An anti-pipeline organization said Monday it is launching a campaign to "monitor" the upcoming construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
The project is being spearheaded by the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance, a coalition of more than 50 organizations in West Virginia and Virginia. The objective of the Pipeline Compliance Surveillance Initiative, as the monitoring effort is called, is to "ensure strict application of environmental laws and regulations" for the ACP. About 55 miles of the West Virginia-to-North Caroline pipeline will traverse Augusta County.
Lew Freeman, a Highland County resident and executive director of the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance, said the group lacks confidence that regulators involved in inspecting the construction will do an adequate job.
The surveillance will involve hundreds of volunteer observers in Virginia and West Virginia. Freeman said a portion of those monitoring will be property owners directly affected by the pipeline's construction.
