A Guide to the Friends of Nelson Record of the Western and Central Virginia Resistance to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, 2014-2021 Friends of Nelson Record of the Western and Central Virginia Resistance to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, 2014-2021 53723

A Guide to the Friends of Nelson Record of the Western and Central Virginia Resistance to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, 2014-2021

A Collection in
the Library of Virginia
Accession number 53723


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© 2023 By The Library of Virginia. All Rights Reserved.

Processed by: Trenton Hizer

Repository
Library of Virginia
Accession number
53723
Title
Friends of Nelson Record of the Western and Central Virginia Resistance to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, 2014-2021
Physical Characteristics
7.3 cubic feet (12 boxes and 3 folders) .
Creator
Friends of Nelson
Location
Library of Virginia
Language
English

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Friends of Nelson (Nelson County, Va.) record of the Western and Central Virginia Resistance to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, 2014-2021. Accession 53723. Organization records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Gift of the Friends of Nelson, Nelson County.

Processing Information

Currently, catalog record and finding aid refer only to the paper collection of the Friends of Nelson.

Historical Information

Friends of Nelson (FON) was formed in June 2014 in response to the plans of Dominion Energy, Inc., to construct a pipeline routed through West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina. From 2014 until 2020, the Friends of Nelson and allied organizations used a wide variety of activities and actions to oppose the pipeline. On 5 July 2020, Dominion and Duke Energy cancelled the Atlantic Coast Pipeline project.

Scope and Content

Records, 2014-2021, of the Friends of Nelson, an organization located in Nelson County, Virginia, documenting western and central Virginia resistance to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) project planned by Dominion Energy, Inc., and Duke Energy Corporation. Papers include announcements, appendices, articles, brochures, correspondence, court records, graphics, maps, notes, petitions, publications, reports, signs, and other documents. Records of other organizations opposing the ACP are included in the collection.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged

Series I: Dominion, 2014-2018; Series II: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 2015-2021; Series III: U.S. Forest Service, 2014-2016; Series IV: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, 2017-2019 Series V: Augusta County, 2014-2018; Series VI: Buckingham County, 2014-2019 Series VII: Nelson County, 2014-2021 Series VIII: Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance (ABRA) Series IX: Arts and Activism Series X: Community Groups Series XI: Easements Series XII: Economics Series XIII: Eminent Domain Series XIV: Environmental Impact Series XV: Environmental Justice Series XVI: Events Series XVII: Historic Resources Series XVIII: Legal Series XIX: Letters to Agencies and Officials Series XX: Man Camps Series XXI: Maps Series XXII: News Media Series XXIII: Other Pipelines Series XXIV: Photographs Series XXV: Pipes, Pipe Yards, and Storage Areas Series XXVI: Safety and Public Health Series XXVII: Surveys Series XXVIII: Oversize

Contents List

Box 1 Folder 0
Finding Aid
Series I: Dominion 2014-2018
Box 1

In late May 2014, landowners in western and central Virignia received letters from Dominion about a new pipeline. Initially called the Southeast Reliability Project, the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline LLC (ACP) was a project of Dominion Energy, Inc., and Duke Energy, Corporation. The ACP was a proposed 48 inch, 1400 psi pipeline intended to bring fracked natural gas from the Marcellus Shale Fields in West Virginia through West Virginia, then southeast into Virginia (including Highland, Bath, Augusta, Nelson, and Buckingham Counties) into North Carolina, to an originally planned terminus near Lumberton, NC. After delays brought about by intense opposition to the ACP and by its ballooning cost, Dominion and Duke announced cancellation of the proposed project on 5 July 2020.

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Series II: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 2015-2021
Boxes 1-2

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is an independent federal agency that regulates the interstate transmission of natural gas, oil, and electricity. FERC also regulates natural gas and hydropower projects, issues documents and rulings related to projects under consideration, as well as requesting information from the proposers. Beginning in 2014, FERC held several hearings on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. FERC also solicited written comments by citizens and groups on the initial docket number PF15-6, and then on the permanent docket number CP15-554.

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Series III: U.S. Forestry Service 2014-2016
Box 2

This series contains documents about the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) rout the the U.S. Forest Service's George Washington and Monongahela National Forests, as well as the effects of the ACP on sensitive resources in the National Forests.

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Series IV: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality 2017-2019
Box 2

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality oversees both the Water Control Board and the Air Pollution Control Board, both of which held hearing and discussions on state permits required by the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.

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Series V: Augusta County, 2014-2018
Box 2

This series includes materials on resistance to the pipeline in Augusta County, gathered primarily by Nancy Sorrells of the Augusta County Alliance.

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Series VI: Buckingham County, 2014-2019
Box 2

This series includes materials on resistance to the pipeline in Buckingham County.

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Series VII: Nelson County, 2014-2022
Box 3

This series includes materials on resistance to the pipeline in Nelson County, primarily the Friends of Nelson.

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Series VIII: Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance (ABRA), 2014-2022
Box 3

Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance (ABRA), formed in response to the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline, is a coalition of conservation organizations dedicated to promoting and protecting the environmental integrity of the Allegheny-Blue Ridge region, which encompasses the Central Appalachian Highlands area of Virginia and West Virginia. The formation of ABRA was announced in a press release on 8 September 2014.

