A resolution condemning the “assaults on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline” from citizen groups has been introduced in the West Virginia House of Delegates. House Resolution 11, introduced February 6 and just made public this week, is co-sponsored by 49-members of the 100-member House, including the Speaker. The action followed January 8 speech at a West Virginia energy conference by a Dominion Energy lobbyist who called for “rouge environmentalists” to be condemned by the state legislature. The speech prompted the Charleston Gazette-Mail to strongly editorialize two-days later:
The suggestion to the Legislature offered up by lobbyist Bob Orndorff that the body pass a resolution condemning the environmental groups pursuing litigation is insulting. These groups trying to protect their rights are made up of actual West Virginians who want to preserve what they have and avoid being steamrolled by big industry. Their government should be watching out for them, but it’s not, so the only way to stand up for themselves is through the courts.
Remember it’s the people who are the David in this scenario, not the Goliath.
Among some of the passages in the Resolution are:
- Resolved, that we find that the attacks are also damaging West Virginia’s energy production industry, the source of more than $6 billion annually in wages to our state’s working men and women; and, be it
- Resolved, that we find that the assaults on these projects have great potential to damage the environment by hindering the deployment of electric generation powered by solar power, wind and other renewable resources, all of which must be backed up with fossil fuel powered generation, such as natural gas; and, be it
- Resolved, that we strongly urge the groups spearheading these assaults to stop their attacks and delaying actions and in the process help pave the way for a cleaner and stronger energy future for West Virginia and for the entire nation;
ABRA, in consultation with its member organizations, is evaluating an appropriate response to the Resolution.