Virginia Natural Resources Secretary Matt Strickler has rebuffed recommendations made to Governor Northam on August 16 by the Governor’s Advisory Council on Environmental Justice (GACEJ) concerning the environmental justice impacts of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) and the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). The GACEJ’s letter essentially recommended a stay in pipeline construction work on the MVP and ACP until certain concerns were addressed. In a formal response to the Council, Secretary Strickler’s October 16 letter to GACEJ members said that FERC’s decision to approve the projects “preclude us from taking many of the actions that landowners, conservationists, and environmental justice advocates have asked us to take.” Continuing, Strickler said that the state’s Department of Environmental Quality “is focused on requiring that all federal and state health-based standards will be met on both a short-term and long-term basis. The Governor and I are watching closely to ensure that standard is met.”

Northam Rebuffs Environmental Justice Commission Recommendations

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.