On July, 5, 2020, Dominion Energy and Duke Energy announced that they are canceling the $8 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) Senior Attorney Greg Buppert issued the following statement:
“This is a victory for all the communities that were in the path of this risky and unnecessary project. The Atlantic Coast Pipeline was wrong from the start. After years of opposition, legal defeats and threats to the environment, SELC is relieved to see Duke and Dominion make the right decision to walk away from it.
“This is a great day for the people of Union Hill, for public lands, for landowners in the path, and for all North Carolinians and Virginians who deserve a clean energy future and are no longer on the hook to pay for this $8 billion pipeline.
“Over the last six years, SELC has been honored to represent a dedicated and tireless group of conservation organizations opposed to the pipeline: Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley, Cowpasture River Preservation Association, Defenders of Wildlife, Friends of Buckingham, Friends of Nelson, Jackson River Preservation Association, Highlanders for Responsible Development, Piedmont Environmental Council, Potomac Riverkeeper, Inc., Shenandoah Riverkeeper, Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, Sierra Club, Sound Rivers, Inc., Virginia Wilderness Committee, and Winyah Rivers Foundation. Today’s outcome would not be possible without their energy and commitment.”
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper made the following statement after Atlantic Coast Pipeline owners announced the project cancellation:
“This decision and the changing energy landscape should lead to cleaner and more reliable energy generation in North Carolina. Our Clean Energy Plan provides an excellent framework and stakeholder process for renewable energy moving forward.”
Said Jim Warren, Executive Director for Durham, NC-based nonprofit NC WARN:
“We hope the cancellation of the ACP will soon be followed by a move by both of these corporations to stop building gas-fired generation, and to begin replacing all existing coal and gas-fired power with the cheaper, more reliable approach: renewables matched with storage and energy-saving and balancing programs.
Sources: Southern Environmental Law Center, NC Office of the Governor, NC WARN
