DBEYONDSENTINEL APRIL 2015COMMUNITIES FIGHTING DOMINION ON ALL FRONTS

ALTERNATIVES ON THE HORIZON

Welcome to the Beyond Dominion Sentinel! This newsletter, to come out monthly,will summarize the struggles of communities fighting Dominion Resources fracked gas

projects whether pipelines, compressor stations, liquid natural gas (LNG)export terminals or any other dirty energy projects of this $50 billion behemoth that isrunning roughshod over all of us in one way or another. The Sentinels goal is to sharethe reality of what were up against, share information that other groups may find

useful and build a stronger grassroots opposition.

THE SENTINEL is a project of BeyondExtreme Energy, a group that cametogether in 2014 and carried out aweek of direct action at FERC, theFederal Energy Regulatory Commis-sion, in Washington, D.C., to high-light that agencys rubber-stampingof just about every fracked gas pro-posal that comes before it. Werecurrently organizing for a much big-ger action for May 21-29 in order toforce FERC to take community con-cerns as seriously as it takes corpo-rate conniving. We hope many ofyou will join us at the FERCus. Formore information, including ourproposals for reforming FERC, visitus at beyondextremeenergy.org.This first issue will highlight five

of the groups working to protecttheir communities from Dominion.There are many more, and we planto include them in future news-letters. Get in touch with us atinfo@beyondextremeenergy.org.

Meet some of the communitiesfighting Dominion!

MyersvilleCitizens for a RuralCommunityInterview with Ann Nau,Vice PresidentWE ARE a grassroots community or-ganization in a little town of 1,600people in Frederick County, Mary-

land. We formed in response to aplan to build and operate a 16,000hp compressor station within thetown limits, one mile from our onlyelementary school. The PL1pipeline going through town is awholly owned subsidiary of Domin-ion Resources, called DominionTransmission, Inc., or DTI. It comesdown from Frackland, Pennsylva-nia, and connects to the Cove Pointpipeline, Dominions major pipe-line. When FERC examines pro-jects, it only considers the area ahalf-mile from the site, which iscompletely arbitrary, so it didntcount the school. Dominion neededa zoning variance.When our town council unani-

mously denied a zoning variancefor the project, DTI sued the town,and FERC used the power of fed-

eral preemption to force this pro-ject on us.Were still trying to work with

the town to pass some safety regu-lations. The town was sued by Do-minion early on, so we feel townofficials are perhaps a little hesitantto do much more because of that.We know that nitrogen oxides

cause respiratory problems, heartconditions and lung damage.Volatile organic compounds are car-cinogenic and toxic, and can damagethe liver, kidney and central nervoussystem, and can combine with nitro-gen oxides to form ground-levelozone, which can cause asthma anddecrease lung function. Sulfur diox-ide is a principal contributor to acidrain and reacts with other chemicalsto form particulate pollution,which can damage lungs and cause

BXEers carry the panels showing families in the path of FERC-approved projects.

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respiratory illness, heart conditionsand premature death.The compressor station has al-

ready exceeded its permitted noiselevel, and the company has a year tofix that. Two weeks after the stationwas put in service, DTI announcedthat it plans to increase compres-sion by 15,900 hp. DTI claims that itwill keep emissions levels at its cur-rently permitted amounts by in-stalling special emission controls.They knew the way to get it throughFERC was to segment the projectand make it look smaller.The citizens of Myersville believe

that the FERC process is a failedprocess that does not serve the pub-lic interest but the interest of theindustry. The FERC process arosefrom the energy crisis of the 1970sand is an outdated, ineffective andmeaningless exercise that fails toadequately examine projects.

Friends of NelsonInterview with Ernie Reed, Vice Presi-dent of Friends of Nelson County, andPresident of Wild VirginiaDOMINIONS Atlantic Coast Pipeline(ACP) is currently routed throughfour counties in western Virginia

Highland, Augusta, Nelson andBuckinghamup to the West Vir-ginia line.Our entire county is based on

tourism and recreation. Dominionwants to slice this thing across theAppalachian Trail, across the BlueRidge Parkway and through 30miles of national forest. Our Boardof Supervisors voted to oppose thepipeline. Wild Virginia filed a peti-tion for rehearing of the FERC de-cision at Cove Point, based on thefact that the cumulative effects ofthe ACP, the Mountain Valleypipeline and the Marcellus pipelinewerent considered in the environ-mental assessment for Cove Point.We created Friends of Nelson in

