The environmental public interest law firm, Southern Environmental Law Center, has uncovered another “gift” that the Governor Terry McAuliffe Administration gave Dominion Energy CEO Tom Farrell as Terry was walking out the door.
At Dominion Energy’s request, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VAGIF) actually weakened water standards for several sensitive rivers and streams that the Atlantic Coast Pipeline would cross. Among the rivers for which VAGIF weakened protections is the Cowpasture River, one of Virginia’s cleanest and most pristine rivers according to the Cowpasture River Preservation Association.
You can read SELC’s statement here for details.
The main takeaway is that Governor Ralph Northam has an opportunity to take tangible action to protect the environment from these pipelines: He can reverse McAuliffe’s chicanery and restore the protections that previously applied to these sensitive rivers and streams.
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