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Buckingham Approves Pipeline Component, Against Opposition

Jordy Yager

The Buckingham County Board of Supervisors voted late Thursday night to approve a compressor station as part of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.  WMRA’s Jordy Yager reports.

The vote approved a special use permit for Dominion Power, allowing it to build and maintain a station on 68 acres in Buckingham that would compress natural gas as it flows through the proposed pipeline from the fracking fields of West Virginia to utility customers in North Carolina.

The vote came on the heels of a lengthy 4-hour public hearing. More than 150 people packed into Thursday’s meeting, with 95 of them signing up to speak. The majority were opposed to the compressor station and the pipeline, citing health and environmental concerns.

Ella Rose moved to Buckingham from Nelson County five years ago. Her home is the closest to the proposed compressor station.

ELLA ROSE: Our lives should not be sacrificed. Our lives count and are dependent on you to make a decision that favors life and not financial interests. Most especially Dominion’s financial interest. Thank you.

The compressor station is expected to bring the county nearly $9 million in tax revenue over the first eight years. 36-year old Jared Turner from New Canton helps build power stations in the state, and said natural gas is the way of the future.

JARED TURNER: Furthermore, when a corporate giant like Dominion or any other corporate giant sets out to do something, they’re going to make it happen, one way or the other. Why not let Buckingham reap the financial benefits, instead of passing it on to another county?

Federal approval of the pipeline is still pending.

Jordy Yager was a freelance reporter for WMRA from 2015 - 2019.