Dreaded Atlantic Coast Pipeline Application Filed on 9/18/15

Dominion Resouces and its partners filed an application with FERC on Sept. 18 to build the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.  The proposed ACP route crosses Shenandoah Mountain south of Rt. 250 through Cow Knob Salamander habitat and then passes through the corner of our proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area near Ramseys Draft Wilderness and Braley Pond.    The pipeline threatens the scenic beauty, wildlife habitat, and recreational resources that make Shenandoah Mountain such an excellent candidate for Congressional designation.  The Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area proposal has been endorsed by over 230 businesses, organizations, and faith groups and has been recommended by the GWNF in its new plan.

The Cow Knob Salamander is a sticky issue for the ACP.  Its habitat is protected by a Conservation Agreement signed in 1994 by the USFS and US Fish & Wildlife.  GWNF Forest Supervisor Tom Speaks sent a letter to FERC on Sept. 17 asserting that the ACP is not in compliance with the Conservation Agreement for this species which is "at high risk for extinction or extirpation."  Supervisor Speaks added that "project effects on Cow Knob and Cheat Mountain salamanders must be avoided and cannot be mitigated."  

• Read GW Supervisor Tom Speaks' letter to FERC.  
  
• Read about the Cow Knob Salamander:  Potential Impact of the ACP

Many thanks to Eastern Mennonite University conservation photography students who partnered with Friends of Shenandoah Mountain in Oct. 2014 to photograph the Cow Knob Salamander in the path of the pipeline. Their photographs provide undeniable evidence of the existence of these rare creatures along the pipeline route.  See some of their photos.

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