Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020
The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is a proposed 600-mile natural gas pipeline from West Virginia to North Carolina. Supporters consider it an economic boon, while opponents consider it an environmental disaster.
The proposed route cuts through the heart of the southeast, including endangered species habitat, two national forests and the Appalachian Trail. The majority would be built along rural land and communities.
1.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas every day would pass along the pipes, enough to power 5 million homes daily. 17,000 construction jobs and $28 million each year total in property taxes will buoy the counties it would pass through, many of them in dire need of financial support.
Dominion Energy leads the development while environmentalists and residents in sight of the pipeline have traded lawsuits – the Supreme Court will open the case this February.
Is this an environmental catastrophe or a much-needed stimulus package? The fate of energy in the region and a legal precedent for years to come is at stake.
GUESTS
Lyndsey Gilpin, founder and editor-in-chief of Southerly. Her investigative piece, “A Pipeline Runs Through It,” was recently published in Grist and bioGraphic. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Harper’s and more.
Aaron Ruby, manager of media relations for Dominion Energy
Robert Van Geons, president & CEO of Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corporation
