Environmental activists are calling foul after a sudden decision by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam to remove two members of Virginia’s Air Pollution Control Board.
The Governor has the authority to appoint and fire members of state regulatory boards. But activists, and even one state lawmaker, say the timing of this decision is suspect. The board is set to vote in early December on a permit for a compressor station in Buckingham County. It’s part of construction for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
The board postponed action on the permit earlier this month. Harrison Wallace with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network says the two members who were removed had raised concerns about the process.
“When they postponed this hearing to December 10th they had a lot of questions that they wanted answered on December 10th,” Wallace said. “And now they won’t be able to have those questions answered. And that’s very concerning to me and the residents of Buckingham and Union Hill.”
A spokeswoman for the Governor says his decision is not because of anything pending before the board. The Governor announced two new appointments Friday afternoon. They are Gail Bush of Stafford County and Kajal Kapur of Albemarle County.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
