Sam Caravana – C-VILLE Weekly

Man found dead on Route 29 believed to be victim of hit-and-run

Virginia State Police say they believe the man found dead on U.S. 29 in Ruckersville earlier this week was a victim of a hit-and-run, and are asking for help from the public in their investigation.

The Greene County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at 3:51am Tuesday, January 20 of a body just north of the Sheetz at Matthew Mill Road, according to press release. The incident closed both northbound lanes of U.S. 29 Tuesday morning as state troopers investigated the death. After members of the public reached out with phone calls and tips, state police determined the victim, a white male, was hit by a vehicle as he walked southbound on northbound lanes. The vehicle fled after the incident, according to police. Police have yet to identify the deceased, and said that the remains will go to the Office of the Medical Examiner in Richmond for an autopsy.

State police are asking that anyone who may have any information on this incident or who may have seen a white male wearing a black sweatshirt and blue jeans walking along Route 29 near Ruckersville between 1am and 3:30am Tuesday to call 352-7128 or #77 on a cell phone.

Forest Service calls for comments on pipeline survey in George Washington NF

The U.S Forest Service is taking public comments through this Friday, January 9 on Dominion Resource’s request to survey the portion of the George Washington National Forest where it hopes to route a natural gas pipeline.

The Forest Service says it will consider the comments as it decides whether to allow Dominion surveyors to inspect 3,055 acres of USF land in Highland and Augusta counties along the proposed route of the planned 551-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which would carry natural gas from fracking wells in West Virginia to southern North Carolina. The route includes a 12.6-mile stretch through the GWNF.

If Dominion’s request for a 12-month survey permit is approved, the company would be allowed to hand-clear brush and small saplings and conduct shovel tests within a 300-foot study corridor in order to determine cultural and environmental resources that could be affected by an eventual pipeline, according to a Forest Service letter explaining the request.

Forest Supervisor Thomas Speaks said in a December press release that an approval of the request doesn’t mean the Forest Service is giving the green light to the pipeline project as a whole. That decision lies with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

“At this time, we are seeking comments on survey activities; additional opportunities to comment on the specific route and construction of the proposed pipeline will be provided by the FERC in the coming months,” Speaks said in the release.

Governor Terry McAuliffe and other proponents of the project say Dominion’s pipeline will be an economic boon to the state, but there has been vocal opposition in communities along the route, particularly in central Virginia. Residents in Nelson and Augusta counties who have denied Dominion’s requests for surveys of their own properties have been hit by lawsuits. The company has said it intends to sue 122 landowners in Nelson and 56 in Augusta, citing a state statute that allows utility companies to gain access to private property to survey for projects that serve a public need.

The Forest Service has offered answers to some frequently asked questions about the survey here. To comment on the survey request, the Forest Service is asking citizens to e-mail comments-southern-georgewashington-jefferson@fs.fed.us.