Advocacy groups: Pipeline assessment lacks real analysis

Three advocacy groups in Virginia want federal regulators to rescind or revise an environmental assessment of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline because they say it was released prematurely and lacks meaningful analysis.

The groups made their arguments in a filing this week with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which has the final say on interstate pipelines.

The groups – Friends of Nelson, Wild Virginia and Heartwood – say the pipeline company has filed a "copious amount" of important information about the project since December, when FERC

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The filing says without that information, FERC, other agencies and the public can't "meaningfully analyze" the impact of the pipeline, which would serve public utilities in Virginia and North Carolina.

“FERC needs to guarantee that the DEIS for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline is complete, detailed and accurate,” said Ernie Reed, who represents both Wild Virginia and Friends of Nelson, which is based in Nelson County where the pipeline would traverse. “Without this information, citizens, elected officials and local agencies are being deprived of vital analysis on the potential impacts of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.”

Aaron Ruby, a spokesman for Dominion, the lead company behind the project, couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

You can read the full motion by tapping

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