….. and, the list of issues goes on and on… in addition to the fact that the people of Virginia thought they were electing a Green candidate when Terry McAuliffe was elected and are now facing this nightmare instead of renewable energy development.

Dominion and now ‘Gov McA’ are “gung ho” fossil fuel and still rated ‘F’ for renewable development.

Other topics covered included:
• many people said they should use existing routes and rights of way instead of 3 separate ones
• a few spoke of the 8 rivers that have their headwaters here, the streams that feed them, the watersheds
• possibility of leaks and explosions, especially over this difficult terrain
• potential for water quality degradation
• DEP’s lousy record of inspection and regulation
• some suggested charging the companies escrow to cover damages to communities
• the FERC was asked to force Dominion to show sound engineering design
• the largest undisturbed and sensitive forest would be interrupted/fragmented
• the possibility of fly ash was mentioned for filling the trenches
• WV’s geology and soils, unique features
• tourism, agritourism, outdoor recreation, hunting, fishing
• asked the FERC to assess the # of acres and miles of forest that would be affected
• assess cumulative effects
• cultural considerations: native American and Civil War artifacts
• vegetation and wildlife populations: breeding, nesting, migration, predation
• air quality and noise, proximity to compressor stations
• threatened and endangered species
• reduced property values
• blast radius, burn radius, evacuation radius
• our state has lowest ratings for health and happiness already; turning it into an industrial zone will exacerbate it
• no direct revenues or services (to Pocahontas county) from this project (an industry person contradicted this but, again, the origin of these figures is unclear)
• wants FERC to do or commission an independent, county-by-county economic study to discover externalities, social costs
• said FERC would be irresponsible to grant this; it would victimize WV’s population
• noted the gas going to outside markets
• WV will be/ is sacrifice zone
• FERC should assess the benefits based on supply-to-market, not company profits
• 2 national forests affected, owned by American people
• 140 perennial water bodies
• profound and irreversible impact
• would compromise spruce ecosystem
• need for gas will soon be reduced and existing infrastructure is sufficient to supply our residents
• application of ED to private citizens for private gain is wrong
• project is wasteful
• herbicide spraying will contaminate water
• jobs few, low-paying, temporary (not mentioned: most will not go to WVians)
• WV should not be industrialized
• other types of economic opportunity should be considered (diversify economy away from fossil fuels)
• it is a rigged system – President + gas $
• everyone is affected, not just landowners
• approval will bring more drilling; 300 new well pads in Lewis, 300 new permits in Upshur
• gas not greener than coal
• Physicians, Scientists, Engineers Toward Healthy Energy peer-reviewed, scientific report given to FERC
• time to transition to cleaner energy sources
• why invest in this project when gas will be soon outdated, companies should think ahead
• WV has been under the foot of extractive industries for 152 years, more of the same
• truck traffic, water quality degradation, small streams destroyed, stream life and food chain compromised
• pipeline incidents and accidents
• this is first 42″ pipeline this company has done over this kind of terrain, elevations & terrain a challenge to get right
• Dominion looking at building 14 LNG terminals
• 75% of DC water comes from Potomac
• flooding, access problems, caves, karst
• pitting one community against another
• Sharp’s Cave is the underground fork of Upper Elk River and is the last remaining place where there are naturally spawning trout (3 types)
• President’s Council NEPA
• “connected” impacts to watersheds, habitat
• radon gas/radioactive elements, exposure at all stages/levels of production/use, cancer
• exceeding 10% impervious cover increases stormwater runoff
• decreased groundwater recharge, excess runoff, sedimentation, destroyed habitat
• disposal of waste from fracking and resulting earthquakes, water contamination
• pipeline has explosive potential of atomic bomb and is a 550-mile long terrorist target
• close proximity (less than a mile) from Upshur County high school and dangers during an explosion event
• difficulty of first responder access in explosion event and during construction phase
• crossing of transportation corridors and river where we access our drinking water (Upshur)
• backfill = 1100 truck trips per mile during construction
• company should provide a bypass during construction
• erosion of slopes and exposure of pipeline could compromise security
• pipelines not forever, how will we clean up spills (oil), leak prevention
• increase in fracking will result in more spills, leaks, accidents, violations, health and water issues
• why do we need 4 separate pipelines and all the new gathering lines these necessitate
• industry wants to raise prices (comments made by industry that prices are down and gas export would increase prices so they could make more money)
• would preclude organic and sustainable farming
• dangers to water, commerce, tourism/agritourism, and a way of life
• figures on jobs and taxes overblown; need independent reports (non industry)
• need to think toward the future, develop green/sustainable energy sources
• we need clean, safe, healthy jobs
• gas is not clean; it may burn cleaner, but extraction and waste are toxic
• WV and FERC need to insist on more inspectors before, during, and after construction
• rules and regulations are only as good as enforcement
• subsidies give fossil fuels unfair advantage
• leachate from landfills (including radioactive elements) makes its way into water supplies

Topics not covered include:
• true costs are externalized; companies need to internalize true costs, take responsibility, and even the playing field
• most of these jobs not going to WVians; companies bring their own technicians (EQT); welders must be trained and certified; numbers of jobs range from 17,000 (3-state area during construction phase) to 74 (permanent jobs in WV alone after construction is complete and pipeline is put into service);
• contamination of Wolfe Creek at Lochgelly, WV due to injection and overflow of impoundments; leukemia rate there is highest in the state
• safety violations continue after citations: DEP has cited Antero for 17 violations of state code in the past three years. Those have been primarily environmental violations—for things like failing to prevent waste runoff, failure to report discharges and contaminating waterways.
• One violation, from Jan. 4, warned, “Imminent danger water supplys [sic] threatened by allowing pollutants to escape and flow into the waters of the state.” (source Charleston Gazette, 7/22/13)
• ground current from wind farms presents a barrier to building them in proximity to pipelines due to possibility of corrosion and catastrophic failure; depending on the size of both pipeline and windmill, and ground conditions (moisture, topography, etc.) the spacing necessary could be as large as two miles; this means pipelines will limit the available land for safe and viable wind farms
• proximity of holding ponds and injection wells to schools, homes, farms, streams presents danger to human life
• contaminated water can make its way into the food supply
• radioactivity was mentioned, but the term TENORM was not
• hydrostatic testing of these lines would use some 300 million gallons of water