Metzi Crowden
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Support the T15 Reliability Project
Dominion Energy North Carolina (DENC) is planning a 45-mile natural gas pipeline in North Carolina called the T15 Reliability Project. Once complete, it will connect the pending MVP Southgate Project with Duke Energy’s planned new natural gas power plants in Roxboro. DENC's initiative will put area pipeliners to work, help meet rising energy demand in the region and generate new economic activity, specifically across Person, Caswell, and Rockingham counties.
Sign our petition below that we will submit to decision makers during the permitting process.
Dear [Official]:
I am adding my name to this petition to support Dominion Energy North Carolina's T15 Reliability Project. This is a significant investment in the state's natural gas infrastructure network, connecting MVP Southgate, which will inject $113 million in North Carolina's economy and create more than 1,000 jobs in that state alone, with Duke Energy Corporation’s planned new natural gas power plants that are set to replace the existing coal-fired plant in Roxboro. All of this planned activity will help meet rising demand for cleaner energy while maintaining the safety and integrity of DENC's pipeline system.
A key reason why I support this project is the commitment that Dominion Energy has demonstrated to safety and quality on its pipelines by consistently hiring a Union workforce. I know this project will get done the right way with no shortcuts and no sacrifices on quality of the line or safety of workers or surrounding environment.
Below are just a few reasons why I'm adding my name in support of this project:
- DENC has maintained construction and operating policies and procedures for the T15 Reliability Project that adhere to state and federal safety requirements, providing specific directions in inspection, testing, operation, preventive maintenance, repair and vigilant patrols of facilities, giving the workforce and community members peace knowing quality and safety is top of mind;
- Pipeliners Local 798, a trades union that represents the nation’s best industry craftsmen, claims thousands of members in the region who depend on infrastructure projects such as this to provide for their families. Permitting delays could be devastating to these workers;
- Investment in new infrastructure such as this project will ensure continued economic growth, job security and critical tax generation for communities surrounding the project route. This is in addition to the lowered energy costs for families and small business owners in North Carolina.
The T15 Reliability Project will generate opportunities to put local men and women to work while helping Americans in the region gain access to affordable, domestically-produced energy. This is why I urge decision makers to approve necessary permits for this project without unwarranted delays.
Signed,
**By signing this petition, I agree to share my name on Pipeliners Local 798's submission(s) to federal and state decision makers in support of the T15 Reliability Project.**
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Sign Our Petition Supporting Ridgeline
Enbridge is working with the Tennessee Valley Authority to design, construct and operate the Ridgeline Expansion Project, an expansion of Enbridge’s existing East Tennessee Natural Gas (ETNG) system. Ultimately, this would provide affordable and domestically sourced natural gas for the utility’s customers as the system continues to transition to cleaner energy.
Pending the receipt of all necessary permits, construction would begin in 2025 with a target in-service date of fall 2026. Sign our below petition that we will submit to respective decision makers as this project moves through the permitting process.
Dear [Secretary]:
I am proud to support Enbridge and the Tennessee Valley Authority as they develop the Ridgeline Expansion Project, a critical investment into the energy and economic future of Tennessee and the surrounding region.
Project construction will support good jobs for local craftsmen, many going to Pipeliners Local 798 members. Once complete, this expansion will provide Tennesseans with a lower-carbon, cleaner-burning energy source.
I support the Ridgeline Expansion Project for the following key reasons:
- The project is designed to meet the rising demand for natural gas, providing affordable and cleaner energy for the utility’s customers;
- The majority of the proposed route would be located within the existing system's right-of-way, which minimizes impacts to landowners and the environment;
- I understand the quality of work that Pipeliners Local 798 members and other regional craftsmen will put into this project to ensure its efficiency, safety and reliability. Local 798 workers have delivered on energy infrastructure projects like this for decades.
Simply put, projects like the Ridgeline Expansion Project are necessary to meet the rising demand for natural gas. This clean-burning energy currently fuels one-third of electric power generation and heats approximately half of all U.S. homes. This project will help more families and businesses in Tennessee realize the full advantages of this abundantly available resource.
I encourage FERC to issue necessary permits without delay, allowing the Ridgeline Expansion Project to meet its proposed in-service date in 2026.
Signed,
[Names below]
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Sign Our Petition to the Army Corps
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced in March 2023 that it extended its environmental review of Enbridge Energy's Line 5 Straits Tunnel Project. The project's Environmental Impact Statement was previously set to be finished by late this year but now will be issued no earlier than Spring 2025.
While Local 798 members are supportive of a comprehensive permitting process that ensures opportunity for review and comment, we are disappointed with the extended timeline on this project's already thorough environmental impact analysis. Join us in sending a message to the Army Corps in support of a swift review so construction can finally move forward.
Dear Secretary:
I stand with Pipeliners Local 798 in expressing disappointment in the U.S. Army Corps's decision to extend its environmental review of Enbridge Energy's Line 5 Straits Tunnel Project. The permitting process for Line 5 already ensured extensive opportunity for review and comment, through which Enbridge repeatedly demonstrated a commitment to maintaining the highest level of safety and environmental responsibility.
Enbridge's proactive dedication to safety includes diligent 24/7 monitoring of the Straits crossing, regular inspections and operating the line at less than 25 percent of its maximum design capabilities to minimize stress on the pipeline steel and enhance safety. In November 2017, the company formally entered into an agreement with the state of Michigan outlining seven actions Enbridge was taking to protect the state’s water bodies within the project footprint. The following year, Enbridge announced another agreement with the state of Michigan that put in place enhanced inspection and operations protocols for the project. In the years that followed, Enbridge has continued to work closely with landowners, tribal leaders and safety experts to ensure the safest and most efficient pipeline operation.
There are several reasons why I believe the Line 5 Straits Tunnel Project deserves swift approval from the Army Corps and other decision makers, including:
- Enbridge has a proactive inspection program to monitor the fitness of Line 5, including evaluating the pipe’s interior inch by inch every five years using in-line inspection tools that provide detail on par with MRIs in the medical industry;
- All products that enter the pipeline are inspected and treated to prevent corrosion, and the system is operated at a low pressure to minimize stress on the pipe – all in an effort to protect the pipeline and the Straits;
- Over the past several years, Enbridge has paid tens of millions of dollars in property taxes in the state for its energy infrastructure projects, which has been invested in schools, roads and bridges and other important public services;
- The Line 5 Straits Tunnel Project will create good jobs for the local workforce, many of whom include Local 798 members.
The permitting process for Line 5 already ensured more than adequate opportunity for review and comment, through which Enbridge has demonstrated a clear plan with the project to help ensure an uninterrupted supply of reliable, affordable energy to Michigan and the region. This is why I ask the Army Corps to efficiently complete this review and approve necessary permits without any further delay.
Signed,
[Names Below]
**Local 798 may submit this petition to state and federal regulators and other decision makers to support Line 5.**
Metzi Crowden 228sc