Friends of Nelson County

Spruce Creek Camp/Gathering
2018-10-05 15:00 - 2018-10-07 11:00 (America/New_York) | VA
Spend the day or stay overnight at Spruce Creek Camp in Nelson County, Virginia on land threatened by the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
The biggest regional land-clearing project since the federal highway program of the 1960s is now underway in Virginia. In order to build the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines, Dominion Energy and EQT are targeting vulnerable communities, destroying precious ecosystems, and threatening the livelihoods of Virginians far and wide.
Enough is enough. Join us in Nelson County this October for a peaceful and family-friendly encampment on the property of the Averitt’s. The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is slated to go right through their property, destroying beautiful Spruce Creek and cutting through the heart of Nelson County’s tourist attractions.
Mandatory sign up is required to schedule a time to visit for a day or camp for a few nights and learn about why this project is wrong for the people of Nelson, and all of Virginia. The camp will be held the first 3 weekends in October, from Friday mid-afternoon to Sunday late morning.
Click Here to Register For This Event
Space is limited. After you fill out the form, we will follow up with all the details you need to know regarding location, directions, recommended items to bring and more

Spruce Creek Camp is located at the base of Wintergreen.
A first aid center with emergency phone service will be available at the camp, as well as a full-time coordinator to greet you and provide assistance as needed.
Please bring your own camping equipment, folding chair and flashlight.
There are wild animals in the area and for the safety of everyone, we ask that you keep your food tied up in a tree or locked in your car.
Sharing food on site will be allowed. The Averitt’s will be sharing their food at the camp making gluten free and vegan dishes. There are also several restaurants in the area close by should you choose.
You will have the option to participate in community meals, hike, watch pertinent movies, listen to featured speakers and participate in community forums to discuss ongoing resistance to the ACP in Nelson County. Off property hiking, biking and suggested areas where the ACP would have an effect close by will be suggested for campers who are interested in venturing out on their own.

*** You must sign up prior to arrival to join the camp.***
Note: Cell service is limited for most providers except for Sprint.
Contact Deborah and or Sam for more information at sprucecreekgathering@gmail.com

Click here to watch a presentation from the Congressional Briefing landowner (and camp-out sponsor) Richard Averitt, participated in earlier this month sponsored by the Niskanen Center. It is 11 minutes long and deeply personal. It will surely shed light on the human side of the abuse of Eminent Domain and the entirely unnecessary Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley Pipelines.

Augusta Board of Zoning Appeals Hearing on Proposed ACP Pipe Yard
2018-10-04 13:30 - 16:00 | Augusta County Government Center, 18 Government Center Lane, Verona, VA, United States
On Thursday October 4, 2018, the Augusta Board of Zoning Appeals will consider Dominion’s request for a pipe yard in West Augusta. This request was continued from the September meeting.

Protest at Virginia Dominion Energy
2018-10-03 11:30 - 12:30 | Dominion Virginia Energy (Charlottesville headquarters), 1719 Hydraulic Rd., Charlottesville, VA, 22901, United States
Wednesday, October 3, 2018, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Dominion Virginia Energy (Charlottesville headquarters), 1719 Hydraulic Rd., Charlottesville 22901, protest against the ACP. Bring your signs and wear your t-shirts to protest the ACP at Dominion’s Charlottesville headquarters. Sponsored by Friends of Nelson.

Friends of Nelson Public Meeting
2018-09-30 18:30 - 21:00 | Rockfish Valley Community Center, 190 Rockfish School Lane, Afton, VA, 22920, United States
The Friends of Nelson public meeting, originally scheduled for September 16, 2018, will be held September 30, happily with the same two dynamic guest speakers! Join us from 6:30 to 9 pm at Rockfish Valley Community Center to hear our speakers, with time for questions and answers.
Guest Speakers:
Rick Cornelius – Rick has been practicing environmental law for over 45 years, and has worked with Friends of Nelson and the Southern Environmental Law Center on the pipeline issues since he first heard about them 4 years ago. Rick will give us overviews and updates on key cases before the courts.
Ivy Main – Ivy works with the Sierra Club and is a columnist with Power to the People. She’ll give a brief overview of the Virginia Energy Plan and updates on Virginia’s energy future, and give suggestions about actions we can take to push toward a carbon-free electric energy system for Virginia.

