Overview of Roanoke Group Actions

Current Involvements of Roanoke Group, Sierra Club

• Mountain Valley Pipeline – By far, the biggest threat ever. Though the negative impacts are numerous, the following are some of the greatest environmental threats.

MVP is a radical expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure when we know if higher life is to have a future, it will be due to a rapid, robust transition to renewable energy, primarily wind and solar. Just the promise of cheap, abundant natural gas for electrical generation slows this transition.

Natural gas is 98% methane, over 20 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2. You can’t see, or smell it, and the explosive nature of modern fracking includes a lot of leakage, making it no “cleaner” than coal when you consider greenhouse impact.

Never has anyone attempted to cross terrain like the spine of the Appalachians with anything close, in size, to the 42” MVP. Steep slopes, hundreds of waterways and areas of karst topography make this impossible to do without disruption of fresh water sources rural folks depend upon. Erosion and sedimentation are having unacceptable impact on streams and rivers, some of which municipalities depend upon for water, and all being habitat for a wide variety of life forms, some endangered.

N.G. is a gas, not liquid, so it is compressible and is shipped at 1400 pounds per square inch. An event of great enough force to rupture the pipe will, very likely cause a spark, creating an explosion of staggering proportions. Safety and fire concerns are enough alone to make this project unacceptable.

• Rocky Forge Wind – Apex Clean Energy of Charlottesville, is prepared to build Virginia’s first wind farm. The complicated permit process was begun in mid-2014, and on March 2, 2017, DEQ issued the final permit. All was in place except a buyer for the power. No buyer, no shovels... On Oct. 18, 2019, Gov. Northam announced the Commonwealth will buy the power. Due to advances in technology, Apex needed to amend permits from Botetourt County, and the DEQ, but a local slowdown has delayed a go-ahead.

Virginia is one of 9 states with no utility-scale wind. West Virginia has 6 wind farms, one visible from Virginia, and one with a capacity of 268 MW. Wow...

• RAIL Solution – For anyone who drives I-81, agreement is unanimous: too many trucks. Virginia is now considering spending billions to “improve” I-81, and we will still have too many trucks. Months ago, we endorsed R.S., the proposal whereby Virginia thru-trucks (about 50% to 60% of total semi traffic) would be put on especially designed trains, with cars for drivers. Expensive? Yes, facilities in Knoxville and Harrisburg for loading and off-loading, double tracking the single-track rail line, and addressing the single-track bridge over the Potomac would be expensive. But, adding interstate lanes costs about 20 million dollars a mile for both directions. WHEW... and a lane takes 50 ft. An additional rail line needs about 12 ft. and would cost way less than interstate lanes. What is lacking is an in-depth study of rail options, public awareness and political will.