RICHMOND, Va. — On Saturday, May 9, a group of 30 students begin a 10-day, 332-mile bicycle journey along Dominion’s proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
The ride, officially called the “Atlantic Coast Pipeline Resistance Ride starts in West Augusta County and ends in Norfolk on May 19. The student group behind the event is the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition, a network that works toward “environmental justice” in the Commonwealth.
Students participating in the ride are from schools across Virginia, including University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, James Madison University, Eastern Mennonite University, University of Mary Washington, Christopher Newport University , and William and Mary.
The group will use social media to document the ride, and to highlight the concerns of landowners.
The planned route is:
Saturday, May 9: White’s Wayside Diner, W. Augusta
Sunday, May 10: Sherando Lake, E. Augusta
Monday, May 11: Acorn Inn, Nelson
Tuesday, May 12: Yogaville, Buckingham
Wednesday, May 13: Bear Creek Campground, Goochland
Thursday, May 14: Brookeview Farm, Manakin-Sabot
Friday, May 15: Brown’s Island, Richmond
Saturday, May 16: Memorial United Methodist Church, Charles City
Sunday, May 17: William and Mary Campus, Williamsburg
Monday, May 18: Community Members’ Housing, Carrollton
Tuesday, May 19: Larchmont Elementary, Norfolk
The pipeline is backed by Dominion Virginia Power, Duke Energy, and Piedmont Natural Gas and has yet to be approved by the Federal Regulatory Commission. Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced his support of the project in Sept. 2014 and called the project “good for the environment.”
“In addition, this will allow Dominion, who has coal plants that are 50, 60 years old, which they plan on shutting down — this is a lot less emissions,” McAuliffe said. “So what we’re doing today is great for the environment. . . . This is a win-win today for everybody.”
Protesters recently voiced concerns over what they say are Dominion’s “dirty energy investments and dirty politics.”
