North Carolina Landowners Fight Atlantic Coast Pipeline Invasion During Pandemic

We will be blogging individual articles from The League Line, our quarterly newsletter

Spring 2020 issue: http://bredl.org/theleagueline/Spring2020.pdf
Index to this and other issues: http://bredl.org/theleagueline/index.htm

On Friday afternoon,  March 27, 2020, Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League’s (BREDL) attorney Cathy Cralle-Jones received a phone call from an Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP)  attorney requesting that an out-of-state real estate appraiser be given permission to visit several Eastern North Carolina properties---on Monday, March 30^th. BREDL, and the landowners refused to allow this.

Incredibly, ACP offered to have their appraisers use PPE (personal protective equipment) so desperately needed by our health care providers, first responders, and other essential services. Perhaps ACP and their representatives should donate their supply to their local health care providers and first responders.

Ms. Cralle-Jones said: The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is continuing to push condemnation proceedings in North Carolina even though the FERC route in Virginia has been stopped by the 4th Circuit and is pending decision by the Supreme Court of the United States.  As a part of those proceedings, ACP is seeking to have appraisers travel across several state lines in order to enter onto private property so they can conduct their appraisals to support their court testimony and unbelievable conclusion of no impact to any areas outside the pipeline easement.  This is risky, inappropriate and unnecessary pipeline intrusion onto private property that must stop.  

This flagrant attempt by ACP to take advantage of the dire circumstances that communities across North Carolina are facing is appalling and must be stopped. This action also demonstrates exactly how much care and concern ACP has for the communities they are forcing the pipeline through. Governors in the three states (North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia) impacted by the Atlantic Coast Pipeline should act immediately, and tell ACP, as they are telling thousands of other businesses and residents, to Stay Home.

Landowners in North Carolina and Virginia that are facing the same or similar tactics by Dominion/Duke Energy’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline, please contact BREDL: Sharon Ponton ponton913@msn.com (Virginia) or Therese Vick therese.vick@gmail.com  (North Carolina)