragile karst topography, a landscape formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks and characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves.  The impact on area water supplies of a pipeline built over such unstable geological formations could be significant.  It could also present serious safety hazards to the pipeline.

Alliance members are also acutely concerned that the proposed project presents substantial unjustified risks and costs for the rural communities of the Allegheny-Blue Ridge region. These communities will bear the full impact of pipeline development, including the loss of private property, damage to their scenic landscape, and the risk of pollution, with few, if any, of the long-term economic benefits touted by proponents. 

Founding members of the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance are:

Allegheny Highlands Alliance

Augusta County Alliance

Conservation Partners

Cooper Conservation Advisors, LLC

Cowpasture River Preservation Association

Friends of Blackwater

Friends of Nelson County

Friends of Shenandoah Mountain

Friends of the Middle River

Greenbrier River Watershed Association

Highlanders for Responsible Development

Jackson River Preservation Association

Shenandoah Group of the Sierra Club

Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation

Shenandoah Valley Network

Southern Environmental Law Center

Valley Conservation Council

Virginia Wilderness Committee

West Virginia Environmental Council

West Virginia Highlands Conservancy

West Virginia Rivers Coalition

Wild Virginia

More information about the Alliance and links to its member organization websites is at www.abralliance.org.