The Defenders - Dedication
2018-09-30 15:00 - 16:30 | Rockfish Valley Foundation, 1368 Rockfish Valley Highway, Nellysford, VA, 22958, United States
September 30th, 2018, 3:00-4:30 pm, Rockfish Valley Foundation, 1368 Rockfish Valley Hwy, Nellysford, VA 22958 – The Defenders dedication. The Defenders is the 8-foot tall 8-foot wide anti-pipeline sculpture created by Mark Schwenk and Cheryl Langlais of Berkeley Springs West Virginia.
Members of the public are cordially invited to the dedication of The Defenders sculpture being installed in Nelson County along Rt 151 next to the Rockfish Valley Foundation Natural History Center at 1368 Rockfish Valley Highway in Nellysford. This is the first of a series of 5 installations sites with public events along the proposed pipeline paths. The Installation Celebration will begin at 3:00 pm and last until 4:30 pm on Sunday September 30. Take your selfie with THE DEFENDERS and post on your face book page! And hashtag #TheDefenders!
The sponsors and several local dignitaries will also make remarks. Bring your children and enjoy Spruce Creek Park and its children’s nature trail along with the Natural History Center exhibits. Light refreshments.
Event sponsored by Climate Action Alliance of the Valley, Friends of Nelson, and Rockfish Valley Foundation.

Rally Against Pipelines
2018-09-26 17:30 - 20:30 | Dominion Virginia Energy (Charlottesville headquarters), 1719 Hydraulic Rd., Charlottesville, VA, 22901, United States
September 26, 2018, 5:30-8:30m at Dominion Energy’s Charlottesville headquarterson Hydraulic Rd, sponsored by Charlottesville’s Democratic Socialists of America.
We stand in solidarity with Red, Minor, Nutty, Lauren, Nettle, and all those who oppose the pipeline projects in West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina, specifically the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley Pipelines.
Fracked gas pipeline projects are one of the purest forms of capitalist exploitation. For short-term financial gains, energy companies will poison streams, mar the land, and decimate our local communities, particularly communities of color and low-income neighborhoods. Dominion Energy and Duke Energy – and the politicians, courts, and police who enable them – have no interest in the well-being of our communities. They will use every tool available to push the pipelines through, and to break those who dare oppose.
We recognize, too, that this struggle is a component of a larger effort to protect life-giving water from industrial pollution. We see in these pipelines echoes of the Dakota Access Pipeline and America’s long history of environmental racism, and recognize the Native American water protectors on the front lines of that struggle. We stand in solidarity with the people of Union Hill against Dominion’s racist decision to build a hazardous compressor station for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in the historic Black community of Union Hill in Buckingham County. The need for clean water touches all of us from Standing Rock to Flint, and it is a right we must defend.
We demand that Governor Ralph Northam immediately direct Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality to conduct a full stream-by-stream analysis of the environmental impact of the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines as a first step towards using Governor Northam’s existing authority under the Clean Water Act to immediately stop all pipeline construction.
The resistance now offered against the pipelines is but the continuance of the unending struggle against the hateful domination of corporate greed. We demand environmental justice in every sense: justice for the land on which we live, and justice for the communities in the path of destruction. Therefore we stand in solidarity with all pipeline resisters, and call on all people who know the weight of capitalism to join their voices to the cause. We can achieve a better world than the one Dominion and Duke present to us. We will reach it, with or without them.

Documentary: We The People 2.0
2018-09-23 15:00 - 18:00 | Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Waynesboro, 565 Pine Ave., Waynesboro, VA, 22980, United States
Co-sponsored by Friends of Augusta, Friends of Buckingham, Friends of Nelson, LIAM, and SAW CAN. We the People, this documentary tells the story of of people across the U.S. who have faced decades of of environmental assaults – such as fracking and sludging of farmland – and what they are doing about it.
Sunday, September 23 at 3 PM – 6 PM
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Waynesboro
565 Pine Ave, Waynesboro, Virginia 22980

