Fauquier County Board Unanimously Denounces Transco Pipeline, Promises to Defend Community Health & Safety

Fauquier County, VA -- Last night, members of the Fauquier County Board voted unanimously to pass a resolution denouncing the construction of the Transco Pipeline Southeastern Trail Expansion Project, calling for a more comprehensive environmental review that includes a comment period and demanding a moratorium on construction of the Transco project. The resolution is being sent to Governor Northam, the final approver of the project, and a number of Virginia state officials. The county board accompanied this resolution with a letter to Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality, demanding a stricter environmental review process and a window for public input.

The Transco Pipeline Southeastern Trail Expansion Project, which has yet to begin construction in Fauquier and Prince William counties, would carry dangerous fracked gas directly beneath residents’ homes and 20 bodies of water, endangering public health and the water supply. The construction of the pipeline and the high risk of leaks could wreck the county’s farmland, destroying soil quality for years to come. Moreover, the parent company has moved forward with this project without any public input, even from the county communities that will have to live with the impacts and risks of the  fossil fuel infrastructure in their midst.

"We applaud the Fauquier County Board for taking leadership on fighting this pipeline, and we call on Governor Northam, who approved the disastrous Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast pipelines despite considerable opposition, to heed to local officials who adamantly oppose this pipeline by rejecting any Virginia state permits under his consideration,” says Jolene Mafnas, a Food & Water Action Virginia Organizer who was present for last night’s vote. “This pipeline endangers farms, water, and public health, and it is outrageous that the project has progressed this far without seeking any input from the communities it will be directly hurting. With Fauquier taking the lead, Governor Northam must protect constituents by instructing his departments to rescind permits for this pipeline immediately.” 
 

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Food & Water Action is the political advocacy arm of the research and education organization Food & Water Watch. We mobilize people to build political power to move bold and uncompromised solutions to the most pressing food, water and climate problems of our time.