On Monday night, more than 150 people packed into the Buckingham County Board of Supervisors’ monthly meeting. Most were there to voice their objection to the compressor station being sought as part of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
Dominion Power is asking Buckingham County for a special use permit to install a station that would compress the natural gas as it flows through the proposed pipeline from the fracking fields of West Virginia to utility customers in North Carolina.
Last month, over much objection, the Buckingham County Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend the permit’s approval. The Board of Supervisors will make the ultimate decision. The station would bring the county nearly $9 million in tax revenue over 8 years.
On Monday night, more than a dozen area residents spoke out against the health and environmental pitfalls that a compressor station could bring.
Paul Wilson is a pastor at the nearby Union Hill Baptist Church. In October, Wilson was arrested in Richmond after protesting in front of the governor’s mansion. Gov. Terry McAuliffe supports the pipeline’s construction.
PAUL WILSON: Every county, city, town and state needs money. I need money, my church needs money. But I sure wouldn’t sell my soul to gain the whole world, just for money. So I would like to suggest to you that you be careful of who you go to bed with
Supervisors voted on Monday to hold a public hearing on the issue in three weeks, on Thursday, January 5th at 6 p.m.