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THE SENTINEL is a project of BeyondExtreme Energy (BXE), a
groupthat came together in 2014 andcarried out a week of direct
actionat FERC, the Federal Energy Reg-ulatory Commission, in
Washing-ton, D.C., to highlight that agen-cys rubber-stamping of
just aboutevery fracked gas proposal thatcomes before it. Were
currentlyorganizing a much bigger actionfor May 21-29 in order to
forceFERC to take community con-cerns as seriously as it takes
cor-porate conniving. We hope manyof you will join us at the
FERCus.For more information, includingour proposals for
reformingFERC, visit www.beyondextremeenergy.org.This second issue
will highlight
three new groups working to pro-tect their communities from
Do-minion and provide updates on thegroups included in our first
issue.Get in touch with us at [email protected].
350 LoudounDOMINIONS LEIDY SOUTH PROJECT pro-poses a compressor
station expan-sion and the addition of a meteringstation in
Loudoun, Virginia. Itwould send gas through the townsof Leesburg
and Loudoun in Vir-ginia, and Myersville in Maryland,on its way to
Dominions CovePoint project. Natalie Pien with
350 Loudoun said her town al-ready has two compressor
stationsand one is scheduled for expan-sion. But she said its not
justabout the local impacts.We take a bigger view, that it
will facilitate more fracking inPennsylvania and will devastate
theCove Point community and isn'tleading us in the right
direction.It's going to exacerbate climatechange and raise the
price of gasdomestically. We feel the only onesto benefit are
Dominion share-holders. Instead of spendingmoney to build new
fossil fuel in-frastructure, that money would bebetter spent on
developing and in-
stalling clean, renewable-energypower plants. Dominion has
thelease for off-shore wind thatshould be more aggressively
devel-oped. They have only committedto constructing a test
turbine.Dominion held an open house
March 30 in Leesburg.The most egregious thing,
Pien said, is that a county supervi-sor attended the open house
andpraised the use of natural gas in theenergy industry. He said,
It doesntget any cleaner than that. Werewriting letters to the
editor andtabling at a big Earth Day eventand creating our own
event aboutfracked gas and climate change.
DBEYONDSENTINEL MAY 2015COMMUNITIES FIGHTING DOMINION ON ALL
FRONTS
ALTERNATIVES ON THE HORIZON
Welcome to the second issue of the Beyond Dominion Sentinel!
This newsletter summarizesthe struggles of communities fighting
Dominion Resources fracked gas projectswhetherpipelines, compressor
stations, liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals or any
other
dirty energy projects of this $50 billion behemoth that is
running roughshod over all of us inone way or another. The
Sentinels goal is to share the reality of what were up against,
shareinformation that other groups may find useful and build a
stronger grassroots opposition.
courtesy
vir
gin
iasie
rra
club
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Some of us are going to participatein the BXE events in late
May.Dominion plans to file with
FERC in May for approval of theLeidy South project.For local
press coverage, go tohttp://bit.ly/1H0h8M9
Contact info:350Loudoun.orgOn Facebook at 350
[email protected]
Not on Our Fault LineDOMINION INVESTS HEAVILY in allkinds of
fracked gas infrastructure,but it also owns four nuclearpower
plants around the country,including a shut-down one in Wis-consin
where the company re-cently had to pay a fine for a secu-rity
violation. A new alliance, Noton Our Fault Line, has formed
tooppose Dominion Virginia Powersplans for a new nuclear reactor
inLouisa County, Virginia, adjacentto the site of the North Anna
Reac-tors 1 & 2.We are calling on Dominion
Virginia Power to abandon itsplans for the North Anna 3
reactorbecause this project is too costlyand too risky, said Jerry
Rosen-thal, a Louisa County resident andmember of the Peoples
Alliancefor Clean Energy.The price tag for the proposed
North Anna 3 nuclear reactorwould be far north of $10 bil-lion,
according to Daniel Weekley,Vice President of Corporate Affairsfor
Dominion.The North Anna 3 nuclear re-
actor is too costly because that$10+ billion price tag for a
newnuclear reactor could raise ourutility bills far north of a 40
per-cent increase, said Glen Besa, Vir-ginia Director of the Sierra
Club.Dominion needs to be investingin efficiency, solar and wind
en-ergy, all of which are far cheaperthan nuclear power.A new
nuclear reactor at North
Anna is also too risky, said EricaGray, Nuclear Issues Chair for
theVirginia Sierra Club. This reactorwould be built on an existing
faultline and just 11 miles from the epi-center of a 2011
earthquake thatexceeded the design standards of
the two existing reactors andcracked the Washington Monu-ment
some 80 miles away. Addi-tionally, it is a new reactor designthat
has never been built and oper-ated commercially.Please sign this
citizens petition
to Dominion opposing a new reac-tor at North
Anna:https://secure.sierraclub.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=15394
Contact info:On Facebook atNot on Our Fault Line ~Stop North
Anna 3 Reactorwww.vasierraclub.orgMain contact person:Glen
Besa,Director Virginia [email protected] East
Franklin Street,Suite 302Richmond, VA 23219(804) 225-9113
Down to the WireA COALITION of nonprofits haslaunched a campaign
to safeguardthe James River from what it be-lieves is an
unwarranted intrusionby Dominion Virginia Power in theform of a
power line proposed tocross the river near Carters Grove.Dominion
says it needs to build
the line to ensure the Peninsula hasenough electricity flowing
to it, be-cause of the looming retirement ofthe Yorktown Power
Station due tofederal environmental regulations.Without the line,
the utility says thePeninsula could experience black-
DOMINION
TRANSCO S
P
QUESTIONS POSED BY 350 LOUDOUNTO DOMINION AT THEIR OPEN
HOUSEMEETING:
WHY SHOULD the U.S. export natural gaswhen we are seeking to be
energy independent?
