Cow Knob Salamander. Photo by Steven David Johnson Dominion Transmission is offering a new alternative route for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline that will go under Shenandoah Mountain via two separate Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) tunnels to avoid the rare Cow Knob Salamander. A letter from George Washington National Forest Supervisor Tom Speaks, dated Sept. 17, 2015, strongly stated that the ACP route was not in compliance with the Cow Knob Salamander Conservation Agreement of 1994. The Speaks letter also said that "project effects on the Cow Knob Salamander must be avoided and cannot be mitigated." and that "it is essential to evaluate alternatives to avoid adverse effects" on this species.
The new proposed tunnel route is not in compliance with the Conservation Agreement. Indeed, according to Dominion's report to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commisison, this new alternative route would still pass through .7 mile of Cow Knob Salamander habitat. In addition the new tunnel route would have a greater impact on intermittent and perennial streams and would lnvolve large staging areas that would have a high potential for sediment runoff and pollution of some of our cleanest streams, like the Cowpasture River and Ramseys Draft.
Read article in Richmond Times-Dispatch by Rex Springston, Oct. 30, 2015
Dominion says it would run natural gas pipeline underground to avoid rare salamander
The new proposed tunnel route is not in compliance with the Conservation Agreement. Indeed, according to Dominion's report to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commisison, this new alternative route would still pass through .7 mile of Cow Knob Salamander habitat. In addition the new tunnel route would have a greater impact on intermittent and perennial streams and would lnvolve large staging areas that would have a high potential for sediment runoff and pollution of some of our cleanest streams, like the Cowpasture River and Ramseys Draft.
Read article in Richmond Times-Dispatch by Rex Springston, Oct. 30, 2015
Dominion says it would run natural gas pipeline underground to avoid rare salamander
Shenandoah Mountain. Photo by Rick Webb.
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