Potential Virginia State Corporation Commission an Oil and Gas Industry Lobbyist Who Testified for Atlantic Coast, Mountain Valley Pipelines

How many stinkin’ reasons to we need NOT to have this guy appointed to fill a “highly coveted seat on the State Corporation Commission [SCC].” A month ago, I wrote about how David W. Clarke lobbies for WellCare Health Plans Inc, which “provides managed care health plans primarily through Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug plans for more than 4.4 million members across the country.”  I noted that if Clarke ends up on the powerful SCC, he will be one of a few people overseeing the regulation of health insurance plans — and likely approve double digit increases — in Virginia.

Now, we have another stinkin’ reason Clarke should not be on the SCC. Check this out:

So yeah, this guy not only represents powerful insurance and banking interests, but also powerful oil and gas interests. I mean, what could possibly go wrong with putting someone like THAT on one of the most powerful – but little known – regulatory bodies in Virginia.

But wait, you say, maybe Clarke’s views aren’t really that pro-oil-and-gas, just because he represents the oil and gas industry for lots of $$$. Well…check out the following testimony Clarke gave in 2017 on how the Mountain Valley Pipeline and Atlantic Coast Pipeline – both of which, in addition to being environmentally destructive, will cost ratepayers money and will likely end up as “stranded assets” in a few years – should be built. Note: bolding added by me for emphasis. After reading this, I encourage you to let your Delegate and State Senator know what you think about letting this guy anywhere near the Virginia SCC.

5 MS. DAVENPORT: Thank you so much. Number

6 fifteen, please, and sixteen through twenty, can you

7 come up, please?

8 MR. CLARK: Good evening, my name is David

9 Clark, I am counsel to the Virginia Oil and

10 Association, which is the trade association

11 representing all the aspects of the natural

12 gas industry in Virginia, from the production of natural

13 gas in southwest Virginia, to the transportation

14 through interstate and intrastate pipelines and

15 distribution to your homes and your businesses that

16 rely so heavily on natural gas. The Mountain Valley

17 Pipeline is a project of tremendous importance to the

18 Commonwealth and our nation. While those who wish to 19 ban the use of all fossil fuels have raised against

20 virtually every aspect of production and transporting

21 the natural gas with which this country has been

22 blessed, electric utilities, industrial users, and

23 residents are rapidly increasing the demand for this

24 abundant, cheap, and clean source of energy. This

25 demand cannot be met without new infrastructure,

DEQ Public Hearing MTN Valley Pipeline August 9, 2017 VR # 5704-3 Page 33

1 the natural gas industry are confident the DEQ can and

2 will carefully balance those interests as it completes

3 its review of this project. We urge you to strike a

4 balance that provides reasonable protection of water

5 resources without unreasonably burdening this crucial

6 project, or preventing it from moving forward. Thank

7 you.

DEQ Public Hearing ATL Coast Pipeline August 14, 2017 VR # 5704-5 Page 89

17 MR. CLARKE: Good evening, thank you for the

18 opportunity to speak to you tonight. I had the

19 privilege of speaking last week regarding the Mountain

20 Valley Pipeline, and I’m here tonight to likewise

21 support the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. My name is David

22 Clarke.

23 I am an attorney. I live in Richmond,

24 Virginia, and I am counsel to the Virginia Oil and Gas

25 Association. VOGA is the trade association

1 representing all aspects of the natural gas industry

2 in the Commonwealth, from those that work to produce

3 natural gas in southwest Virginia to those who

4 transport that through pipelines and other

5 infrastructure, to those who distribute gas to you in

6 your homes and your businesses.

7 Including, I might add, Virginia Natural

8 Gas, who is a customer or will be a customer on this

9 pipeline if successfully completed. And Virginia

10 Natural Gas has experienced situations in which they

11 have had to turn off certain interruptible customers

12 because there has been a lack of gas supply to that

13 part of the state.

14 The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is a project of

15 tremendous importance to the Commonwealth and our

16 nation. While those who wish to ban the use of all

17 fossil fuels have raised against virtually every

18 aspect of producing and transporting the natural gas

19 with which this country has been blessed, electric and

20 gas utilities, industrial users, and residents are

21 rapidly increasing the demand for this abundant,

22 affordable, and clean source of energy.

23 This demand cannot be met without new

24 infrastructure including pipelines. It’s already been

25 pointed out this evening that there are thousands of

1 miles crisscrossing the Commonwealth today of

2 pipelines. They’ve been constructed, operated, and

3 maintained safely and to the benefit of the

4 Commonwealth and its citizens.

5 The same will be true with the Atlantic

6 Coast Pipeline. I’ve been around this industry long

7 enough to have seen similar projects undertaken and

8 completed. Most, if not all of the concerns being

9 expressed about ACP were raised when those existing

10 pipelines were planned and constructed.

11 I submit to you that the only difference 

12 here is the volume of opposition, must of that the

13 result of interests wishing to stop the production and

14 use of fossil fuels. The industry respects the rights

15 and concerns of landowners who are impacted by this

16 project, as well as those who make use of the public

17 lands and waters in the surrounding areas.

18 And the industry is committed to minimizing

19 those impacts. ACP has invested significant resources

20 and time working with numerous state and federal

21 agencies as well as local governments in developing

22 plans to minimize the environmental impacts of this

23 project.

24 That work will continue. Any project of

25 this type and scale involves the balancing of

DEQ Public Hearing ATL Coast Pipeline August 14, 2017 VR # 5704-5 Page 92

1 interests. Proponents of ACP and the natural gas

2 industry are confident that DEQ can and will carefully

3 balance those interests as it completes its review of

4 this project. Thank you.

[END TESTIMONY OF DAVID CLARKE]