WHAT IMPACT will exporting natural gas haveon domestic natural
gas prices and supplies?
WHAT PERCENTAGE of natural gas passingthrough the Leesburg
compressor station will bedestined for export at the Cove Point LNG
ex-port terminal when the terminal is constructedand operating at
100 percent capacity?
WILL THIS compressor facility enable in-creased fracking in
Pennsylvania and theGeorge Washington National Forest?
EXACTLY HOW MUCH methane will be re-leased into the air annually
by this facility dur-ing the routine blow-down procedures
andleaks?
HOW MANY routine blow-downs are permittedannually by the
Virginia Department of Environ-mental Quality?
WHY IS methane dangerous to people, the en-vironment and climate
change?
AT WHAT concentration does methane in down-wind air become
explosive?
IS THERE downwind monitoring of methaneconcentration? If so, who
monitors and towhom is the data reported?
WHO MONITORS emissions and spills from thecompressor facilitya
state or federal agency,or does Dominion self-report?
HOW LOUD are the compressors? Do they runat night?
THERE WAS a fire at the existing compressorstation in the recent
past that was unreported.How will this be prevented in the
future?
THERE WAS a chemical spill at the existingcompressor station. Do
chemical spills threatenour groundwater, which provides drinking
waterto many homes in the area?
PROLONGED LOW-LEVEL exposure to methaneis reported by other
communities to cause fa-tigue, pneumonia, loss of appetite,
headaches,irritability, poor memory and dizziness. What isthe safe
level of exposure to methane sincemethane will be released in the
air by routineblow-downs and leakage? When safe levels areexceeded,
how will Dominion respond?
COMPRESSOR STATIONS have lowered theproperty values of the
surrounding residentialcommunities in other regions. Has this
beenstudied for the Leesburg impacted community?What average
reduction in home value shouldbe anticipated?
IN DOMINIONS PLANS, how much money willbe spent on developing
fossil fuel infrastruc-ture, and how much will be spent on
renewableresource infrastructure?
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illu
stratio
ns
byLesli
eGarcia
outs up to 80 days per year.The Down to the Wire cam-
paign seeks to convince the publicthe utility should try to
either burythe line beneath the river, find analternative route or
explore alter-native energy options that wouldnot mar views at
sites along theriver, including Historic James-towne, the Colonial
Parkway,Carters Grove and the CaptainJohn Smith Chesapeake
NationalHistoric Trail, which is a route forboaters that weaves
through therivers of the Chesapeake Bay.The coalition includes the
Na-
tional Trust for Historic Preserva-tion, the Chesapeake
Conservancy,the Garden Club of Virginia, theNational Parks
Conservation Asso-ciation, Preservation Virginia andScenic
Virginia.Read more at http://bit.ly/1CwVVCO
Contact info:National Trust forHistoric PreservationThe
Watergate Office Building2600 Virginia Avenue,Suite 1100Washington,
DC 20037(202) 588-6000(800) [email protected]
Calvert Citizensfor a HealthyCommunityOPPONENTS OF DOMINIONS
Cove Pointproject found out with less thantwo days notice that the
companywas planning a groundbreakingceremony March 25. Calvert
County
Commissioners announced theywould be attending the event,which
was closed to the public dueto security concerns. Next, therewas
less than two hours notice thata certain guest would attendMaryland
Governor Larry Hogan.Also present were Dominion CEOTom Farrell and
head honchosfrom the Indian and Japanese firmsthat have signed
20-year contractsfor the liquefied natural gas to beexported to
theircountries. Withno time to orga-nize a protest,CCHC
leaderTracey Eno fo-cused her com-ments at theMarch 24 Board
ofCounty Commis-sioners meetingon what she calledD o m i n i o n
sTownbreaking.She decried thesecrecy surround-ing the event
andsaid, Ive heardseveral commis-sioners say duringcampaign
seasonthat they wouldhold Dominionsfeet to the fire.So, Im coming
toyou today with the problems facedby those of us living near
Dominionand asking for your help. She saidresidents need help to
address theissues of noise, the ubiquitous pres-
ence of dump trucks and mud onthe roads, the deteriorating
condi-tion of Cove Point Road, increasedlitter and road closures
that all havea negative impact on residentsquality of life.
