Courtesy of Mount Vernon Estate
This is an artist rendering of compressor station emission stacks that would be seen from Mount Vernon Estate.
George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate is launching a campaign to “Save the View” and protest the development of a Dominion Power natural gas compressor across the Potomac River.
The view of the Potomac River from Mount Vernon Estate could change if Dominion is allowed to build the compressor, which could include emissions stacks rising as high as 113 feet. Those stacks and the exhaust they release would be visible above the treeline.
A representative from Dominion says that the stacks would only be at a height of 50 feet, not 113 feet, and "will be located at an existing gas transmission facility with infrastructure in place in Charles County."
Noting that the artist's rendering released by Mount Vernon is not accurate, Dominion officials say the transmission station "will be tucked into a wooded area, almost three miles away from Mount Vernon and across the Potomac River. In December, Dominion raised 3-foot diameter red balloons to the tallest height of the project’s two new exhaust stacks and conducted a sophisticated computer simulation to verify," according to Dominion officials. "Emissions will not visible during normal operations and will be below regulatory standards."
George Washington's sprawling estate has remained protected thanks to the work of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association (MVLA) in collaboration with the local, state, and federal government. The compressor is set to be built in a largely protected conservation area in Charles County, Maryland, directly across the Potomac River from Mount Vernon Estate.
Courtesy of Mount Vernon Estate
A map of the Mount Vernon Estate viewshed area with the natural gas compressor site marked.
Over the years, the Mount Vernon Estate has lead scenic easement placements on over 415 Maryland properties in the area.
The area in which Dominion has proposed to build this compressor borders a federally protected conservation site. However, this compressor construction area is not included in those scenic easements and Dominion currently owns the property the natural gas compressor would sit on.
Dominion is in the process of trying to appeal an earlier decision by Charles County officials to deny permit applications to build the compressor. Charles County officials cited concerns about the health and safety of residents and properties in the area.
Echoing those concerns, Mount Vernon Estate’s “Save the View” website speculates that construction of the compressor could allow for potential fire risks that could spread through the conservation area and lead to a dangerous environment for these protected areas. Allowing Dominion to construct this compressor could lead to a 'domino effect' of more industrial development in protected areas in the region.
Mount Vernon is host to over 1 million guests and tourists every year. The approval of Dominion's natural gas compressor raises concerns about whether this construction will negatively impact the Estate's tourist numbers and potential revenue, according to Mount Vernon Estate officials.
In an effort to put a stop to Dominion's compressor construction proposal, Mount Vernon Estate President Doug Bradburn released a statement directed at Dominion Power's President Thomas Farrell II: "While we understand that the issues surrounding energy sources are very complex, we believe in the power of history and are proud to join forces with our neighbors and supporters who wish to keep George Washington’s view 'untouched by progress.'"
The Mount Vernon Ladies Association (MVLA) has created a petition for guests and community members to sign as a showing of their opposition to the approval of construction of the natural gas compressor.
Additional information, the petition and more surrounding the 'Save George Washington's View' campaign can be found at www.mountvernon.org/savetheview.
