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Protestors March Against Fracked-Gas Pipelines

Dozens of people marched across the Lee bridge in Richmond Friday to protest fracked-gas pipelines in the Commonwealth.

Environmental and racial-justice advocates shouted “Do we want these pipelines? No fracking way!” as they crossed the Lee Bridge Friday afternoon. The group marched in support of the historic black community, Union Hill, where a natural gas compressor station is planned as part of Dominion Energy’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline project. The pipeline would pump natural gas from West Virginia through Virginia and into North Carolina.

Charles Brown held a sign that said Virginia Is for Green Energy Lovers. Brown said the compressor station and the pipeline will disproportionately impact people of color like himself.

“Of course, everyone has to breathe the air and drink the water, but black people, we face the brunt of it,” he said.

In December, construction on the pipeline came to halt after a federal appeals court suspended the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s permit for the project.

In January, the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board issued Dominion a permit to construct the compressor station at Union Hill.

Dominion Energy released a statement in January that said public utilities depend on the pipeline to generate cleaner electricity and provide more affordable, reliable energy to consumers.

“Delaying the project will only force consumers and businesses to pay higher energy costs and slow down the transition to cleaner energy,” the statement said.

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Whittney Evans is VPM News’ features editor.