A coalition of 19 Chambers of Commerce across Virginia sent the commonwealth’s two US senators, Democrats Timothy M. Kaine and Mark R. Warner, a letter expressing their strong support for the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
“Not only would [the natural gas pipeline project] create 8,000 jobs during construction, but 1,300 jobs will be supported post-construction,” the business organizations said in their Aug. 31 letter, which the Virginia Chamber of Commerce released on Sept. 15.
“Virginia consumers will realize $243 million in savings annually once the pipeline is operational,” they said. “In addition, millions of dollars of much needed new tax revenue will be generated that could be used for local projects like schools, roads, and bridges.”
Atlantic Coast Pipeline LLC applied to the US Federal Energy Regulation Commission to build the 564-mile interstate gas pipeline from Harrison County, W.Va., to Chesapeake, Va., and Robeson County, NC, a year ago (OGJ Online, Sept. 21, 2015).
Dominion Transmission Inc., a subsidiary of Richmond, Va.-based Dominion Resources Inc., the project’s main sponsor, submitted a supplemental filing to FERC containing biological survey reports, an Archaeological Resources Protection Act permit application, and correspondence on Sept. 15.
With the Aug. 12 issuance of a notice of schedule for environmental review of the project, the company anticipates that FERC will issue a draft environmental impact statement in December and a final EIS in June 2017, it said at its web site.
Contact Nick Snow at [email protected].