Natural Gas Pipeline Proposal Withdrawn In Prince William County

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — Virginia Natural Gas withdrew its proposal for a new natural gas pipeline in Prince William and Fauquier counties, according to a motion filed to the State Corporation Commission.

The withdrawal motion noted that the project was "no longer needed as proposed." Critics of the proposal were concerned about pollutants and damage to Prince William County's rural crescent.

The proposed pipeline project, VNG Interconnect, would have added more than nine miles of pipes to connect to a preexisting interstate natural gas pipeline. Virginia Natural Gas estimated that the project would have generated $158 million in economic activity for the area, according to their original news release. The proposal was submitted to Virginia's State Corporation Commission in December 2020.

Local climate activists saw the proposed pipeline as unnecessary and dangerous. Jolene Mafnas is an organizer with Food & Water Watch in Virginia.

"The Interconnect Project was Virginia Natural Gas’ attempt to shoehorn part of the already failed Header Improvement Project into a new dirty fracked gas proposal," Mafnas said in a news release. "If approved, Interconnect would have emitted toxic pollutants and cut through Prince William’s Rural Crescent. We are hopeful this will be the end of this terrible plan."

The proposed project also included the construction of a compressor station in Prince William County. "Customers come to VNG when they need service and it is our obligation to serve them," Virginia Natural Gas President Robert Duvall said. "One of the customers for this project is no longer asking for new pipeline capacity, which prompted us to cancel the project."

Now, northern Virginia activists are celebrating the project's demise. "The families that would have been affected are breathing a huge sigh of relief knowing this unnecessary project will not threaten them any longer," said Tiziana Bottino, a community organizer with Mothers Out Front, Northern Virginia.

Zander Pellegrino is an organizer with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. "This is exciting news for Prince William residents," Pellegrino said. "In order to keep our communities safe and ecosystems healthy, we need to end fossil fuel development and fund a just transition in Virginia."