Hands Across the Appalachian Trail
2018-09-22 10:30 - 12:30 | Humback Rocks Visitor Center, Blue Ridge Parkway, milepost 5.8, VA, United States
Saturday, September 22 -10:30 am to 12:30 pm, Blue Ridge Parkway, Humpback Rocks Visitor Center, Milepost 5.8.
Join hands to protect our land, water, air, communities, and natural treasures from the threats posed by unnecessary, unwanted, and unnatural fracked gas pipelines at our Third annual Hands Across the Appalachian Trail!
The dedicated work of hundreds of volunteers, community groups and allies, and dedicated individuals has led to Stop Work Orders and further delays of the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast Pipelines. These pipelines propose to cross several nationally known and highly popular public recreational areas including the George Washington National Forest, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Great Eastern Trail, and the iconic Appalachian Trail.
Hands Across the Appalachian Trail is our community response to protect valued natural parks and environment. This event will be an opportunity for people to come together and celebrate our treasured natural resources, celebrate victories won by the hard work of dedicated volunteers and legal advocates, and continue building fellowship and momentum around the continued effort to stand against unnatural gas fossil fuel projects and fight for a safe, sustainable future that all can enjoy!
Now in its third year this event features the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s vision to “connect the human spirit with nature – preserving the delicate majesty of the Trail as a haven for all to enjoy.” Everyone should have the opportunity for that experience. Come enjoy food, music, and celebrate our natural resources.
This Hands Across the Appalachian Trail event will take place at the Humpback Rocks Visitors Center in Nelson County. Events will also be held at the Route 100 Trail Head intersection with the A.T. in Giles Countyand at the Bears Den Lodge in Loudon County.
For more information, directions, or answers to any questions, contact Kirk Bowers, Sierra Club Pipelines Campaign Coordinator, at kirk.bowers@sierraclub.org.
Directions: Take Interstate 64 to Exit 99 at the top of Afton Mountain. Follow signs on Route 250 to Blue Ridge Parkway. Turn right onto Blue Ridge Parkway. Travel 5.8 miles to Humpback Rocks Visitor Center and Picnic Area.

Protest at Virginia Dominion Energy
2018-09-19 11:30 - 12:30 | Dominion Virginia Energy (Charlottesville headquarters), 1719 Hydraulic Rd., Charlottesville, VA, 22901, United States
Wednesday, September 19, 2018, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Dominion Virginia Energy (Charlottesville headquarters), 1719 Hydraulic Rd., Charlottesville 22901, protest against the ACP. Bring your signs and wear your t-shirts to protest the ACP at Dominion’s Charlottesville headquarters. Sponsored by Friends of Nelson.

POSTPONED - Friends of Nelson Public Meeting
2018-09-16 18:00 - 21:00 | Rockfish Valley Community Center, 190 Rockfish School Lane, Afton, VA, 22920, United States
The Friends of Nelson public meeting, scheduled for 6=9 pm at Rockfish Valley Community Center, have been postponed because of potential bad weather.
Once we have finalized dates with our speakers and our venue, we will send out information on a new date for the public meeting. Our dynamic guest speakers Rick Cornelius and Ivy Main will be at the new meeting, once the new date is figured out!
Stay safe and we’ll see you soon!
Friends of Nelson will hold a public meeting at Rockfish Valley Community Center on Sunday evening September 16, 2018; doors open at 6, meeting begins at 6:30.
Speakers (with time built in for questions and answers):

Rick Cornelius – Rick has been practicing environmental law for over 45 years, and has worked with Friends of Nelson and the Southern Environmental Law Center on the pipeline issues since he first heard about them 4 years ago. Rick will give us overviews and updates on key cases before the courts.
Ivy Main – Ivy works with the Sierra Club and is a columnist with Power to the People. She’ll give a brief overview of the Virginia Energy Plan and updates on Virginia’s energy future, and give suggestions about actions we can take to push toward a carbon-free electric energy system for Virginia.

Circle of Protection
2018-09-16 13:30 - 15:30 | Union Hill Baptist Church, 1496 Union Hill Road (Rt. 663), Buckingham, VA, 23921, United States
On Sunday afternoon September 16, 2018, rain or shine, join the Circle of Protection, an interfaith prayer vigil, co-produced by Friends of Buckingham County, Virginia and Water is Life. Protect It, to protect Buckingham County (and all of us!) from the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the proposed Union Hill ACP Compressor Station. Expect neighbors, story, poetry and song. Expect fun.
The 1:30-3:30 vigils are open air (inside if rain) on the grounds of Union Hill Baptist Church, 1496 Union Hill Road (State Route 663), Buckingham, VA 23921. Indoor pot luck and speaker following in the church basement. The Circle of Protection is a collaboration of Friends of Buckingham, Union Hill/Grove Baptist Church, Yogaville, VSEC and Water is life. Protect it.
Print out directions for the event before setting forth as reception can be vague to nonexistent in certain parts of the county.