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Series IX: Arts and Activism
Box 3

Numerous artists and musicians contributed their talents to the fight against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. This series includes samples of work by some of the artists.

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Series X: Community groups, 2013-2018
Boxes 4-5

This series includes documents from groups and organizations that, in various ways and at various times, both formally and informally, participated in the fight against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, including one folder of miscellaneous materials and publications from other organizations. This is by no means a complete listing, nor is the material included here a complete set of materials from the entities represented.

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Series XI: Easements, 2014-2021
Box 5

Theis series includes general material on easements, including pointers for landowners considering easement terms and agreements, signed easement agreements, lists of easement agreements copied at the Augusta County Courthouse, and correspondence on easements. Also see the Eminent Domain series below.

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Series XII: Economics, 2015-2016
Box 5

This series includes summaries and reports regarding the economic costs and impact of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.

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Series XIII: Eminent Domain, 2014-2015
Box 5

Natural gase companies seeking to build a pipeline in the United States must apply for a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. If landowners will not sign easements, the certificate allows the company to assert eminent domain in court. File includes materials from eminent domain lawyers. See the Easement series above.

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Series XIV: Environmental Impact, 2014-2020
Box 5

This series includes materials related to the various citizen, group, and agency efforts to demonstrate the environmental impacts and damages that the Atlantic Coast Pipeline would cause. It includes things specific to individual counties, e.g. the floodplain zoning ordincance in Nelson County, the well study in Buckingham County, karst in Augusta County. See also the Pipeline Education Group tabling materials in the Community Groups series, tabling materials in the Nelson County Series-Friends of Nelson subseries, and the Oversize series for posters used in tabling.

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Series XV: Environmental Justice, 2015-2018
Box 6

Dominion's siting of a compressor station in Union Hill (Buckingham County, Va.), which is a majority African American community, immediately met resistance as a matter of environmental justice. This series includes both Dominion documents and local research to counter Dominion claims.

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Series XVI: Events, 2018-2021
Box 6

Numerous meetings, protests, educational events, concerts, training sessions, lobbying events, and other events took place between June 2014 and the July 2021 celebration of the July 2020 cancellation of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, sponsored by many different individuals and groups.

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Series XVII: Historic Resources, 2015-2027
Box 6

Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) requires federal agencies to consider the effects on historic properties of projects they carry out, assist, fund, permit, license, or approve. Thus, as part of its Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) application process, Dominion was required to survey historic and archaeological resources on the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline route. Under the Section 106 process, organiztaions such as historical societies could become consulting parties in order to ensure that cultural resources, including historical structures and archaeological resources were properly surveyed and protected. Surveys often required mitigation efforts, and consulting parties could review and request revision of plans and documents related to the mitigation process. Because FERC did not follow Section 106 requirements, it was two years before the Augusta and Nelson historical societies were abl to get their respective Boards of Supervisors to request and get consulting party status. Included here are materials on historic, archaeological, and cultural resources relevant to locales in the region.

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Series XVIII: Legal, 2014-2017
Boxes 7-8

This series includes legal filings, briefs, and other documents opposing the Atlantic Coast Pipelin, as well as commentary on legal matters.

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Series XIX: Letters to Agencies and Officials, 2014-2019
Box 8

This series includes letters on issues related to the pipeline from citizens and groups, sent to various agencies, e.g. U.S. Forest Service, or to elected officials. See also letters from citizens and groups in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) series; the Dominion series; and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quailty series.

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Series XX: Man Camps, 2017-2018
Box 8

There was concern in communities on and near the pipeline route that if construction started, many local campgrounds would become family-unfriendly "man camps ". This series includes materials on two campground applications to the Buckingham County Planning Commission.

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Series XXI: Maps
Boxes 8-9

The non-Dominion maps of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline route with the logos of the Augusta County Alliance, Shenandoah Valley Network, and the Piedmond Environmental Council (PEC) were created for the Alliance and the Network to show things that the Dominion maps (since removed from the Dominion website) did not include on their maps, including parcel lines.

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Series XXII: News Media, 2014-2021
Boxes 9-10

Press coverage on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) and the fight against it gathered and donated by various people, collected here in chronological order.

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Series XXIII: Other Pipelines, 2015
Box 11

This series contains materials on pipelines other than the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP), retained either because issues and activities were relevant to the ACP or because Dominion often cited them as models of its safe construction and operation practices.

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Series XXIV: Photographs, 2014-2020
Box 11

This series contains an index of photographs taken by Eleanor Amidon.

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Series XXV: Pipes, Pipe Yards, and Storage
Box 11

This series includes information on the coating of pipes and on their storage.

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Series XXVI: Safety and Public Health, 2014-2015
Box 11

In letters to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and other agencies and officials, as well as in public relations and tabling materials, citizens and groups raised concerns about the blast radius for a potential pipeline failure, about safety issues related to blasting during pipeline construction, as well as about public health issues related to the pipeline.

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Series XXVII: Surveys, 2014-2015
Box 11

This series includes materials from landowners on their resistance to Dominion's efforts to survey land along the proposed route of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. There is correspondence from Dominion, from landowners, from landowner lawyers, and from Dominion lawyers, as well as general materials about the surveys and about landowner rights.

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Series XXVIII: Oversize materials
Box and Oversize Folders 12 and 1-6

This series includes yard signs, informational display boards used in tabling, banners used for tabling and demonstrations, and one reusable shopping bag.

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