Stop Pipelines & Fracked Gas

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Photo By Sierra Shamer / Fractracker

Two decades ago, so-called natural gas exploded on the American energy market, pushed by the industry as a supposedly clean “bridge” fuel to transition the economy from dirty coal to renewable sources of electricity generation like solar and wind.

But this gas is far from clean. From the time that it is extracted using a destructive drilling method called fracking, its transport through pipelines, train cars and trucks, to the power plants where it is burned, the dire environmental and human costs of this fossil fuel are now abundantly clear. In particular, this polluting infrastructure is often sited in communities of color, lower-income areas and other environmental justice communities.

Studies show that investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency are on par with, or sometimes more affordable than, building new gas infrastructure. Many states are enacting policies to tap into the rising solar and wind sector. Yet the fossil fuel industry is rushing to build methane gas pipelines and power plants to squeeze as much profit as possible out of the waning fuel, putting most of the financial risk on customers.

Appalachian Voices is tackling the spread of fracked gas head-on by legally challenging fossil fuel proposals and pushing back against the antiquated policies and rubber-stamping agencies that govern the development of gas infrastructure. We are also partnering with communities in the fight against new fossil fuel infrastructure, providing resources and training to bolster local opposition. And we are pressuring decision-makers to force them to consider the harm to communities threatened by polluting energy development.

And the tide is starting to turn. In July 2020, Duke Energy and Dominion Energy canceled the 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The massive fossil fuel project was riddled with problems, starting with the fundamental fact it was not needed to meet energy demand. Standing beside the many communities and organizations that made this historic victory possible, we’re taking this momentum and applying it toward the fight against other destructive, climate-harming projects that threaten community safety, our clean air and water, and that would raise electricity costs for residents.

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The North Carolina House of Representatives will soon vote on SB 472, a bill that would reduce the Department of Environmental Quality’s review projects like methane gas pipelines to just FIVE DAYS. This is not enough time to allow for public input or ensure state waterways and communities are protected!

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Latest News

Members of the Buckingham County Planning Commission look over a packed room of people speaking out against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline compressor station.

Environmental justice in Buckingham County

A proposed compressor station along the Atlantic Coast Pipeline route would pose public health risks and increase noise pollution in a rural, historically black community. Citizens are fervently urging local officials to reject the project, which would severely impact the viability of the pipeline overall.

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Consequences and Need for Natural Gas Pipelines Disputed

Community members, economic advisors and environmentalists question the need for the proposed Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast Pipelines.

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Standing Against the Mountain Valley Pipeline

Throughout September, Appalachian Voices met with community members in Virginia and West Virginia to join forces in the fight to stop construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

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Community and conservation groups condemn FERC’s review of proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline

Contact: Joe Lovett, Appalachian Mountain Advocates, 304-520-2324, jlovett@appalmad.org…

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Atlantic Coast Pipeline could face further delays

In a letter sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Sept. 1, the U.S. Forest Service voiced concerns that the proposed route for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline could threaten several streams in the George Washington National Forest.

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Atlantic Coast Pipeline backers head to North Carolina

While North Carolina is rightfully focused on the coal ash scandal, another environmental tug-of-war is strengthening in some of the state’s poorest areas. The Atlantic Coast Pipeline would cut 170 miles through eastern N.C. where a quarter to a third of people live in poverty. And this is precisely why these types of projects are placed in low-income communities: to reduce the chance of resistance.

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