The Richmond Times-Dispatch
by Jerry Baldwin

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

The recent letter, “Atlantic Coast Pipeline is unnecessary and dangerous,” from Jessica Sims that ran in response to your editorial “Time to move forward on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline” appears to be ill-informed on the project. Dominion has made it clear that it looks forward to working with the Department of Environmental Quality to meet the standards required for all the bodies of water the project will be crossing. The projects come with many regulations that must be met to move forward.

Also, the letter-writer either mistakenly or purposefully claims Dominion has the authority and ability to “reverse of the flow of the existing Transco Pipeline.” Other than the fact that Transco is run by an entirely different company, where would this “reverse flow” of natural gas come from? The existing pipeline currently delivers natural gas to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast from the Gulf Coast. The Atlantic Coast Pipeline will be tapping into a network of pipelines already owned by Dominion to bring natural gas from an entirely different area to Virginia and North Carolina.

Finally, Sim claims this natural gas will be for export. More than 90 percent of the pipeline’s capacity has already been sold to natural gas providers in Virginia and North Carolina. Hampton Roads has a dire need for additional supplies of natural gas, and eastern North Carolina has no existing pipeline infrastructure. The Atlantic Coast Pipeline will help provide this much-needed American energy source.

Jerry Baldwin
Midlothian

Read the full letter to the editor in the Richmond Times-Dispatch