POSTPONED - The Defenders - Installation and Unveiling
2018-09-16 13:30 - 15:00 | Rockfish Valley Foundation, 1368 Rockfish Valley Highway, Nellysford, VA, 22958, United States
The installation and unveiling of the Defenders sculpture, scheduled for 1:30-3:00 at Rockfish Valley Foundation, has been postponed because of potential bad weather.
Stay tuned for the new date – and stay safe!
September 16th, 2018,
1:30 – 3:00 pm, Rockfish Valley Foundation, 1368 Rockfish Valley Hwy, Nellysford, VA 22958 – The Defenders – installation and unveiling. The Defenders is the 8-foot tall 8-foot wide anti-pipeline sculpture created by Mark Schwenk and Cheryl Langlais of Berkeley Springs West Virginia.
Members of the public are cordially invited to the unveiling of The Defenders sculpture being installed in Nelson County along Rt 151 next to the Rockfish Valley Foundation Natural History Center at 1368 Rockfish Valley Highway in Nellysford. This is the first of a series of 5 installations sites with public events along the proposed pipeline paths. The Installation Celebration will begin at 1:30 pm and last until 3:00 pm on Sunday September 16. Take your selfie with THE DEFENDERS and post on your face book page!
Mark and Cheryl have donated all their time and will be present to discuss their work. The sponsors and several local dignitaries will also make remarks. Bring your children and enjoy Spruce Creek Park and its children’s nature trail along with the Natural History Center exhibits. Light refreshments.
Event sponsored by Climate Action Alliance of the Valley, Friends of Nelson, and Rockfish Valley Foundation.

Public Hearing: Air Quality Permit for Compressor Station
2018-09-11 17:00 - 21:30 | Buckingham Middle School, 1184 High School Road, Buckingham, VA, 23921, United States
There will be a public hearing on the air quality permit for the Buckingham compressor station on Tuesday, September 11, 2018, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. or until all comments are received, whichever is earlier. The hearing will be at Buckingham County Middle School, 1184 High School Road in Buckingham. It is important to come as early as possible to sign up to speak. Gathering to pray and sing will be at 4 pm.

Augusta Board Of Zoning Appeals - Dominion Request for Special Use Permit
2018-09-06 13:30 - 17:00 | Augusta County Government Center, 18 Government Center Lane, Verona, VA, United States
Thursday, September 6, 2018: Deny Special Use Permit/Zoning Variance for ACP in Augusta County. 1:30 pm, Augusta County Government Center, 18 Government Center Lane, Verona, VA 24482. Turn out to make your voice heard!
Dominion has once again decided it wants to play by its own rules instead of those put in place by the citizens of Augusta County. On Thursday, Sept. 6 at 1:30 p.m., the Augusta County Board of Zoning Appeals will hear another Special Use Permit request by Dominion and the Atlantic Coast Pipeline to put a pipe yard in an inappropriate place in our county. The meeting is at the Augusta County Government Center in Verona.
Yes, that’s right – huge gravel parking lots, 40-ft. light poles, 250 workers’ vehicles and busloads of workers coming and going every day, heavy equipment, portable toilets, piles and piles of pipe and other materials, fuel storage, noise, industrial activities such as pipe fabrication, single, double, and triple-wide trailers, and 26 van trailers and large metal boxes for storage! All in the most rural part of western Augusta County –a place right now that hosts a cornfield.
“Where is it this time?” you ask. Just off Rt. 250 in West Augusta at 717 West Augusta Road. And, in addition to the 55-acre contractor yard with its three construction entrances, this time Dominion also wants food trucks, presumably for its hundreds of workers.
We could go on about the traffic issues and illogical traffic counts associated with this proposal, about the more than 150 students who will mix with that heavy construction traffic twice a day, and about water issues and erosion and sediment control problems. If you are also worried about this, we are asking that you do one or both of the following:
Mark your calendars and plan to attend the BZA hearing on Thursday, Sept. 6 at 1:30 p.m. at the Augusta County Government Center in Verona. Plan to speak for 3 minutes or come to hear and support those who will be speaking and asking the BZA members to do the right thing and stand up for the county’s citizens and rules.
Take a few minutes in the next few days to review the application in order to understand the magnitude of Dominion’s proposal and send an email message to BZA members through county staff John Wilkinson (jwilkinson@co.augusta.va.us) and Sandy Bunch (sbunch@co.augusta.va.us). You might thank them for having supported the community earlier this year and ask them to again listen to the people of the county.
Remember that there is no harm in sending an email AND attending the meeting. We will be in touch again. Augusta County is a special place. Let’s keep it that way.
Sincerely,
Nancy Sorrells
Co-Chair Augusta County Alliance
info@augustacountyalliance.org

Protest at Virginia Dominion Energy
2018-09-05 11:30 - 12:30 | Dominion Virginia Energy (Charlottesville headquarters), 1719 Hydraulic Rd., Charlottesville, VA, 22901, United States
Wednesday, September 5, 2018, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Dominion Virginia Energy (Charlottesville headquarters), 1719 Hydraulic Rd., Charlottesville 22901, protest against the ACP. Bring your signs and wear your t-shirts to protest the ACP at Dominion’s Charlottesville headquarters. Sponsored by Friends of Nelson.

