Atlantic Coast Pipeline team on biggest project 'misconception'

Triangle Business Journal
by Lauren Ohnesorge

RALEIGH/DURHAM, N.C. — This week, the energy giants behind the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline, embark on a road show.

They’ll present seven of what they’re calling “construction expos” across the proposed 550-mile route – including in eastern North Carolina, says Aaron Ruby, the Dominion Energy spokesman for the project. The goal? Both transparency and contractor introductions. With the project expected to mean up to 4,400 construction jobs in North Carolina alone, organizers want to get ready so they can hit the ground running should they get permit approval – something that could happen next year, he says.

Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas and Dominion Resources are building a 550-mile natural gas pipeline into North Carolina.

While developers are celebrating the project - Chris Johnson, economic development director for Johnston County, says he hopes increased natural gas access from the pipeline will lure manufacturing companies to eastern North Carolina- environmental concerns have resulted in online petitions. And unrelated protests in South Dakota over an oil pipeline have brought more visibility to pipeline construction.

Ruby says there are a lot of misconceptions - the biggest being the errant belief that Atlantic Coast Pipeline is "taking" private property.

During construction in North Carolina, pipeline crews would need to access a 110-foot-wide area of space, he says. After the three or four months it takes to build out the pipeline, however, the permanent right of way would be reduced to just 50 feet.

“Landowners will always retain ownership of the property,” he repeats. “You just can’t plant trees on the right of ways and you can’t build structures.”

Of the approximate 2,900 landowners impacted by the project, 1,000 are in North Carolina, including Johnston County, which voted to approve a tentative easement Monday. In all, more than half of the landowner permissions have been obtained, Ruby says.

Over the past year, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline team has been “comprehensively” studying the route, he says. Already, the team has made more than 300 route adjustments, based on everything from environmental concerns to landowner issues.

If all goes well, the project would get final federal approval next fall. The time line has initial construction starting in November of 2017, starting with site preparation. The construction of the pipeline itself happens through 2019, with Northampton, Halifax, Nash, Robeson and Cumberland counties targeted for February of 2018 and additional parcels in Northampton, Nash, Wilson, Johnston, Sampson and Cumberland counties happening in February of 2019.

“We’re looking at an 18 to 24 month construction process,” he says, adding that the pipeline could be operational in 2019.

If all goes well, the pipeline will be underground, from West Virginia to Robeson County, North Carolina, covered by between three to five feet of soil cover.

“You won’t even know it’s there,” Ruby predicts.

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is a collaboration of subsidiaries of Dominion Resources, Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas and Virginia Natural Gas parent AGL Resources.