Written by Jessica Sims
Jessica Sims
Born and raised in Central Virginia, Jessica holds a lifelong passion for protecting Virginia’s waterways. She works as AV's Virginia Field Coordinator fighting against fracked-gas pipelines.
Communities face mounting harms from Mountain Valley Pipeline
The ruinous Mountain Valley Pipeline has been in…
Fluvanna County fights back against proposed Tenaska gas plant
Fluvanna County is situated in Virginia’s Piedmont region. It is a county of great beauty — home to rolling fields, forest, bordered by the James River and bisected by the Rivanna River, the first Virginia river designated as a state Scenic River. It is also home to one of the largest gas-powered electricity-generating facilities in the region. Now, the company behind that methane gas plant wants to double Fluvanna’s gas infrastructure.
Pittsylvania County, Va., is at the center of an overbuilding of fossil fuel infrastructure
Pittsylvania County, Virginia, faces risks from a new gas plant from Balico and extensions of the existing Transco Mountain Valley pipelines.
Chesterfield residents turn government inaction into community action
For over a year, Chesterfield residents and local allies have spoken out against Dominion Energy’s controversial proposed methane gas plant, imploring local officials to hold a public hearing on the project’s potential impacts on the county.
Public left in the dark on safety inspection results after Mountain Valley Pipeline becomes operational
PHMSA’s consent order laid out specific requirements for the MVP’s developers both for during construction and after the methane-gas pipeline became operational.
Pipe blowout heightens Mountain Valley Pipeline concerns
When Congress placed a thumb on the scale to mandate approval of Mountain Valley Pipeline’s permits in June 2023, construction resumed and communities along the route expressed deep concerns about the use of degraded materials and rushed construction practices.
Opposition to new Dominion gas plant grows — and now includes Virginia state legislators
What I learned from the town hall was that Dominion, a company with significant resources and ability to expand clean energy in Virginia, has branded a new polluting gas plant as its only option for “reliability.”
The latest on Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate
Even as Mountain Valley Pipeline’s rushed construction results in landslides and muddy waters in Virginia and concerned residents call for state and federal authorities to stop the damage, communities to the south are facing new and changing threats from the pipeline’s proposed Southgate extension.
Crossover: Virginia General Assembly session reaches an important milestone
The Virginia General Assembly has reached the halfway mark — and amid the highs and lows of committee decisions, hundreds of Virginians have helped advocate for critical environmental protections. Thank you for your calls and emails to legislators!
Communities continue to seek safety measures for Mountain Valley Pipeline
Along the route of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, citizen monitors have watched a frenzy of workers hurriedly lower sun-bleached and degraded pipe into trenches, burying as much material as possible. Although safety concerns led the agency tasked with pipe safety, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, to issue a consent agreement, the agreement has not brought peace of mind.