June 2014 so we couldfile a lawsuit. Wewanted to be sure wehad standing that indi-viduals might not have.An amendment to theVirginia constitution in2005 gave gas compa-nies the right to surveyowners property evenif they deny access.Three lawsuits are pending againstthat. Almost 80 percent of home-owners along the original route inNelson County denied access. Do-minion is currently working onthose who gave permission or whomthey havent reached yet.Recently, Dominion released a

second possible route for the ACPthrough Nelson County withouttaking the first proposed route offthe table, which doubled the num-ber of potentially affected property

owners. We strongly encourageeveryone to deny permission to sur-vey through certified, return-receipt letters. We believe this isthe most effective, immediate ac-tion you can take right now to pro-tect your property. Please donthesitate to contact us if you haveany questions about refusing per-mission to survey by emailingfriendsofnelson@gmail.com.We have a paid membership of

800, and we have 1,400 people inour database. Our steering commit-tee meets at least every other week;we hold public meetings every twoto three weeks.Besides education, outreach and

networking, we started a legal fundto help property own-ers defend their rights.Weve retained an at-torney, and also raisedmoney to do a study ofthe impacts to busi-ness and propertyowners in Nelson andAugusta counties.Addendum from

Joanna Salidis, Presi-dent of Friends of Nelson:At FERCs March 18 scoping

meeting in Nelson County, 203 peo-ple signed up to speak, but FERCheard only the first 78, due to timeconstraints. All but three out of thefirst 20 speakers were pro-pipeline;as this ratio does not reflect thesentiment in our county, and as nota single speaker following the first20 was pro-pipeline, we can safelyconclude that the speaker sign-ups were orchestrated to stack the

CONTACT INFO:

mcrcmd.orgor on Facebook atMyersville CItizensfor a Rural Communitygascompressornews@gmail.comPO Box 158,Myersville, MD 21773

http://mcrcmd.org

MAPCOURTESYDOMINIONRESOURCES

beginning of the meeting with pro-pipeline speakers in order to distortthe medias reporting and limitspeakers opposedto the pipeline.FERCs officer ofexternal affairs toldme sign-ups tospeak would startshortly before 7p.m. However, theyactually startedaround 4 p.m., andthose who showedup as late as 7 p.m.,when the meetingstarted, were toofar down in the listto speak!Speakers gave

impassioned and informed com-ments regarding the scope for theenvironmental impact statement,advocating to include an investiga-tion into Dominions ethics andbusiness practices; the health ef-fects of compressor stations; quan-titative analyses on life-cycle green-house gas emissions from theextraction, transmission and burn-ing of natural gas; environmentaleffects of fracking; and a clear enu-meration and analysis of purportedpublic need and benefit.Many landowners on the route ex-

pressed grave concerns regardingsafety, disturbance of drinking watersources, pollution from sedimentand erosion, loss of scenery, loss ofproperty values and loss of economicopportunity. Only one landownerwho spoke (the first speaker of theevening) was pro-pipeline. Many of

the others voiced strongly that theirproperty was priceless to them, andthey would never negotiate with Do-

minion.

We AreCove PointInterview withSteve NorrisAFTER BEYOND Ex-treme Energy car-

ried out our week of action at FERCin early November, many of ushelped establish We Are CovePoint, a group made up of peopleopposed to Dominions Cove PointLNG export terminal and gas refin-ery in Lusby, Maryland, on theshores of the Chesapeake Bay. Weare allied with the local residentsfighting the project through CalvertCitizens for a Healthy Community.We have raised money to hire a localorganizer and helped canvass thecommunity to raise awareness andlet people know that the project isnot a done deal as manyhave assumed. Twenty of uswere arrested in Novemberand December in nonviolentactions in Lusby, at locationskey to Dominion carryingout its plans. At our trialsbefore two different judges

in February, we tried but were de-nied the use of a necessitydefensethat we acted to prevent agreater harmand were sentencedto three years probation and stifffines, both of which are muchharsher than the usual penalties forsuch actions. We know that if Do-minion succeeds, fracking will in-crease dramatically throughout theMarcellus shale, many communitieswill continue to suffer, and morewill be added to the list.

Calvert Citizens for aHealthy CommunityInterview with Tracey Eno,spokesperson for CCHCIN OCTOBER 2013, Chesapeake Cli-mate Action Network hosted a townhall meeting in Lusby that reallywoke some of us in the communityup to what Dominion was planningin terms of refining gas and export-ing it. It profoundly affects every-thing: our families, our health, ourhome values, our neighborhoodand our community. Im a business

owner; it also affects mybusiness and my liveli-hood.CCHC began in Janu-

ary 2014. The groupstarted with concernedcitizens who had attendedthe town halls and two

Left to right:Myersville de-fenders; CovePoint defend-ers, Nov. 10;Suspendedwith banner,Phil Cunning-ham of Rich-mond Resis-tance, Feb. 23.

