Good afternoon Senators, and Delegates. Thank you for taking the time to be here today.
I’m Chris. I’ve lived in Loudoun practically my entire life.
I’m extremely concerned about Virginia’s energy future, and numerous threats to the environment. Virginia ranks 37th in the county in renewable energy, at only 10.54% according to the US Department of Energy. Dominion Energy engages in PR campaigns that make it look like it is investing in solar, which would be great if it were true, but the numbers just don’t bear that out. Instead, Dominion plans to build a 42inch gas pipeline that has been condemned by every environmental group I can think of. Amanda and I have been to some of these pipeline counties in Virginia and talked to folks that would be directly affected, and I’m convinced that what’s goin on in Virginia is a far cry from justice. Imagine if you suddenly had to decide your families future where your options are something like taking a 50% hit to your property value, or living in the blast zone of a 42inch gas pipe. These things frequently explode. There were pipeline explosions in the US on November 20th in Oakland County Michigan, December 5th in Dixon IL, and December 6th near Carlsbad NM. The Dixon one killed two people, and I’m sure there have been more explosions since those. These things are dangerous, and that’s before we get to the climate impact as building these two pipelines would at least double the greenhouse gas emissions of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
I ask all of you to do what you can to stop these projects. Senator Kaine has been speaking out about the FERC approval of MVP and ACP and called it “very suspicious circumstances”, and suggested that (and I’m quoting here) “If you are active about this, please do not stop your activism.” Senator Kaine has asked the commission to grant new hearings for the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast pipeline projects, and were that to happen it would at least be a helpful delay.
We have to also make certain that offshore oil drilling is prevented. The Atlantic Ocean must not have a spill like we saw in 2010 at the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico. Spills like that aren’t really fixable. They are tragedies that threaten the livability of the planet that future generations inherit. Virginia must shift to renewable energy as aggressively as possible. That’s what I ask each of you to work on, and I hope to support you as you do.
Thank you again for your time today, and everything that you do for Loudoun County and Virginia.
