As Dominion Cancels ACP and Sells off Fracked Gas Holdings, Virginia Must Turn to a Clean Energy Future by Rejecting Larger Fracked Gas Plan

Richmond, VA -- Dominion Energy and Duke Energy announced yesterday they will abandon the hugely controversial Atlantic Coast Pipeline project, and Dominion will sell its other fracked gas holdings. This comes after years of opposition from environmental justice advocates, who played a large part in successfully delaying the 600-mile pipeline project. 

The move to abandon the project comes only months after Dominion submitted a deeply flawed   Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for approval by state officials that relies heavily on fracked gas projects like the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, and potential new gas plants, to power Virginia. 

In response, Food & Water Action Southern Region Director Jorge Aguilar has issued the following statement: 

“The demise of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline project is cause for celebration for the communities across Virginia and Appalachia who fought to successfully stave off a polluting fossil fuel infrastructure project. However, this decision on the part of Dominion, both to cancel the ACP and sell off fracked gas holdings, reminds us that we still have work to do in building the equitable clean energy future that Virginia deserves.

“Given the news about the demise of the ACP, Governor Northam and the SCC must move swiftly now to reject Dominion’s recently-submitted IRP plan for Virginia to rely heavily on fracked gas in the coming decades. If we are to stave off the worst impacts of climate change, the goal should be to cancel all new fossil fuel projects in Virginia and ensure the state is investing in renewable energy production that will guarantee clean air and water for Virginia communities. 

“This decision speaks to the years of organizing and mounting public pressure against the dreaded ACP project. We will continue working with the growing anti-pipeline and environmental justice movement to also cancel the Mountain Valley Pipeline and to push for legislation that will stop the buildout of any new fossil fuel projects in the state.”