To the editor:

We are soon entering the dog days of summer here in Virginia. Cooling systems in our homes and businesses will be running on all cylinders.

Already this month, the high temperature in Hampton Roads was within just a few degrees of breaking the record.

With energy demand rising and federal regulations causing traditional coal-fired electricity generation plants to shut down, Virginians are left with a significant need for new power sources. This need is the single most important argument in favor of Dominion’s proposed natural gas pipeline.

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is an interstate natural gas pipeline that will help multiple public utilities in Virginia and North Carolina meet energy needs that exceed the current system’s capacity.

The pipeline will also allow reliable generation of critical backup sources of electricity when renewable sources cannot meet energy demand. The pipeline will fuel cost savings for energy consumers and generate economic development across the region.

The 550-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline would include a 70-mile lateral line into Hampton Roads through Suffolk and Chesapeake. The extension off the main pipeline, branching off between Emporia and Chesapeake, would help feed the growing demand of the 280,000 Hampton Roads customers of Virginia Natural Gas, enabling reliability for the cold winters and hot summers across our region.

Bottom line: Virginia needs the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, especially here in Hampton Roads region.

Brandy Dyke

Suffolk