“We urge him to put his office where his interview is, and take clear, decisive action that will help bring this project to fruition”
Congressman Scott Taylor and Virginia State Senator Frank Wagner today urged Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam to demonstrate action following his apparent newfound support for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a position he made public for the first time yesterday during an appearance on the John Fredericks Show. The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is backed by Governor Terry McAuliffe, Ed Gillespie, and business and political leaders statewide, including the entire Hampton Roads caucus in the General Assembly. It is considered crucial to ensuring Virginians continue to have access to affordable, reliable domestic energy in the coming years, and estimates show it will lead to the creation of thousands of new jobs and millions in tax revenue for the Commonwealth and localities.
While appreciative of Northam’s decision to finally clarify his position on the campaign trail, Wagner and Taylor now urge the Lieutenant Governor to take more substantive steps to lend his voice to the ongoing effort to ensure the project is approved and constructed by submitting his own comment to FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is receiving public input on the pipeline. Wagner and Taylor have already submitted official comments of their own.
Speaking about the issue, Wagner and Taylor noted: “The Atlantic Coast Pipeline will be a critically important part of Virginia’s energy infrastructure and will provide much-needed access to affordable, reliable natural gas and create thousands of new jobs across the Commonwealth. So, while we are pleased that Lieutenant Governor Northam has apparently finally joined us, and so many other Virginians, in support of the project, we now urge him to put his office where his interview is, and take clear, decisive action that will help bring this project to fruition, unleashing the untapped economic growth opportunities that construction of the pipeline holds.”
They continued, “The Lieutenant Governor needs to truly step up for Virginia’s economy, families and workers and protect our ratepayers by submitting his own letter of formal support for the project to FERC, just as we have. As the Commonwealth’s Lieutenant Governor, Ralph Northam occupies a significant and important position of authority in our state government. If he is truly serious about his support for this project, he needs to make his position known to the federal regulators considering it. We look forward to his response and to seeing him join all of us in advocating actively for construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.”
Background:
In a March 2016 letter that is included in the FERC docket, now-Congressman Scott Taylor joined leaders in calling on FERC to approve the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
In a February 2017 letter to FERC, Senator Frank Wagner and members of the Virginia General Assembly’s Hampton Roads Caucus urged FERC to approve the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The following members signed the letter:
Bill DeSteph, HRC Chair
Senator, 8th District
Matthew James, HRC Vice Chair
Delegate, 80th District
Robert S. Bloxom, Jr.
Delegate, 100th District
John A. Cosgrove
Senator, 14th District
Glenn Davis, Jr.
Delegate, 84th District
Cliff Hayes
Delegate, 77th District
Gordon Helsel
Delegate, 91st District
Steve Heretick
Delegate, 79th District
Keith M. Hodges
Delegate, 98th District
Rocky Holcomb
Delegate, 8th District
James Leftwich
Delegate, 78th District
Lynwood W. Lewis, Jr.
Senator, 6th District
Joseph C. Lindsey
Delegate, 90th District
L. Louis Lucas
Senator, 18th District
Monty Mason
Senator, 1st District
Jason Miyares
Delegate, 82nd District
Rick Morris
Delegate, 64th District
Thomas K. Norment, Jr.
Senator, 3rd District
Brenda Pogge
Delegate, 96th District
Lionell Spruill, Sr.
Senator, 5th District
Chris P. Stolle
Delegate, 83rd District
Ron A. Villanueva
Delegate, 21st District
Frank W. Wagner
Senator, 7th District
David E. Yancey
Delegate, 94th District