BREDL Archive Press Release

Residents’ Report Findings on Pipeline to Franklin County:
Billion Dollar Disaster and Archaeological Destruction

Franklin County, VA— Today the Franklin County Board of Supervisors heard from concerned citizens regarding the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). During the citizen comment period, two presenters detailed major financial and historical factors against the pipeline.

The first to present was Dave Werner, a retired Executive Vice President of Commercial Banking and Treasurer for Preserve Franklin, who spoke of the impending economic consequences of the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline. Addressing the Board, Werner stated, “Franklin County's waterways, beauty, and way of life are threatened by the proposed MVP. But there is another threat: an economic one.” Delivering the recently released Key-log Economics report to the BOS, Werner said, “The County and its residents face financial loss in three ways: through property value losses, ecosystem losses, and economic development losses, with a focus on tourism loss. These losses add up to one billion dollars over the estimated life of the proposed pipeline.”

Next, a professional archeologist spoke about damage to ancient sites in Franklin County along the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline path. Mark Joyner, of the Association for the Study of Archaeological Properties, reported, “Native American sites are an essential part of our shared cultural heritage. They help us to understand the history of human beings on our planet. But these precious sites are in danger of being lost forever.” Joyner continued: “Archaeological sites contain important irreplaceable information about the past. The past belongs to everyone and it's everyone's responsibility to protect them.” Joyner and his crew did field studies with the help of local landowners who are providing knowledge about the sites and sharing collections of artifacts.

Joyner founded of the Association for the Study of Archaeological Properties (A.S.A.P.) in 1985. Werner is an active member of the grassroots group Preserve Franklin and his family’s land lies in the direct path of the proposed MVP. With over 30 years of experience in the banking industry, Werner has used his expertise to assess and understand the economic impacts of a 42” fracked gas transmission pipeline on the community. Werner added that despite many hours of research, he and Joyner were only allowed 5 minutes to speak before the Board.

# # #

Details on the Key-log Economics report can be found through the links listed below:

Economic Impact: An Overview
http://preservefranklin.org/issues/economic-2/

Executive Summary of the Economic Impact Report
http://preservefranklin.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/ 04/FranklinVA_ExecSummary_FINAL_20160516.pdf

Full Economic Impact Report
http://preservefranklin.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/ 04/BLUELINE_EconomicCostsOfTheMVP _TechnicalReport_20160509.pdf