Air Permit Comment Writing Party - Union Hill
2018-09-04 17:30 - 20:00 | Union Hill Baptist Church, 1496 Union Hill Road (Rt. 663), Buckingham, VA, 23921, United States
Come join friends and neighbors for help in writing your personalized comments to DEQ about the air permit for the proposed Buckingham compressor station. The comment period ends Tuesday, September 11, 2018, with the public hearing which will be at the Buckingham Middle School.
Friends of Buckingham will host an additional comment writing party on Tuesday, September 4, 2018, at 5:30 pm at Union Hill Baptist Church, 1496 Union Hill Road, Buckingham 23921, RRT 663. We will commence with a mostly catered dinner, [including chocolate cake], to feed our bodies and fire up our muses!

CSI Training - Lovingston
2018-08-30 18:00 - 21:00 | Nelson Center, 8445 Thomas Nelson Highway, Lovingston, VA, 22949, United States
CSI training for the general public, Thursday August 30, 2018, at the Nelson Center, 6-9 pm. As members of the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance, Friends of Nelson and our sister groups are standing up to protect our region’s rights to clean water and the rule of environmental law. State and federal regulators are unwilling or unable to police these proposed unnecessary pipeline projects in earnest, so don’t miss your chance to come learn how to protect our region from harm by volunteering with the Pipeline Compliance Surveillance Initiative (CSI)!

Come and learn how to protect our region from harm with the Pipeline CSI!
EVERYONE is invited to join us and get educated on how to blow the whistle on ACP construction activity if construction indeed begins in Virginia.
We’ll be speaking with folks about the overview of the CSI and then diving in to specific presentations by Kirk Bowers and Malcolm Cameron, on erosion and sedimentation controls measures and water body crossing construction methods, respectively. You’ll walk away knowing what to look for and report on, if construction does reach us.

Air Permit Comment Writing Party - Yogaville
2018-08-29 13:30 - 19:30 | Yogaville Library, 108 Yogaville Way, Buckingham, VA, 23921, United States
Come join friends and neighbors for help in writing your personalized comments to DEQ about the air permit for the proposed Buckingham compressor station. The comment period ends Tuesday, September 11, 2018, with the public hearing which will be at the Buckingham Middle School.
Yogaville will host the comment parties on Wednesday August 29, 2018, at 1:30 pm after lunch and again at 7:30 pm after dinner. Yummmmy chocolate cake will be your sweet reward.

Circle of Protection
2018-08-26 13:00 - 15:00 | Union Hill Baptist Church, 1496 Union Hill Road (Rt. 663), Buckingham, VA, 23921, United States
Join us on Sunday afternoon August 26, rain or shine, for the Circle of Protection, an interfaith prayer vigil, co-produced by Friends of Buckingham County, Virginia and Water is Life. Protect It, to protect Buckingham County (and all of us!) from the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the proposed Union Hill ACP Compressor Station.
The vigils are open air on the grounds of Union Hill Baptist Church, 1496 Union Hill Road (State Route 663), Buckingham, VA 23921. Indoor pot luck and speaker following in the church basement. The Circle of Protection is a collaboration of Friends of Buckingham, Union Hill/Grove Baptist Church, Yogaville, VSEC and Water is life. Protect it.
Details/directions for the event Circle of Protection. (We advise printing out directions for the event before setting forth as reception can be vague to nonexistent in certain parts of the county.)

State Water Control Board Meeting
2018-08-21 09:30 - 13:30 | Pocahontas Building, First Floor House Committee Room, 900 East Main Street, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
The Virginia State Water Control Board’s (SWCB) next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 21, beginning at 9:30 am, at the Pocahontas Building, First Floor House Committee Room, 900 East Main Street, Richmond, VA 23219. The tentative meeting agenda includes the following items at the end of the meeting:

VII. Mountain Valley Pipeline/Atlantic Coast Pipeline Reports Nationwide Permit 12 Comment Period Update in Response to April 12 Requests from Board
VIII. Other Business Future Meetings (September 20 and December 13)
IX. Public Forum
ADJOURN

A summary of the more than 13,000 comments filed with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality on the adequacy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Nationwide Permit 12 for the ACP supposedly is being prepared by DEQ for the SWCB’s review and supposedly is to be made available to the public. At this writing, the summary is not yet available, although Wild Virginia and Dominion Pipeline Monitoring Coalition posted a summary on August 15, 2018. DPMA and Wild Virginia also posted the full set of comments on July 20, 2018, and the full set is finally available on the DEQ Web page. It is also not known what action, if any, will be taken by the SWCB in response to the comments that were submitted.

