The Dominion Energy Inc.-led Atlantic Coast natural gas pipeline received several state-issued permits, moving the 1.5-Bcf/d project closer to delivering Appalachian shale gas supplies to mid-Atlantic and Southern customers.
North Carolina and West Virginia announced on Jan. 26 that they had approved permits for the $5.1 billion project. The pipeline still needs other state and federal permits in order to begin construction work along the entire project route, including a Clean Water Act Section 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for stream and wetland impacts.
"This is a very significant milestone for the project and one of only a few remaining approvals needed to begin construction," Dominion spokesperson Aaron Ruby said about the West Virginia-issued permit, shortly before the North Carolina announcement.
Ruby said Dominion expects the remaining permits to be issued in time to begin full construction by early spring. The pipeline received a pending water quality certification from Virginia's Water Control Board on Dec. 7, 2017, which awaits further analysis of environmental effects.
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality issued a Clean Water Act Section 401 permit on Jan. 26. The project developer applied for the permit in May 2017. The pipeline still requires other permits from the state, including an air quality permit for a compressor station, two general stormwater permits, and approval of the erosion and sediment control plan for the northern segment of the North Carolina route.
The Sierra Club said in a press release that the organization and other project opponents would continue fighting against the pipeline. The group currently has four lawsuits involving the pipeline, including one against the National Park Service.
"We're disappointed by [North Carolina] Governor Roy Cooper's approval of this fracked gas pipeline water permit, which makes his commitment to clean energy harder to fulfill," Sierra Club Director Michael Brune said.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection approved an erosion and sediment control permit for the project on Jan. 25. A stormwater permit provides another layer of protection for the state, allowing enforcement officers to oversee construction activity along the pipeline route. The state waived water quality permits for the pipeline in December 2017.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the project in October 2017. In a Jan. 25 letter to FERC, Dominion said construction work on authorized facilities began on Jan. 20. The commission authorized the activities, which include upland tree felling and vegetation clearing, according to Ruby.
The project, which would include about 600 miles of 42-inch-diameter pipeline, is a joint venture of Dominion, Southern Gas Co., Duke Energy Corp. and Piedmont Natural Gas Co. Inc. The pipeline would run through West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. (FERC docket CP15-554)
