Constructing Disadvantage: A State-Corporate Analysis of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline

• In Event: Poster Session II

Abstract

On January 25, 2017, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order which restarted and expedited the approval of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines. While the focus continues to center around the aforementioned pipelines affected by the recent Executive Order, the ramifications of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) receives little attention in the mainstream media. The ACP is a proposed methane gas pipeline that would span approximately 600 miles through regions of West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina. This paper examines the consequences and population affected by the building of the ACP. In addition, a state-corporate crime perspective is utilized to explain why the construction of the ACP is likely to begin within the year, despite harmful social and environmental ramifications. The specific corporations involved include Dominion Power, Piedmont Natural Gas, Duke Energy, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Authors

• Sarah Pedigo, Old Dominion University

• Brian Pitman, Old Dominion University