Factsheets

  • Natural Gas Pipeline – Property Value Devaluation

    Property values plunged on parcels whose owners sought relief through the Atlantic Coast Pipeline reassessment hearing process, according to a property records search conducted in Highland and Nelson Counties by the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League.

    The construction of the proposed pipeline and resultant losses in property value are devastating for directly affected landowners. Pipelines drive down property values substantially, limiting landowner’s use of their properties and leading to an increased real estate tax rate for every property owner.

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  • Why do I need to be concerned with sustainable economic development?

    Sustainable Economic Development is a term many recognize and few understand. The simplest and most commonly accepted definition comes from the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development. In the Bruntland Commission report, sustainable economic development is defined as “[development that]…meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” In broader terms, sustainable economic development should improve the quality of life of employees and the community, while protecting public health and the environment.

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  • Small Nuclear Reactors

    Clinch River Nuclear Site is located in Roane County, Tennessee, about 25 miles from Knoxville. In 2016 Tennessee Valley Authority submitted an application asking for approval of its Clinch River site near Oak Ridge National Laboratory. They want early permission in order to place so-called small modular reactors (SMRs) on the site whenever and if ever there were to be a design for them and the licensing could be obtained, years down the road.

    On April 13, 2017, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission published in the Federal Register (82 FR 17885) its intent to prepare an EIS for the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) early site permit for the Clinch River Nuclear Site. TVA’s request identified the Clinch River site as suitable for two or more so-called small modular reactors, experimental nuclear power plants which range from 50 megawatts to 300 megawatts, about one-third the power of conventional nuclear power plants.

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