Spectra Energy has suspended efforts to build a $4 billion, 427-mile natural gas pipeline through Virginia, a spokesman confirmed this week.
The Houston-based company was one of three so far this year to float proposals for gas pipelines cutting through the Commonwealth. Its pipeline would transport fracked gas from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, skirting Albemarle County on the way. The proposed route ran through two federally protected historic sites—James Madison’s Montpelier in Madison County and the Green Springs National Historic Landmark District in Louisa—as well as a number of properties held in conservation, prompting harsh criticism of Spectra from historic preservationists and environmentalists.
Spectra spokesman Arthur Diestel did not offer a reason for the project suspension, and said the company “will be analyzing other opportunities in the region.”
Meanwhile, a separate proposal from Dominion Resources that would route a pipeline through Nelson County is still sparking protest from landowners. The company is set to hold a public meeting with the Nelson County Board of Supervisors tonight. The meeting takes place at 7pm at Nelson County Middle School, 6925 Thomas Nelson Highway in Lovingston.