Hampton Roads natural gas pipeline expansion plan approved by regulators despite opposition - The Virginian-Pilot

Hampton Roads natural gas pipeline expansion plan approved by regulators despite opposition - The Virginian-Pilot

A plan to double the size of a natural gas pipeline in Hampton Roads now has approval from regulators despite opposition from environmental groups.

The expansion, called the Virginia Reliability Project, would dig up, replace and double the size of two sections, or about 48 miles, of Columbia Gas pipeline between Chesapeake and Petersburg.

A spokesperson for developer TC Energy said the project will expand the at-capacity natural gas supply in Hampton Roads to meet increased customer demand. Canada-based TC Energy acquired the Columbia Gas Transmission system extending from New York to the Midwest and Southeast in 2016.

“The Virginia Reliability Project will make energy more reliable and contribute to affordable energy prices for residents and businesses in the Hampton Roads region,” spokesperson Austin Staton said in an emailed response.

The company said the project will provide a large one-time boost to the regional economy. According to economic analysis from TC Energy, the construction phase of the project would support 3,635 jobs, more than $500 million in economic output, $7.7 million in local tax revenue and $8.6 million in state tax revenue.

The project would also upgrade natural gas compressor stations in Petersburg and Emporia.

TC Energy said the project would help get a Dominion Energy wind farm up and running. Staton said the project could help supply energy to the planned 176-turbine project off the coast of Virginia Beach. Additionally, he noted manufacturing companies, like those that make wind turbines, traditionally are the first to be cut off by inadequate supplies of natural gas.

Federal, state and local regulators have signed off on the project. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the project in November. The Chesapeake Planning Commission, in a 7-1 vote, recommended the city’s portion of the project be approved earlier in December. Finally, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission issued a water permit for the project Dec. 5.

Environmental groups opposed to the project say the pipeline would cut through several miles of the Great Dismal Swamp and run by several schools. Additionally, they expressed environmental justice concerns about the low-income communities along the route.

Charles Brown, Hampton Roads organizer for Chesapeake Climate Action Network, said the actions showed a “lack of consideration overall for the environment but also for people in communities that would be directly impacted by this project.”

Opponents said TC Energy didn’t do enough community outreach to tell residents about the project. Brown said the network learned through its outreach that many residents who lived near the pipeline had no knowledge of the expansion plans.

In a response, Staton said the company canvassed more than 3,500 residences and over 600 businesses in communities along the project route in ongoing outreach efforts. He cited a letter from the Environmental Protection Agency that applauded the company’s effort to engage with communities of environmental justice concern.

A Huffington Post investigation last year found emails that appeared to show that the company drafted letters of support for the project from local officials, including Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer and Chesapeake Mayor Rick West.

Opponents said the pipeline expansion doesn’t square with Virginia’s long-term climate goal of moving away from fossil fuels. Former Gov. Ralph Northam set a goal for the state to produce all of its energy from renewable sources by 2050. The pipeline sends those efforts in the opposite direction, said Anne Havemann, deputy director and general counsel for Chesapeake Climate Action Network, by increasing state greenhouse gas emissions by about 2%, according to a federal impact report.

“It is one thing to set a goal,” Havemann said. “It is a another thing to actually achieve that goal, and by permitting this pipeline, we are not on track to achieve that.”

The group also plans to appeal the certification from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

TC Energy plans to begin construction next year and bring the project online in November 2025.

Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com