Whereas, the Atlan c Coast Pipeline and others are cri cal to the economic and energy future of the
State of West Virginia, providing our state’s natural gas produc on with unprecedented access to new
markets; and
Whereas, studies indicate construc on and opera on of the Atlan c Coast Pipeline alone will generate
massive economic benefits for West Virginia, including almost $478 million in addi onal economic
ac vity during the construc on period and more than $15 million in addi onal economic ac vity each
year a er the facility begins opera ng; and
Whereas the Atlan c Coast Pipeline and others will create thousands of new job opportuni es for the
working men and women of West Virginia and significant new tax revenues for many West Virginia
coun es; and
Whereas, the Atlan c Coast Pipeline and others will help promote our na on’s energy independence,
helping make the burgeoning natural gas produc on in West Virginia and adjacent states more available
to millions of consumers and reducing the need for energy imports;
Whereas, the Atlan c Coast Pipeline’s environmental impact has been repeatedly and thoroughly
analyzed by state and federal agencies, including the West Virginia Department of Environmental
Protec on, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the U.S. Forest Service, among others, with
all of the agencies finding that the project can be built and operated in a manner that protects the
natural resources of West Virginia and the other states in its path; and
Whereas, despite the enormous energy and economic benefits, as well as the posi ve findings from a
broad range of environmental regulatory agencies, some groups have launched an all-out assault on the
Atlan c Coast Pipeline project, with the ul mate aim of forcing its cancela on; and
Whereas, these a acks are not based on the facts regarding the Atlan c Coast Pipeline but are part of
what the U.S. Chamber of Commerce describes as a na onwide “keep it in the ground” strategy by some
groups to end all uses of fossil fuels in power genera on; and
Whereas, these unwarranted a acks have resulted in regulatory and legal proceedings that have
repeatedly delayed both the Atlan c Coast Pipeline and the related Supply Header Project; and
Whereas, in response to court orders stemming from these a acks, the Atlan c Coast Pipeline and
Supply Header Project have been forced to lay off or delay hiring thousands of skilled construc on
workers in West Virginia and also in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia and North Carolina, posing significant
hardships for working families and depriving them of paychecks and steady work; and
Whereas, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce report es mates that these delays, through August 2018, have
already resulted in the loss of $2.3 billion in the U.S. Gross Domes c product as well as $500 million in
lost tax revenue for U.S. states and locali es; and
Whereas, the Chamber’s study also found that the delays have already deprived U.S. consumers of $377
million in energy cost savings; and

 Whereas, the General President of the Laborers’ Interna onal Union of North America (LIUNA) recently
said obstruc ons to the Atlan c Coast Pipeline and other vital energy infrastructure “from ac vist groups
is cos ng our members jobs and the en re country opportuni es;” and
Whereas, the LIUNA general president also emphasized that the economic damage caused by this
opposi on to new energy projects is “being shouldered by the hard working men and women who build
our na on’s energy infrastructure;”
Whereas, these assaults and delaying tac cs are also a direct threat to West Virginia’s energy produc on
industry, which directly employs more than 22,000 men and women and pays more than $6 billion in
wages annually; and
Whereas, although the current employment and payroll figures are impressive, further growth will be
severely hampered unless new infrastructure such as the Atlan c Coast Pipeline and other pipelines are
built to transport West Virginia’s energy produc on to market; and
Whereas, in addi on to this economic damage, the a acks on the Atlan c Coast Pipeline and other
interstate natural gas projects have great poten al to harm the environment, since other forms of
electric genera on powered by fossil fuels, such as natural gas, are needed to back up the expansion of
the intermi ent genera on from renewable resources such as solar and wind energy;
Therefore, be it resolved by the Senate of West Virginia, the House of Delegates concurring, that the
West Virginia Legislature:
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




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Categorically condemns these counterproduc ve and economically damaging assaults on the
Atlan c Coast Pipeline and other urgently needed energy infrastructure projects;
Notes that these a acks are denying steady employment and income to thousands of West
Virginia workers and their families who would otherwise be employed in the construc on and
opera on of the Atlan c Coast Pipeline and the related Supply Header Project;
Finds that the a acks are also damaging West Virginia’s energy produc on industry, the source
of more than $6 billion annually in wages to our state’s working men and women;
Also finds that the assaults on these projects have great poten al to damage the environment by
hindering the deployment of electric genera on powered by solar power, wind and other
renewable resources, all of which must be backed up with fossil fuel powered genera on, such
as natural gas; and
Strongly urges the groups spearheading these assaults to stop their a acks and delaying ac ons
and in the process help pave the way for a cleaner and stronger energy future, for West Virginia
and for the en re na on.

REA Edits Dra 1-24-2019