of the academy’s board of directors and president of Denex
Petroleum. “There aren’t many other programs that provide
such an in-depth view of one of the state’s most important
industries, especially at no cost. We are incredibly happy to
offer this to West Virginia students, as they will comprise our
future workforce.”
Applications are available at www.tomdunnacademy.org
and will be accepted through June 4.
West Virginia University and George Washington
University Launch Atlantic Coast Pipeline Reporting Project
Students and faculty from the West Virginia University
(WVU) Reed College of Media and George Washington Uni-
versity (GW) School of Media and Public Affairs are teaming
up for an in-depth reporting project to assess the Atlantic Coast
Pipeline’s impact on West Virginia.
The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is a large, 42-inch-diameter gas
pipeline that will originate in Harrison County, WV, and travel
through Virginia before reaching North Carolina. The pipeline
was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
in 2017, and construction will continue into 2019.
The WVU-GW team will take a deep dive into the West
Virginia natural gas industry from several perspectives. In
Washington, DC, students will report on the politics and policy
around the natural gas pipeline, meeting with energy and envi-
ronmental advocates, policymakers and regulators. This expe-
rience will inform the team’s field reporting in West Virginia
where students will meet with business leaders, policymakers
and people who live in communities near the pipeline. The
project will delve into economic, environmental and regula-
tory issues, including the impact the natural gas industry has
on job creation and the economy; how pipeline construction
will affect the water quality of wells, streams and rivers; and
environmental and safety deregulation.
In addition to providing coverage of an important and timely
issue affecting these constituencies, the project will also pro-
vide a cross-university exchange for students representing two
different geographic and cultural perspectives.
The project is being funded by Scott Widmeyer, founder
of Washington-based Widmeyer Communications, a graduate
of the WVU College of Media and current chair of the Na-
tional Council for Media and Public Affairs at GW. It is being
led by Jonathan Ebinger, lecturer at the GW School of Media
and Public Affairs, and WVU Reed College of Media’s Emily
Corio, teaching associate professor, and Mary Kay McFarland,
teaching assistant professor. Participating students from WVU
include Ireland Butler from Ravenswood, Kelly Lemasters from
Weirton and Anna Saab from Morgantown.
“This partnership between up-and-coming journalists
from WVU and GW will go a long way in showing how we
can actually bring folks from different backgrounds together
to work smartly and create content that reflects all points of
view,” says Widmeyer.
The project will incorporate several different forms of media
to share information. Stories will be published to a dedicated
website and through social media, in addition to distribution
through select media outlets including 100 Days in Appalachia,
PlanetForward.org and West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
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