RICHMOND, Va.— The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality approved erosion and sediment control plans and a stormwater management plan for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, allowing the state’s water quality certification to take effect.
This is in the final approval needed for construction work to begin in the commonwealth.
According to pipeline spokesperson Aaron Ruby, the government agency spent more than a year reviewing environmental controls.
“No other project in the state’s history has received as much regulatory scrutiny or been developed with greater attention to public safety and the environment. We’ve put in place some of the strongest environmental protections ever used by the industry to keep soil and sediment out of our streams and rivers during construction,” he said.
The 600-mile pipeline goes from West Virginia into southeastern North Carolina. Two lines will connect to Dominion Energy facilities in two North Carolina counties.