The much-anticipated hearings on Section 401 water quality certificates for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) and the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) will begin on Monday, August 7. The hearings on the applications for the two pipelines are part of a comment period that ends August 22 for written comments. Below, on the next page, is the complete schedule for the three ACP hearings and the two MVP hearings. Please attend a hearing and make your concerns known!

Atlantic Coast Pipeline:

Monday, August 7, 2017, from 6 to 10 p.m. — James Madison University, Festival Conference and Student Center, Grand Ballroom, 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807. Parking is in Lots C11, C12, and D3.
Thursday, August 10, 2017, from 6 to 10 p.m. — Longwood University, Jarman Auditorium, 201 High St., Farmville, VA 23901. Parking is in Wheeler Lot, Crafts Lot, High Street Lot, Randolph Lot or other university-owned lots.
Monday, August 14, 2017, from 6 to 10 p.m. — Southside Virginia Community College, Workforce Building, Alberta Gymnasium, 109 Campus Drive, Alberta, VA

Mountain Valley Pipeline:

Tuesday, August 8, 2017, from 6 to 10 p.m. — Radford University, Preston/Bondurant Auditorium, 801 East Main St., Radford, VA 24142. Parking is only in Lot A, or Lots E and U.
Wednesday, August 9, 2017, from 6 to 10 p.m. — Chatham High School Auditorium, 100 Cavalier Circle, Chatham, VA 24531. Parking is only in designated areas on school property.

DEQ has posted on its website guidelines about what topics will be considered at the hearings and in written comments that are submitted. For those seeking guidance on major points to make in their testimony (3-minute limitation) or written submissions, we urge that comments be as personal as possible (e.g. how clean water is important to you and why the proposed pipeline would endanger that water). In addition, we commend to you the suggested talking points developed by ABRA members Wild Virginia and the Sierra Club – Virginia Chapter.

Virginia DEQ Hearings for ACP & MVP Water Quality Begin Next Week

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.