Public hearings on whether to certify water quality under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) began last week in North Carolina under the authority of that state’s Department of the Environmental Quality. Similar hearings on the ACP will be held by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) on July 31 in Buckhannon, WV and August 1 in Dunmore, WV. Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will conduct hearings water quality certification for both the ACP and the Mountain Valley Pipeline, beginning August 7.

Full details on the water quality hearings in VA and WV were published in ABRA Update 137. Please note that the August 14 hearing on the ACP certification, originally scheduled to be held in Dinwiddie, VA, will instead be held in Alberta, VA at the Southside Virginia Community College Workforce Building – Alberta Gymnasium, 109 Campus Drive, from 6 to 10 pm.

All persons concerned about the water quality consequences of the ACP are strongly urged to present comments at one of the public hearings. Those persons who are unable to attend a hearing can make their views known by filing written comments with the WVDEP (deadline August 4) or DEQ (deadline August 22). Details on where to send comments are included in the ABRA Update 137 article linked above. For Virginia, additional details on DEQ’s water quality review process are available here.

Water Quality Hearings on the ACP and MVP Begin: Be Sure to Participate!

ABRA CONSERVATION HUB

ABRA’s Conservation Hub program promotes responsible resource management by providing access to critical information needed for effective public involvement in environmental review and oversight.

Following the defeat of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in 2020, ABRA initiated the Conservation Hub to support informed public engagement with the broader range of environmental issues confronting the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Mountain region. The Conservation Hub builds on the analysis and information sharing capacity achieved through ABRA’s Pipeline CSI project during the years of ACP opposition.

The Conservation Hub is based on the use of GIS mapping to provide details and context for land development projects and management practices that involve risk of environmental harm, as well as for environmental preservation and restoration initiatives. The Conservation Hub also provides access to regulatory documents and assessments related to specific projects or issues.

Multiple Conservation Hub sites, focused on individual projects or issues, have been developed collaboratively with ABRA’s partners and allies. Going forward, we invite conservation groups, individuals, and communities to provide ideas for new Hub sites and GIS mapping that can contribute to informed public engagement on behalf of environmental integrity in the Allegheny-Blue Ridge region.