People’s Caravan for Clean Air and Water
2018-08-18 12:00 - 13:00 | Bell Tower at Virginia Square, 9th Street and Franklin Street, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
People’s Caravan For Clean Air and Water’s NO MVP NO ACP Rally
At this event, we want to send a message to Governor Northam, DEQ, and the SWCB to stop construction and do a stream by stream analysis. Northam needs to call for the SWCB to pull the permits and direct DEQ to stop work now! At their next meeting, SWCB needs to pull the permits.
We want to tell Northam to reappoint Roberta Kellam to the State Water Control Board.
We want to highlight what the pipelines mean to the people of Union Hill who are facing the building of a compressor station 70 feet from their homes. The compressor station has a kill zone which Dominion cannot even define. We want to highlight the danger to the drinking of water of over 400,000 people.
We want the need for the Southside Connector Project in Norfolk and Chesapeake, to be reexamined. With gas demand being flat, is it worth constructing this 24 inch, fracked gas, expansion pipeline through neighborhoods and within the potential incineration zones of several schools? This is unacceptable, our children should be safe in their classrooms and families should be safe in their homes.
We have to continue to shine the light on how bad the Moutain Valley Pipeline and Atlantic Coast Pipelines for the environment, for peoples, health.
At the same time, we also want to tell the world that we want Renewable Energy.
We’re doing this on a weekend hoping lots of people will STAND UP FIGHT BACK. This is everyone’s issue not just the people who are directly in the path of the pipelines.
So bring a sign and join us in sending a message that Virginia is not going to put up with this.
Hosted by Hampton Roads Green Party and 19 others

DEQ Briefing on Compressor Station Air Quality Permit
2018-08-16 18:00 - 20:00 | Buckingham County Administrative Building, 13380 West James Anderson Hwy (Rt. 60), Buckingham, VA, 23921, United States
There will be a DEQ briefing on Thursday, August 16, 2018, 6-8 pm, Peter Francisco Auditorium, Buckingham County Administration Building, 13380 W. James Anderson Highway. The informational briefing will be a DEQ presentation to inform the public of the draft air quality permit review. An opportunity for questions related to the air quality permit will also be provided. No oral comments on the draft permit will be received at this briefing. [Come at 5 to pray and sing together.]

Our Air Our Lives
2018-08-16 17:00 - 18:00 | Buckingham County Administrative Building, 13380 West James Anderson Hwy (Rt. 60), Buckingham, VA, 23921, United States
August 16, 2018, Buckingham County Administration Building
Prayer Song Circle & Virginia Water Flags baptism 5-6 pm – before the DEQ Briefing on the Draft Air Permit for the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline Compressor Station at Union Hill 6-8 pm. Peter Francisco Auditorium, Buckingham County Administration Building, 13380 W. James Anderson Highway, Buckingham, VA. At the briefing, can ask questions, but not comment.
Bring a small amount of water from a waterway you love.
We can stop the proposed 54,000 + horse power ACP Compressor Station that would endanger and diminish the health and land values of all residents of Buckingham County and destroy the lives of the historic African American community of Union Hill.
The next challenge is to deny the air permit for the compressor station. Without the compressor station, the ACP, a robbery of and threat to all Virginians, cannot be built.
This compressor station, a giant one, even by industry standards would bring loud constant noise and release toxic poisons into Buckingham’s air and water. The health of children is particularly vulnerable to the methane, formaldehyde, arsenic, benzene, xylene and other compounds the compressor will regularly release. The compressor station would create a fire and explosion hazard completely beyond the capacity of distant volunteer firefighters. The station has few staff on site and would be built on a former slave plantation atop the unmarked slave graves of Union Hill ancestors.
LIFT UP YOUR VOICE: The public comment period for the compressor station draft air permit is August 8, 2018 until September 11, 2018.
If you cannot make the the briefing, the PUBLIC HEARING is even more important: Tuesday, September 11, 4-9:30 pm,Buckingham County Middle School, 1184 High School Road. Hearing begins at 5, but join us for prayer, song and food outside at 4.
*IF YOU CANNOT GO: Write via e-mail, fax or post. Submittals must include your name, mailing address and telephone number. Contact: Ann Regn; Phone: (804) 698-4442; Postal Mail: Piedmont Regional Office, RE: Buckingham Compressor Station, 4949-A Cox Rd, Glen Allen, VA 23060; E-mail:
airdivision1@deq.virginia.gov; Fax: (804) 527-5106. Include: PERMIT NAME: Minor Source Construction Permit issued under the authority of the Air Pollution Control Board APPLICANT NAME AND REGISTRATION NUMBER: Atlantic Coast Pipeline, LLC; 21599 FACILITY NAME AND ADDRESS: ACP – Dominion Energy Buckingham Compressor Station; 5297 S. James River Hwy, Wingina, VA 24599
Join neighbors who have researched the facts and bring yourself to the important work of protecting your water, air, health and right to own your own land.

