One argument that opponents of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline are making is that there simply isn’t a need for it.

This is an important argument to make, because one of the main factors that the FERC looks at when deciding whether to approve a pipeline is whether there is a need for the gas.

An article by Samantha Baars on c-ville.com looks into the question a little better than most I’ve seen.

She interviewed Greg Buppert, a lawyer for the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) and looked at data from the Dominion Energy and Duke Energy, the main companies backing the pipeline, and from PJM Interconnection, a group that controls the electricity grid in Virginia.

The data from Dominion/Duke and from PJM are significantly different.

Dominion/Duke say that Virginia will need 24,016 megawatts of electricity in 2017.  PJM says Virginia will only need 20,501 megawatts.

Dominion/Duke says that PJM doesn’t take into account some factors that it should.

PJM, however, is responsible for running the grid.  If PJM doesn’t get the numbers right, it would be left scrambling to find other sources of power on short notice.  PJM doesn’t just have money as a motivating factor.  I lean towards trusting PJM more than Dominion/Duke on this one.

It’s possible that there isn’t enough demand for electricity in Virginia to warrant building the pipeline.  If that’s so, then there’s a real case to be made that the FERC should not approve the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.