Nelson County Times – Letter to the Editor for August 27, 2015
Like many in Nelson County, I want to see economic growth in our region’s flourishing tourism, wine and brewery industries. Previous writers have expressed concerns with the pipeline and these industries, but there is no reason the pipeline will impact those industries.
The pipeline will virtually be underground. The Atlantic Coast Pipeline will join the many miles of underground pipeline already in use in many parts of our country. In fact, you may be surprised to know that there are 2.5 times more miles of underground natural gas pipeline already in Virginia than interstate highways today, yet few notice them, and the beer and wine industries are flourishing.
The bottom line: Tourism, wineries, craft breweries and natural-gas pipelines can coexist. We see this in other wine regions like Napa Valley and Sonoma County where there are miles of natural gas pipelines that exist underground in those regions, several going through or nearby vineyards directly. The pipelines haven’t negatively impacted the California wine industry, which saw a 7 percent growth in 2014.
MARIE JOHNSTON
Crozet
Real Nelson 