Protest at Virginia Dominion Energy
2018-08-15 11:30 - 12:30 | Dominion Virginia Energy (Charlottesville headquarters), 1719 Hydraulic Rd., Charlottesville, VA, 22901, United States
Wednesday, August 15, 2018, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Dominion Virginia Energy (Charlottesville headquarters), 1719 Hydraulic Rd., Charlottesville 22901, protest against the ACP. Bring your signs and wear your t-shirts to protest the ACP at Dominion’s Charlottesville headquarters. Sponsored by Friends of Nelson.

Climate Action Team Meeting and Activist Training - Shenandoah Valley
2018-08-13 18:30 - 20:30 | Staunton Public Library, 1 Churchville Ave, Staunton, VA, 24401, United States
What: Climate Action Team Meeting and Activist Training – Shenandoah Valley
When: Monday, August 13th, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Where: Staunton Public Library (1 Churchville Ave, Staunton VA 24401)
RSVP: Click here to RSVP. Invite all your friends!

At this climate action meeting you will get an overview of the most dire threats that Virginia faces — like fracked-gas pipelines and compressor stations — and what we can do to stop them.
Then, we will look at the most pressing climate solutions to cut greenhouse gas emissions and get Virginia join the other states in the country that are taking the climate fight into their own hands.

Paramount among these steps is for Virginia to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). By joining RGGI, big polluters like Dominion will finally have to pay for all of the harm that they are doing to our climate and communities. This will bring up to $200 million back to Virginia each year, which can be reinvested into coastal resiliency and clean energy.

It is time to let our Virginia leaders know that we want solutions.

Parkway Picnic to Protest the Pipelines
2018-08-09 17:00 - 20:00 | Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) mile marker 136 and the 221 Bent Mtn, Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) mile marker 136 and the 221 Bent Mtn
Thursday, August 9 at 5 PM – 8 PM, Blue Ridge Pkwy, Bent Mountain, VA 24059
Join Preserve Floyd and friends as we picnic and protest the pipelines at 5 pm on August 9 between the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) mile marker 136 and the 221 Bent Mtn entrance to the BRP. Bring your families! Bring your friends! Enjoy the summer with us and take a stand for justice.
We’ll make sandwiches and cupcakes! We’ll have games and songs! Bring an (easy) side dish, a dessert, drinks, musical instruments, blankets or chairs for picnicking upon, extra veggies from your garden to share…or just yourself. And a protest sign!
Preserve Floyd turned four this summer, so this celebration of community, effective action and resistance is intended to be a birthday bash. Any and all are welcome to join! We especially hope to support our fellow grassroots Preserve groups with some food, fellowship and continued solidarity.
Please bring relics from our movement that will show how we’ve grown: yard signs, flags, posters, etc. You can also make new ones for this protest! We encourage you to investigate what’s happening with the MVP and ACP the week of Aug 9th and structure your messaging accordingly.
in 2014, Preserve Floyd said “Stop the PipelineS.” We meant it. Do not let the construction fool you–there are still plenty of ways that Virginia can step up and STOP the environmental and social injustice that the MVP and ACP are perpetuating upon the people.
So exercise your first amendment rights to peaceful protest, enjoy the company of your communities, and come picnic with us!

