Richmond Times-Dispatch By Jim Kibler

Virginians are accustomed to the power of great ideas and the strong debate that surrounds them. Thomas Jefferson likened it to a good thunderstorm, clearing the air.

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a 594-mile artery that will provide low-cost, clean, American natural gas from West Virginia to Virginia and North Carolina, is a great idea that has attracted its share of debate.

The truth is, there are already more miles of gas pipeline in Virginia than interstate highways, and both of them are critical to economic expansion.

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is the next generation of crucial infrastructure that is necessary to provide Virginia with a path to economic vitality. We have a choice between doing nothing or taking actions to meet our future energy needs. Our future depends on it.

As Virginia’s oldest corporation, Virginia Natural Gas has been serving the commonwealth since 1850, when we were chartered by the General Assembly to light the streets of Norfolk.

Since then, we have grown to serve an area stretching from the Richmond suburbs to North Carolina, and we are responsible for providing the heat, hot water and energy that more than 1 million Virginians and small businesses rely upon. We have invested billions of dollars in infrastructure in order to better serve the public.

Our statewide natural gas infrastructure — like the interstate highways that serve our motorists — is so stretched that our company had to shut off more than 100 employers during the Polar Vortex several years ago to ensure enough fuel for home heating.

If any major manufacturer seeks to locate east of Richmond, there is not enough pipeline capacity to serve them on a guaranteed basis. That represents jobs we cannot add, families whose futures are less bright, and communities that cannot grow. It is not the path to a viable economic future for the nation’s birthplace.

Dominion and the other companies behind the Atlantic Coast Pipeline have designed a path for the project that maximizes the positive benefits for our communities and places strong emphasis on the environment. It is strategically designed to foster economic opportunity and to minimize impacts. It is a very good plan.

Unlike many who have taken part in this debate, we have been here — and will be here — for the long haul, investing in Virginia. Our customers should know that we have signed up for service from the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and look forward to the opportunity to invest more in our system, to welcome new customers, and to ultimately give our region the economic opportunity it deserves.

Jim Kibler is president of Virginia Natural Gas in Virginia Beach. Contact him at VNGPres@southernco.com.

Read the full OpEd from the Richmond Times Dispatch.