As a native of southwest Virginia, I have been watching the fierce opposition to the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley Pipelines with amazement and pride. With little shale gas reserves, Virginia has remained relatively untouched by the fracking bonanza so far. Many states on the East Coast have quickly succumbed to the siren song of “jobs and tax revenue” promised by the gas companies fracking the Marcellus Shale.
Likewise, pipeline companies try to sell the same bill of goods to the gullible. Conservative Virginia is largely pro-business and pro-industry, suspicious of liberal environmentalists. Dominion’s big bucks have got all the state’s politicians in its pockets. It would make sense if these new fracked gas pipelines were met with little resistance.
But Virginians are no pushovers. Hundreds of landowners have been unwilling to let Dominion survey their land for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. By playing hardball and filing suit against them to get access to their land, Dominion revealed just how much it needs to get this $5 billion project done. It has also got people’s backs up.
Rural Virginians have a strong attachment to their native mountains, valleys, streams and hills. These pipeline battles are uniting environmentalists and conservative Virginians in a commonsense alliance.
Against your lawyers, your lackeys, your money and your lies, my neighbors and I will take a stand. You might win, but we’ll fight to save our land. We won’t quit! We’ll fight to save our land!
–“No Dominion Over Me,” Gene and Gayla Mills
Well, these Richmond operators don’t care about you and me
They just want to make a killing when they got more than they need
And you can bet they’re safe in their houses so fine, far far away from their pipelineWe don’t want your pipeline, we don’t want your pipeline
We’ll take the sunshine, the water, and wind
We’re gonna put a stop sign on Dominion’s pipeline
Go tell your neighbors! Go tell your friends!–“We Don’t Want Your Pipeline,” Robin and Linda Williams