The Air We Breathe Community Meeting
2018-08-06 17:00 - 19:30 | Union Hill Baptist Church, 1496 Union Hill Road (Rt. 663), Buckingham, VA, 23921, United States
*COMMUNITY MEETING: Monday, August 6, 5:00-6:30 pm, Union Hill Church, with potluck to follow. 1496 Union Hill Road (Route 663), Buckingham, VA 23921. Learn how to challenge and comment on the draft air permit for the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline compressor station.
ACP & UNION HILL COMPRESSOR STATION: BAD DEAL – NOT DONE DEAL: It is still possible to stop the proposed 54,000 + horse power ACP Compressor Station that would endanger and diminish the health and land values of all residents of Buckingham County and destroy the lives of the historic African American community of Union Hill. The permits for the pipeline and its compressor station are not complete and the project is currently being challenged in the courts. Dominion’s false claims of safety have begun. The next challenge is to deny the air permit for the compressor station. Without the compressor station, the ACP, a robbery of and threat to all Virginians, cannot be built.
THE AIR WE BREATHE: This compressor station, a giant one, even by industry standards would bring loud constant noise and release toxic poisons into Buckingham’s air and water. The health of children is particularly vulnerable to the methane, formaldehyde, arsenic, benzene, xylene and other compounds the compressor will regularly release. Above and underground storage tanks create a fire and explosion hazard completely beyond the capacity of distant volunteer firefighters. The station has few staff on site and would be built on a former slave plantation atop the unmarked slave graves of Union Hill ancestors. Please note that although the information provided by the Va Department of Environmental Quality puts this compressor station in the minor category, that is a technical term based on the amount of pollutants it can emit. The environmental regulations do not protect our air water and health; they allow ACP to pollute up to very high levels that impact human and all life, especially those most vulnerable, the elderly and children.
LIFT UP YOUR VOICE: The public comment period for the compressor station draft air permit is August 8, 2018 until September 11, 2018. Join neighbors who have researched the facts and bring yourself to the important work of protecting your water, air, health and right to own your own land. Any time you have is enough, is needed.
For more information, Friends of Buckingham phone contact: 434 969 3229 ( Chad)

CSI Drone Training - Buckingham
2018-08-04 10:00 - 14:00 | Union Hill Baptist Church, 1496 Union Hill Road (Rt. 663), Buckingham, VA, 23921, United States
Friends of Buckingham and the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance are excited to announce the date of our first Buckingham Pipeline Compliance Surveillance Initiative (CSI) drone monitoring training on Saturday, August 4, from 10:00am – 2:00pm at Union Hill Baptist Church.
The purpose of this training is to introduce volunteers to the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, to monitor construction and preconstruction activities of the fracked gas pipelines that threaten our communities.
Topics to be covered are as follows:

Why use drones?
Which drones can you use?
Flying Safely: Do’s & Don’t’s
Flying Legally: Rules of the air
What and where to monitor?
Taking useful photos and videos
Advanced mapping missions
Networking with your neighbors

The CSI will have two DJI Mavic Pro drones present for demonstration. If you own or have access to your own drone, please bring it with you!
This training will include an indoor classroom-style presentation in the church Lounge followed by a flight and mapping-mission demonstration in the soccer field outside. Lunch will be provided, so please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions.
Important: It is our hope with this program to create a network of citizen aerial monitors across our region who can respond to and document construction non-compliance and environmental degradation at the hands of ACP and MVP developers. This training is not an end-all-be-all for how to fly, you’ll need to practice flying on your own to become proficient. If you cannot attend due to scheduling conflicts or distance, don’t fret, we plan on holding more of these trainings in the coming weeks and months in different communities along the proposed ACP route. We also plan to have a live-stream video of this training so stay tuned for updates on how to access that.
Space is limited to 50 people.
Please direct any questions or concerns to Ben Cunningham, at silvercunning@gmail.com or 434-882-1893.

The Defenders Kick-off Celebration
2018-08-01 17:30 - 19:00 | Seven Arrows Brewing Co., 2508 Jefferson Hwy,, Waynesboro, VA, 22980, United States
Wednesday, August 1 at 5:30 PM – 7 PM, Seven Arrows Brewing Company, Waynesboro.
Time to celebrate the success of the fundraising campaign to bring the Defenders, a protest sculpture against the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines, to life! Join a celebratory gathering to officially kick-off this project. Hear from sculptor, Mark Schwenk, as he ceremoniously receives the check to start The Defenders sculpture. Meet some of the landowners who have volunteered to host the sculpture on their properties once complete. And listen to fine music as you enjoy Seven Arrows Brewing Company’s beer, food, and a special cake to mark the occasion.

Protest at Virginia Dominion Energy
2018-08-01 11:30 - 12:30 | Dominion Virginia Energy (Charlottesville headquarters), 1719 Hydraulic Rd., Charlottesville, VA, 22901, United States
Wednesday, August 1, 2018, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Dominion Virginia Energy (Charlottesville headquarters), 1719 Hydraulic Rd., Charlottesville 22901, protest against the ACP. Bring your signs and wear your t-shirts to protest the ACP at Dominion’s Charlottesville headquarters. Sponsored by Friends of Nelson.