Friends of NelsonLOCAL AND STATE officials have sentletters to
FERC questioning itspolicies and asking for additionaltime and
opportunity to weigh in
on the proposedAtlantic CoastPipeline. Bothour U.S.
Senators,Mark Warner andTim Kaine, sentletters to FERCc h a i r w o
m a nCheryl LaFleurquestioning thepolicies and pro-cedures by
whichthe agency re-views and re-ceives commentsfrom residentswho
would be af-fected by pro-posed natural gaspipelines.LaFleur
re-
sponded that allc o m m e n t s ,whether deliv-ered in person
or
in writing, are considered equallyin the decision-making
process,and that they should contact heragain with any specific
concerns(like the way many residents were
SUNOCO
PANDA
ANGA
Gov Larry Hogan leads in the BOCCs promiseof putting Dominions
feet to the fire.
Are you warm enough, Dom?Weve got over 20,000 of theseto burn in
Lusby alone!
Are you warm enough, Dominion?Weve got over 20,000 of these
to burn in Lusby alone!
Governor Larry Hogan takes a leadingrole in the BOCCs promise of
putting
Dominions feet to the fire.
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illu
stratio
ns
byle
sli
egarcia
not permitted to speak at theFERC meeting held in Nelson
inMarch. See the first issue of BDSfor more on that.)The Nelson
County Board of Su-
pervisors also got involved by send-ing two letters to LaFleur.
Oneasked the commission to extend itsscoping period for the
pipelineduring which FERC accepts publiccomments on a proposed
projectby an additional 30 days; a secondletter requested an
additional scop-ing meeting in the county.Read more at
http://bit.ly/1C3jpiZ
All Pain, No GainA NEW MEDIA campaign called AllPain, No Gain
launched in lateMarch with roots in Nelson andAugusta counties with
the goal ofconvincing Dominion Resources touse existing rights of
way as routealternatives for the Atlantic CoastPipeline.Tom Harvey,
one of the cam-
paign organizers, said the group is
not against infrastructure, but feelsthere already is enough in
Virginia.There are already 3,000 miles ofpipeline in Virginia, he
said.Thats a lot of miles, do we reallyneed more?Read more at
http://bit.ly/1P94TQN
Myersville Citizensfor a RuralCommunityMEMBERS OF MYERSVILLE
Citizens for aRural Community protested againstDominion and its
Leidy South com-pressor station expansion plannedfor their town
when Dominion heldan open house on March 31.Our message is this:
Dominion
lies, said Ann Nau, a town resi-dent and vice president of the
citi-zens group. As part of her protest,Nau sported a long,
Pinocchio-style nose crafted from empty toiletpaper rolls to
illustrate her opposi-tion to the company. They told usthey want to
be good neighbors,and then they sued our town, said
Nau, referring to the two lawsuitsthe company filed against the
townwhen its application to build thefirst compressor station was
de-nied. Theyve already exceededthe noise limits, theyve
damagedtown infrastructure. Theyre notgood neighbors.Watch the
video athttp://bit.ly/1a6yHwX
We AreCove PointWE ARE COVE POINT has been build-ing steam while
Dominion hascontinued its preliminary con-struction of the LNG
export termi-nal and liquefaction plant. Sincethe last Beyond
Dominion Sentinel,we've been building a strongerfoundation, adding
members (lo-cally and from afar) and doing a lotof reaching out
into other commu-nities resisting the various tenta-cles of the
natural gas industry.We've been at industry-sponsoredopen houses,
community-led orga-nizing summits, action camps andteach-ins. It's
heartwarming howmany people seem to know howbig an issue this Cove
Point exportterminal would beand how it im-pacts the fight they
have wherethey live. Our resistance is sprout-ing fast with the
springtime!We urge everyone to support us
and represent your campaign bycoming to our March for
CalvertCounty to be Dominion-Free! OnMay 30, we'll be walking
fromSolomons Island to Lusby to regis-ter our opposition to this
project.Speakers will kick us off, and foodand fellowship will
follow the walk.We'd love to see you there!More information aboutWe
Are Cove Point and theMay 30 march can be found
atWeAreCovePoint.org.
