Richmond Times-Dispatch
Letter to the Editor
Congress should step in and authorize the ACP
Editor, Times-Dispatch:
As opponents have tried to obstruct construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, thousands of workers like myself have been forced to sit idly by waiting for the work to start again. That’s bad. What’s worse is the lawsuits and delays have made Virginia’s energy future even more uncertain and tenuous. Demand for natural gas is projected to double here in the next 20 years. The ACP addresses that very real issue, and it does so with domestically produced, cleaner burning natural gas. That’s a win for our environment, our economy and national security.
Opponents have tried to stop this project based on its crossings of the Appalachian Trail and Blue Ridge Parkway. Never mind that many roads, transmission lines and pipelines already do so. Heck, the Blue Ridge Parkway is a road itself.
The Supreme Court will have its say, and I trust the justices to get this matter right. In the interim, it Congress should step in to clear this up. The Fourth Circuit ruling actually says the pipeline needs an act of Congress to move forward. So, do that, Congress. Pass language that will authorize the National Parks Service to review rights-of-way for both the Trail and the Parkway, and let’s get the ACP finally built. We need affordable, reliable, cleaner energy. And we need it now.
Ted Dinch.
Powhatan.
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