CONTACT INFO:

wearecovepoint.org or onFacebook at We Are Cove PointPO Box 101Lusby, Md 20657

CONTACT INFO:

friendsofnelson.orgor on Facebook atFriends of Nelsonfriendsofnelson@gmail.comPO Box 33Nellysford, VA 22958

www.friendsofnelson.org"http://www.wearecovepoint.org" www.wearecovepoint.org

sham public hearings presentedby Calvert County government,where the agenda was pre-set tohear public comments, immediatelyclose the record and approve theproposals (without discussing com-ments). It was apparent that our lo-cal government was all in andsupported the Dominion project atevery turn. The Board of CountyCommissioners (BoCC) signed anon-disclosure agreement 14months before we knew anythingabout the Dominion plan. TheBoCC waived zoning laws (laterchallenged in court and ruled to beunconstitutional). The BoCC gaveDominion a 42 percent tax break.They were convinced that the taxmoney would fix their budgetdeficit, and the local jobs wouldbe a boon to county residents.In spite of CCHC members tes-

tifying 20 times at weekly publiccomment sessions, there is still noupdated safety study. The local au-thorities say that we should trustDominions self-reporting andFERCs safety oversight, but Do-minion was just fined $365,000 bythe EPA for multiple releases ofammonia that went unreported fora long time. How can we trustthem?Dominion wants us to think that

exporting is as simple as flipping aswitch to turn from import to ex-port. But its a $3.8 billion invest-ment. The company will build aliquefaction train and gas refinery,which will create air pollution andcarry the risk of explo-sions.CCHC held weekly

meetings in 2014 to shareresearch and strategize.Starting in 2015, meetingsare held every two weeksand feature speakers,which have included thecaptain of the CalvertCounty Sheriffs SpecialOperations Team, nation-ally renowned attorneys todiscuss nuisance lawsuits,and other experts. Wehave written letters to theeditor, spoken at everyhearing, submitted writtentestimony, attended rallies,

canvassed neighborhoods, heldpress conferences and looked forfissures in the plan.We are awaiting FERCs decision

on Earthjustices request for a re-hearing, submitted in October. Un-til that ruling, the legal process is ata standstill. A request was made si-multaneously to stay construction,which has been ignored.We continue to press for a safety

study, air and water monitoring, anew evacuation road, and improvedtransparency of local government.

RichmondResistanceFrom its press releaseON THE EARLY MORNING of February23, a group of more than 50 localand regional Virginia activists oper-ating as Richmond Resistance con-verged on Dominions tradingheadquarters to oppose the At-lantic Coast Pipeline and blockadethe selling of our future. Activistsheld the space for more than threehours with banners, flag waving,climbers hanging from a bridge,theatrical puppets and street block-ades. Ten people were arrested:nine with traffic citations for block-ing the roadway and one for disor-derly conduct.

At a time when the worlds lead-ing scientists have insisted onphasing out fossil fuels within thenext 15 years in order to mitigaterising sea levels and other effectsof climate change, Virginia is doingless than the bare minimum tomove toward a sustainable future.With Dominions political influ-ence at an all-time high (see ourstory in this newsletter about theoutcome of this years legislativesession), Virginia communitiesfrom the coasts to the mountainvalleys are taking the brunt of Do-minions greed and inaction. TheACP will tear through generationsof family homes and history, willincrease the likelihood of soil andwater contamination and gas ex-plosions, and will accelerate ex-treme greenhouse gas emissions.Likewise, coastal communities inNorfolk, Virginia Beach and theEastern Shore are second only toLouisiana in vulnerability to sealevel rise, and now may face the ad-ditional threat of offshore oil andgas drilling.Virginia will play a critical role

in fighting climate disruption andbuilding strong, sustainable com-munities for our futures. For thatreason, we are all climate protec-tors. Richmond Resistance standsin solidarity with all those opposedto extreme energy infrastructure,including the proposed ACP andthe Cove Point LNG export termi-nal. Their intent is to exposeDominions corrupt influence on

Virginia energy policy,protect frontline com-munities from furtherdirty fossil fuel expan-sion and push forzero-emission renew-able energy in theCommonwealth of Vir-ginia.

Heres a great localTV news story aboutthe action:

Six Cove Point defenders scale a dirt hill at Dominion's constructionsite and are arrested.

