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FERC sets timeline for environmental review of the ACP

8/13/2016

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PictureThe ACP could pass through the National Forest over Hankey Mountain - just outside the proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area. Photo by Lynn Cameron
On August 12, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) set a timeline for completion of the environmental review for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline:
  • December 2016 - Issuance of the draft EIS 
  • June 30, 2017 - Issuance of Notice of Availability of the final EIS
  • September 28, 2017 - Final decision - approval or disapproval of the ACP
This schedule is not set in stone; it depends on the draft EIS being completed this December.  If the process stays on track and if FERC approves Dominion's application, construction could begin as early as October 2017.

The proposed route through the Deerfield Valley and West Augusta crosses Ramseys Draft stream, Scenic Rt. 250, Braley Pond access road, and the Calfpasture River.  It then follows Dowells Draft forest road and crosses Hankey Mountain through undisturbed forest.  Rt. 250 serves as a major scenic gateway to our proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area.  The permanent 75-foot-wide clearing across National Forest land on the southeastern perimeter of the SMNSA would diminish the scenic qualities of this outstanding natural area, provide a pathway for non-native invasive species, and provide access for illegal use by ATVs.  The 42-inch pipeline would pass close by the popular Braley Pond Recreation Area, posing a safety hazard to hikers, hunters, fishermen, mountain bikers, campers.

​The single best action you can take it to let the Forest Service know you object to the ACP slicing a broad swath through our National Forests.  The contact person for both the George Washington and Monongahela National Forests is:

          Clyde Thompson, Forest Supervisor
​          Monongahela National Forest

          200 Sycamore Street
          Elkins, WV 26241

Picture
Braley Pond, a popular recreation area on the edge of our proposed SMNSA. The pipeline would cut across the access road 1/3 mile from the picnic area and campground, Photo by Lynn Cameron
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Contact Friends of Shenandoah Mountain
info@friendsofshenandoahmountain.org
5653 Beards Ford Rd.
Mt. Crawford, VA 22841
(540) 234-6273