SEEDTWO WOMEN took the fight againstDominion's Cove Point LNG
ter-minal to a new level by scaling acrane on the work site on
February3 and hanging a banner calling forDominion to get out of
Cove Point.On April 20, Carling Sothoronand Heather Doyle, members
ofStopping Extraction and Exports
Saturday May 30, 20159am-3pm
MARCH FORCALVERT COUNTY
TO BE DOMINION-FREE!
9:00am Rally at Solomons Boardwalk
9:30am Walk begins: From Solomons,past Area B barge pierup Route
4then onto HG Trueman where we will
reclaim Lusby as OUR town!then down Cove Point Road (OUR
road!)
ending at Cove Point Park, OUR park!1:00pm Picnic &
fellowship at Cove Point Park
6 MILE MARCH from SOLOMONSto COVE POINT
PARKWeAreCovePoint.org
"Join the flock for a six-mile walk!
S
SPONSORS:WE ARE COVE POINT, CALVERT CITIZENS FOR AHEALTHY
COMMUNITY, BEYOND EXTREME ENERGY, CHESAPEAKECLIMATE ACTION NETWORK,
SIERRA CLUB CALVERT COUNTY
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Destruction (SEED), were sen-tenced by a visiting judge in
aCalvert County courtroom. He gavethem double the sentence
thatother defenders got at their trials inFebruary40 days in jail
or 40 dayssuspended, with three years' unsu-pervised probation and
a $500 fine,reduced to $200 because authori-ties confiscated their
climbing gear.Sothoron chose probation, whileDoyle chose jail,
which means shewill have no fine and no probation.The judge doubled
their sentencebecause they both had priorrecords for similar
actions.Supporters of the women from
We Are Cove Point and BeyondExtreme Energy called the sen-tences
outrageous for a trespass-ing violation.Doyle would love to get
mail.
You can write her at:Heather G. Doyle, #294461Calvert
CountyDetention Center,PO Box 9,Barstow, MD 20610.
Check this link to learn about whatrestrictions
apply:http://www.co.cal.md.us/index.aspx?NID=289Follow SEED at
bit.ly/nolngmd.
MARYLAND LEGISLATURE PASSES AFRACKING MORATORIUMTHE MARYLAND
HOUSE and Senatehave both passed a 2.5-year mora-
torium on fracking. The bill nowgoes to Governor Larry Hogan,who
can either sign or veto it. If hedoes neither after 30 days, it
auto-matically becomes law.Read more
athttp://ecowatch.com/2015/04/10/maryland-passes-fracking-ban/
THE FUTURE FOR LNG PROJECTSSEVERAL RECENT ARTICLES have
beenwritten about thelikelihood that mostof the proposed LNGexport
facilitiesaround the U.S. willnot be built due tothe drop in oil
prices,but Cove Point is stillconsidered to be alikely candidate
toproceed.Read more athttp://bit.ly/1CwwotF
BXE DISRUPTS MARCHFERC MEETINGABOUT 20 BXE members again
dis-rupted the monthly meeting ofFERC, this time focusing
squarelyon our demand that the agencymake a decision on the request
fora rehearing on the permit itgranted to Dominion to moveahead
with its Cove Point LNGproject. Once FERC releases itsdecision
(assuming it reiterates itsapproval), Earthjustice is preparedto
file a lawsuit to stop the project.Read more
athttp://ecowatch.com/2015/03/23/
protesters-distrupt-ferc-meeting/
. . . AND AGAIN IN APRILA HALF DOZEN BXEmembers
stationedthemselves around the room at theFERC Commissioners
meeting,the first at which Norman Baypresided as chair, and the
first atwhich Federal Protective Servicespolice had been brought in
to dealwith them. Amid sports banter be-tween Bay and his
predecessor,Cheryl LaFleur, protesters againcalled on FERC to stop
construc-tion of Dominions LNG terminalat Cove Point,
Maryland.Check out this video and article
athttp://www.dcmediagroup.us/2015/04/16/protestors-bring-ongoing-situation-to-new-ferc-chairman/
SENECA LAKEVICTORY!DOZENS OF PROTESTERSwho had
nonviolentlyblocked CrestwoodMidstreams efforts tostore the
products offracking in abandonedsalt caverns belowSeneca Lake had
theircharges dismissed onMarch 18 by a judgewho said he did so
in
the interests of justice. This is atremendous victory for the
anti-fracking movement that has beenstanding up for their
communityand for the Earth.Although their fight is far from
over, we send our love and solidar-ity to the residents of the
beautifulFinger Lakes region of New York.Though not a Dominion
project,the peoples victory here inspiresus to keep pushing
ahead.Read this moving statement fromFaith Meckley from We Are
SenecaLake about the dismissals
athttp://theithacan.org/blogs/justice-half-served/
DOMINIONDOMINION
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