If you live in the counties of Buckingham, Cumberland and Prince Edward, you may be familiar with the requests to participate in the Town of Farmville’s Comprehensive Plan survey or the Atlantic Coast Pipeline’s (ACP) Buckingham Compressor Station written public comment period established by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) State Air Pollution Control Board.

The deadline for the compressor station and comprehensive plan are Jan. 4 and Jan. 31 respectively.

Though the compressor station is technically located in Buckingham County, and the comprehensive plan survey specifically focuses on the Town of Farmville, you aren’t required to be a resident of either county to make your voice heard.

Both projects from the DEQ and Town of Farmville could have a sizable impact on the future direction of the region.

The Buckingham Compressor Station permit, if approved, has the potential to bring the ACP one step closer to the region. For those in favor of the pipeline, this could mean the potential for job creation, economic growth and providing a service to the region. For those in opposition, this could pose environmental risks, health concerns, potential safety violations, and concerns for the historically African-American-majority Union Hill community, where the compressor station would be located.

The Town of Farmville’s Comprehensive Plan Survey allows residents to weigh in on the aspects of the town that mean the most to them, suggest plans that the town should pursue, rank the facilities that the town should most improve such as roadways and water service, describe whether residential and commercial development is needed, and how the Town of Farmville should operate after 10 years has passed.

With 2018 coming to a close, and the bustle of the holidays, it’s difficult to find time to sit and write something out. However, for those who have strong beliefs or good ideas about their community’s future, these public comment periods provide an enormous opportunity to make one’s voice heard. It also gives people a precedence to hold their elected officials accountable for the issues they have commented about.

The Farmville comprehensive plan survey can be found online at farmvilleva.com/comprehensive-plan-citizen-survey or in print at the Farmville Town Office, 116 N. Main St., and the Barbara Rose Johns Farmville-Prince Edward Library at 1302 W. Third St.

Comments for the compressor station public comment period can be submitted to the DEQ by mail or hand delivery to the Piedmont Regional Office, Re: Buckingham Compressor Station, 4949-A Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA 23060; by email at airdivision1@deq.virginia.gov or by fax at (804) 527-5106.

Documents related to the permit, according to DEQ, can also be accessed at the Buckingham Library, located at 1140 Main St. in Dillwyn. The library’s phone number is (434) 983-3848.

To contact the DEQ for public comments, document requests and additional information, email DEQPublicInfo@deq.virginia.gov.