CONTACT INFO:

calvertcitizens.orgor on Facebook at CalvertCitizens for a Healthy Communitycalvertchc@gmail.com

http://wtvr.com/2015/02/23/demonstrators-create-blockade-downtown-in-protest-of-atlantic-coast-pipeline/

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http://wtvr.com/2015/02/23/demonstrators-create-blockade-downtown-in-protest-of-atlantic-coast-pipelinehttp://wtvr.com/2015/02/23/demonstrators-create-blockade-downtown-in-protest-of-atlantic-coast-pipelinehttp://wtvr.com/2015/02/23/demonstrators-create-blockade-downtown-in-protest-of-atlantic-coast-pipelinehttp://wtvr.com/2015/02/23/demonstrators-create-blockade-downtown-in-protest-of-atlantic-coast-pipelinehttp://wtvr.com/2015/02/23/demonstrators-create-blockade-downtown-in-protest-of-atlantic-coast-pipeline"http://www.calvertcitizens.org" www.calvertcitizens.org

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NEWS BYTES

FERCUSFINDING AN ALLYIN THE AGNEWLY ELECTED Maryland AttorneyGeneral Brian Frosh entered thefight over hydraulic fracturing inMaryland on February 25, urgingstate lawmakers to pass a bill withliability standards so tough thatcritics and some supporters con-sider it a de facto fracking ban. Themoratorium on fracking imposedby former Governor Martin OMal-ley ended before he left office inJanuary, and the current governor,Larry Hogan, has not said whetherhe would go forward with the regu-lations as written. But he has saidthat he believes fracking can bedone safely and would bring jobs toeconomically depressed WesternMaryland. Most previous attemptsat a ban have been blocked in theSenates Education, Health andEnvironmental Affairs committeeby its chairwoman, DemocraticSen. Joan Carter Conway of Balti-more.

REGULATORS CAN REVERSETHEMSELVESTHIS IS WHAT WEWANT FOR COVE POINT!CITING THE RISK of oil spills, fires andexplosions, a county examiner ruledon February 23 that Shells plan foran oil-train terminal at its Ana-cortes, Washington, refinery mustget a full environmental review. Themove reflects growing concernsabout the safety of the long oil trains

that are carrying North Dakota oil torefineries on the U.S. east and westcoasts. The Skagit County examinernoted that similar, already com-pleted projects were not subject tothe full environmental review, butthat subsequent oil-train accidentsmake further risk analysis necessary.

WHAT FERC THINKSOF COMMUNITIESFERC SENT the following announce-ment last fall to companies that arepursuing permits with the agency:Do you have conflict in your

pipeline workmaybe with a prop-erty owner? Then this pre-seminartraining is for you! Con-flict resolution special-ists from FERCs Dis-pute Resolution Division(DRD) offer you an op-portunity to share con-flict experiences andchallenges from youreveryday work and learnabout skills to overcomeconflict. This interactivetraining aims to:

Explore andpractice strategies to address con-flict early on and reach agreementamicably.

Strategize for dealingwith difficult behavior using yourexamples.

Tell you more about theDRD and how we might help!

Enhance your negotiationand communication skills.[Editorial comment] And its

free! Its called Getting to Yes forthe corporations, Getting to No forcommunities. How about a seminarfor communities to help them re-sist greedy corporations assaults?

AMIDST SECRECY, DOMINIONGETS ITS WAY IN VIRGINIAS 2015LEGISLATIVE SESSIONDOMINION RESOURCES Inc., thestates most politically influentialcompany according to this newssource, got just about everything itwanted from this years legislativesession.The centerpiece of Dominions

legislative package was a bill spon-sored by Virginia Beach Republi-can Sen. Frank Wagner that lockscurrent base rates into place for atleast seven years by exempting thecompany from regular rate reviews

by the State Corpora-tion Commission.Most negotiations

on Wagners bill wereconducted in privatemeetings with a selectgroup of stakeholdersincluding a sit-downbetween Virginia Gov-ernor Terry McAuliffeand Dominion CEOThomas Farrell II.Also, legislation

aimed at limiting Do-minions ability to go on propertyowners land to survey for the pro-posed Atlantic Coast Pipelineacross the Blue Ridge Mountainsalso died a quick death. It waschampioned by Friends of Nelsonand other groups opposed to theACP.

A protester in Annapolis

http://insideclimatenews.org/news/27022015/2015-oil-industry-rough-start

http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/green/blog/bs-md-frosh-fracking-20150225-story.html

http://bit.ly/1CrF2jw

http://bit.ly/1CrF2jwhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/features/green/blog/bs-md-frosh-fracking-20150225-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/features/green/blog/bs-md-frosh-fracking-20150225-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/features/green/blog/bs-md-frosh-fracking-20150225-story.htmlhttp://insideclimatenews.org/news/27022015/2015-oil-industry-rough-starthttp://insideclimatenews.org/news/27022015/2015-oil-industry-rough-starthttp://insideclimatenews.org/news/27022015/2015-oil-industry-rough-start