Chesapeake Compressor Station Sparks Environmental Justice Concerns

Residents of a predominantly Black neighborhood in Chesapeake, Virginia, are opposing a $90 million natural gas compressor station approved on July 15, citing environmental justice concerns. The Chesapeake City Council voted 6–3 to rezone an industrial parcel, allowing Virginia Natural Gas to build the station, which would operate on the coldest 20 days annually.

The company says the electric-powered facility will emit only 131 metric tons of CO₂ over its lifetime, low enough to bypass a state air permit. However, 82% of nearby residents are people of color already living amid heavy industry, highways, and toxic sites.

Critics fear the project will add to existing pollution burdens and revive patterns of environmental neglect in marginalized communities. Public comments to the State Corporation Commission are open until August 5, ahead of a hearing on August 14. If approved, the project would retire an aging propane plant and slightly raise monthly gas bills.

31-07-2025