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SENTINEL
APRIL 2015
Welcome to the Beyond Dominion Sentinel! This newsletter, to come out monthly,
will summarize the struggles of communities fighting Dominion Resources fracked gas
projects whether pipelines, compressor stations, liquid natural gas (LNG)
export terminals or any other dirty energy projects of this $50 billion behemoth that is
running roughshod over all of us in one way or another. The Sentinels goal is to share
the reality of what were up against, share information that other groups may find
useful and build a stronger grassroots opposition.
is a project of Beyond
Extreme Energy, a group that came
together in 2014 and carried out a
week of direct action at FERC, the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, in Washington, D.C., to highlight that agencys rubber-stamping
of just about every fracked gas proposal that comes before it. Were
currently organizing for a much bigger action for May 21-29 in order to
force FERC to take community concerns as seriously as it takes corporate conniving. We hope many of
you will join us at the FERCus. For
more information, including our
proposals for reforming FERC, visit
us at beyondextremeenergy.org.
This first issue will highlight five
of the groups working to protect
their communities from Dominion.
There are many more, and we plan
to include them in future newsletters. Get in touch with us at
info@beyondextremeenergy.org.
THE SENTINEL
Myersville
Citizens for a Rural
Community
BXEers carry the panels showing families in the path of FERC-approved projects.
CONTACT INFO:
mcrcmd.org
or on Facebook at
Myersville CItizens
for a Rural Community
gascompressornews@gmail.com
PO Box 158,
Myersville, MD 21773
Friends of Nelson
Interview with Ernie Reed, Vice President of Friends of Nelson County, and
President of Wild Virginia
DOMINIONS Atlantic Coast Pipeline
(ACP) is currently routed through
four counties in western Virginia
TOP: LEFT PHOTO COURTESY ANN NAU; MIDDLE COURTESY DC MEDIA GROUP; RIGHT BY PHIL CUNNINGHAM; BOTTOM: PHOTO BY KATHY VERSLUYS
Left to right:
Myersville defenders; Cove
Point defenders, Nov. 10;
Suspended
with banner,
Phil Cunningham of Richmond Resistance, Feb. 23.
friendsofnelson.org
or on Facebook at
Friends of Nelson
friendsofnelson@
gmail.com
PO Box 33
Nellysford, VA 22958
We Are
Cove Point
Interview with
Steve Norris
wearecovepoint.org or on
Facebook at We Are Cove Point
PO Box 101
Lusby, Md 20657
At a time when the worlds leadsham public hearings presented canvassed neighborhoods, held
by Calvert County government, press conferences and looked for ing scientists have insisted on
phasing out fossil fuels within the
where the agenda was pre-set to fissures in the plan.
We are awaiting FERCs decision next 15 years in order to mitigate
hear public comments, immediately
close the record and approve the on Earthjustices request for a re- rising sea levels and other effects
proposals (without discussing com- hearing, submitted in October. Un- of climate change, Virginia is doing
ments). It was apparent that our lo- til that ruling, the legal process is at less than the bare minimum to
cal government was all in and a standstill. A request was made si- move toward a sustainable future.
supported the Dominion project at multaneously to stay construction, With Dominions political influence at an all-time high (see our
every turn. The Board of County which has been ignored.
We continue to press for a safety story in this newsletter about the
Commissioners (BoCC) signed a
non-disclosure agreement 14 study, air and water monitoring, a outcome of this years legislative
months before we knew anything new evacuation road, and improved session), Virginia communities
from the coasts to the mountain
about the Dominion plan. The transparency of local government.
BoCC waived zoning laws (later
valleys are taking the brunt of Dominions greed and inaction. The
challenged in court and ruled to be
CONTACT INFO:
ACP will tear through generations
unconstitutional). The BoCC gave
calvertcitizens.org
of family homes and history, will
Dominion a 42 percent tax break.
or on Facebook at Calvert
increase the likelihood of soil and
They were convinced that the tax
Citizens for a Healthy Community
water contamination and gas exmoney would fix their budget
calvertchc@gmail.com
plosions, and will accelerate exdeficit, and the local jobs would
treme greenhouse gas emissions.
be a boon to county residents.
Likewise, coastal communities in
In spite of CCHC members tes- Richmond
Norfolk, Virginia Beach and the
tifying 20 times at weekly public Resistance
Eastern Shore are second only to
comment sessions, there is still no From its press release
updated safety study. The local au- ON THE EARLY MORNING of February Louisiana in vulnerability to sea
thorities say that we should trust 23, a group of more than 50 local level rise, and now may face the adDominions self-reporting and and regional Virginia activists oper- ditional threat of offshore oil and
FERCs safety oversight, but Do- ating as Richmond Resistance con- gas drilling.
Virginia will play a critical role
minion was just fined $365,000 by verged on Dominions trading
the EPA for multiple releases of headquarters to oppose the At- in fighting climate disruption and
ammonia that went unreported for lantic Coast Pipeline and blockade building strong, sustainable coma long time. How can we trust the selling of our future. Activists munities for our futures. For that
them?
held the space for more than three reason, we are all climate protecDominion wants us to think that hours with banners, flag waving, tors. Richmond Resistance stands
exporting is as simple as flipping a climbers hanging from a bridge, in solidarity with all those opposed
switch to turn from import to ex- theatrical puppets and street block- to extreme energy infrastructure,
port. But its a $3.8 billion invest- ades. Ten people were arrested: including the proposed ACP and
ment. The company will build a nine with traffic citations for block- the Cove Point LNG export termiliquefaction train and gas refinery, ing the roadway and one for disor- nal. Their intent is to expose
Dominions corrupt influence on
which will create air pollution and derly conduct.
carry the risk of exploVirginia energy policy,
sions.
protect frontline comCCHC held weekly
munities from further
meetings in 2014 to share
dirty fossil fuel expanresearch and strategize.
sion and push for
Starting in 2015, meetings
zero-emission reneware held every two weeks
able energy in the
Commonwealth of Virand feature speakers,
which have included the
ginia.
captain of the Calvert
Heres a great local
County Sheriffs Special
TV news story about
Operations Team, nationthe action:
ally renowned attorneys to
discuss nuisance lawsuits,
http://wtvr.com/2015/02/
and other experts. We
23/demonstrators-createhave written letters to the
blockade-downtown-ineditor, spoken at every
protest-of-atlantic-coasthearing, submitted written Six Cove Point defenders scale a dirt hill at Dominion's construction
pipeline/
testimony, attended rallies, site and are arrested.
NEWS BYTES
FINDING AN ALLY
IN THE AG
NEWLY ELECTED Maryland Attorney
General Brian Frosh entered the
fight over hydraulic fracturing in
Maryland on February 25, urging
state lawmakers to pass a bill with
liability standards so tough that
critics and some supporters consider it a de facto fracking ban. The
moratorium on fracking imposed
by former Governor Martin OMalley ended before he left office in
January, and the current governor,
Larry Hogan, has not said whether
he would go forward with the regulations as written. But he has said
that he believes fracking can be
done safely and would bring jobs to
economically depressed Western
Maryland. Most previous attempts
at a ban have been blocked in the
Senates Education, Health and
Environmental Affairs committee
by its chairwoman, Democratic
Sen. Joan Carter Conway of Baltimore.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/
green/blog/bs-md-frosh-fracking20150225-story.html
FERCUS