HRD Issues Year End Report

2014 has been an active year for Highlanders for Responsible Development, as evidenced by the year end report distributed by President Lewis Freeman. Most of it’s activities for the past 7 months have been spent addressing Dominion Resources natural gas pipeline proposal, now known as the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.

HRD has studied the project at length, including hosting a well-attended public meeting in August to allow Highland County citizens the opportunity to learn more about the ACP and express their own views.  Based on input from that meeting they adopted in September a position in opposition, citing the serious and permanent damage it would impose on the county. HRD has also become active in helping organize and lead two multi state coalitions of  interests in opposition to the pipeline project, the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance and the Dominion Pipeline Monitoring Coalition.

HRD plans to continue to express  concerns to Dominion Resources, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC),  and the National Forest Service. They will be filing comments in early January with the George Washington National Forest to request that it not permit surveying for the ACP, and asks concerned Highland citizens to express their own views to the GWNF by the January 9 deadline for comments.

HRD will also be devoting attention to other initiatives in 2015. They began work in the past year to promote a greater appreciation for natural resources among school students by co-sponsoring with the Highland County Arts Council a special education program, Science Songs Rock. They will continue to explore additional education projects. They will also be developing a series of rack cards and brochures for distribution to Highland County visitors on the special natural resource attributes of Highland County.

For more information or to contact HRD, visit their website at www.protecthighland.org.

For Allegheny Mountain Radio, this is Scott Smith.