“Young People go to the beach; Old People go to the Mountains”…..
A few years ago we sold a place in Nags Head we owned for 10 years and dreamed of “a little place in the mountains” for long weekends, and with the thought of moving permanently in a few years. This dream led us to Nelson County. To actually live in this breathtakingly beautiful area is an honor and a blessing. A feeling of guardianship comes over you and the thought of a pipeline desecrating the mountains and forests is sickening and intolerable.
I cherish our 5 little acres and the birds, butterflies, rabbits, deer, fox, bear, and bobcat we share it with. The sky is especially mesmerizing… the cloud formations coming over the mountains are incredible and the night sky stirs the soul.
To put a pipeline thru the center of Nelson County’s economic and tourist corridor is incomprehensible, as well as the fact the Governor is all for it. Our bucolic little county will be forever changed. It is extremely frustrating to read Dominion “talking points” over and over by their spokespeople and repeated by our government officials. A lie repeated over and over is still a lie. The purpose of this pipeline is not for the benefit of the people of Virginia, it is all about profit for Dominion and its’ partners. In time we will be reading of all time high quarterly profits for Dominion while looking at forever scarred mountains and forests. Imagine the projected profits they must be anticipating if they are willing to spend $5.6 Billion to build it. And in contrast, they complain an estimated cost of $375-$400 Million to build wind turbines on the coast is cost prohibitive …
We fear for the safety of this pipeline if it is built. The size of the pipe alone is of concern, but as a rural area the construction class regulations allow for manual shut off valves. In the 26 miles of pipeline thru Nelson’s mountains and fields, Dominion plans on constructing 2 valves with locations to be determined. In the case of a leak or explosion, residents are to call a 1-800 number to report and someone from Dominion will come out to manually shut off the valves. In the interim, our Volunteer Fire Departments would be responsible for controlling any explosion and resulting forest fires. Enough to keep anyone awake at night…….
Obviously, we don’t want a pipeline thru Nelson County and have joined others in the fight to stop it.
As baby boomers coming of age in the 70’s, we shared our generation’s general distrust of the government, and held the cynical belief our country was secretly run by fat, bald, cigar-smoking rich men who buy and pay for politicians and use them as front men for their personal and corporate gain. Decades later, we find those same old beliefs have come full circle.