An Open Letter to Mark Warner.

Dear Mark:

This is a hard letter for me to write, because to be perfectly honest, I like you. I have known you for a while now because you’ve visited my home town of Floyd many times. You spoke kindly and directly to my daughter and have inspired trust from her before she’s even of age to vote. You consistently support social issues that are important to me in a manner in which I respect, you fought for my right to marry my partner and you sponsored a leadership conference for women which helped me to develop the skills to take a position of leadership within my community.

For all this I thank you.

I hope very much to vote for you this November, and I recognize that what I am about to bring to the table is a complex and loaded issue.

I am asking you to please consider taking a strong stand in opposition to the fracked gas pipelines being proposed in Virginia. It would be a bold move in an election year, it would make some enemies and might cost you some contributions. But I sincerely hope you are forward-thinking enough to see the big picture and recognize how much this might benefit you in the future.

My governor has failed me. He took a strong anti-fracking stance during his campaign but now thinks he can separate the issue of fracking from the lines intended to transport that gas.

I understand that Virginia’s energy needs and economy are both issues that you must face squarely all the time in your position. They are nuanced and variable, and there’s a lot of pressure from contributors. I would like to remind you that your primary responsibility is not to the corporations that would like to think they can buy your loyalty to their projects, but to the people who chose you to represent them.

The people are speaking up. They are showing up. They are flooding their local boards with their concerns. They are writing letters and organizing community meetings. Because I live in Southwest Virginia, my primary concern and focus has been the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Can you honestly tell your constituents that it is safe and beneficial to have a company that is currently being sued for 4.5 million dollars because of water pollution due to fracking build a pipeline through the unique and vulnerable region which we inhabit? From Giles County all the way to Pittsylvania, citizens are coming together in opposition to this project and they are doing so armed with facts, figures, and valid concerns.

Please show me that you are the leader I believe you to be and stand with the people, not the energy companies. Stand with the communities you represent, not the corporations who want you to represent them. Stand with the citizens of our nation who are demanding extreme action in order to address the larger issue of climate change. Stand with the global movement to divest from fossil fuels and invest in sustainable energy solutions.

Natural gas is not a “bridge energy.” It is yet another bad idea born from the dying gasps of the fossil fuel dinosaurs. You have the chance to prove that you can be a leader who looks to the future. If you think that the fracking industry is contributing to a cleaner future, you’re wrong.

I want to vote for you. Please make that possible. If you endorse the fracked gas pipelines being proposed for Virginia, I will not be able to cast my vote for you. I could not trust you to protect my interests in good conscience unless you stand with your citizens on this issue. That would break my heart.

A concerned citizen of Floyd County, Virginia,

Mara Eve Robbins