Editor:

As a retired earth science teacher and environmentalist, I support the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP). If it were an oil pipeline that could ruin, almost permanently, our soil and water if ruptured, I wouldn’t support it. A natural gas pipeline cannot damage the soil or water (basically). It can explode and damage or set on fire nearby structures or woods as the Transco natural gas pipeline did in 2008 near Appomattox. There was little air pollution as the gas burns off.

The Tansco pipeline carries natural gas from the Gulf of Mexico to New Jersey and was built around 1950. The 2008 rapture was caused by corrosion (old age). In order to use this pipeline to carry natural gas from Pennsylvania and West Virginia, sections would have to be dug up and replaced to deal with the change of direction to keep existing power plants supplied.

The main reason I support the ACP is to get off coal entirely, which can and does, almost permanently, pollute soil and water with poisons like lead, mercury and more. Natural gas is 10 times (no exaggeration) cleaner than coal in producing greenhouse gases. Some say we should not have fracked gas as a bridge to solar and wind power. But none has explained what we do when there’s no sun or wind. We have no acceptable means to store these energies. A while back, I saw a report on two, bus-sized batteries installed at a solar plant. These two huge batteries could provide power to 40,000 homes for two hours. Then what? Worldwide scientists have been working on energy storage for years realizing its importance, but so far, we’re not there.

I support the bridge, natural gas, and the pipeline to deliver it. We shouldn’t be stuck with coal.

Sandy Bruton

Cumberland