Ralph Northam Dodges Pipeline Issues Again At Dem Debate

May 1, 2017

At Saturday’s debate for the Virginia Democrat gubernatorial primary between failed lieutenant governor Ralph Northam and failed former congressman Tom Perriello, both candidates’ numerous flip-flops were on full display to voters across the Commonwealth. While Northam and Perriello were quick to obfuscate their views on every issue from campaign finance to the Second Amendment, perhaps the biggest non-answer came late in the debate when Northam was asked about his stance on Virginia pipeline issues:

TOM PERRIELLO: “Lieutenant Govenror Northam mentioned submitting the letter, we were very pleased that he did that after we’d come out against the opposition – against the pipelines. Did you have conversations with Dominion before submitting that letter, changing your position on the pipelines? And do you admit now that there was authority under section 401 of the Clean Water Act that others claim did not exist when I came out against the pipelines?…”

RALPH NORTHAM: “Well I’ve had a lot of discussions with a lot of different people Tom and I’m not going to stand here on the witness stand, if you will, and respond to what those discussions entail but you know I have had a working relationship and that’s what we have to do in the Commonwealth of Virginia as we move forward. Obviously we want the pipeline to be built with science and transparency. We also need jobs in the Commonwealth of Virginia. And so I think all of these things, its not a yes or no or us versus them, its something that we all sit down at the table and discuss…”

For weeks, Ralph Northam has refused to give the people of Virginia a straight answer on pipeline construction. But if incumbent governor Terry McAuliffe and Tom Perriello are able to clearly state their beliefs on the issue, there’s no reason why he can’t do so as well. Pipeline construction is an issue that will affect thousands of jobs and energy concerns in Virginia and the people of the Commonwealth deserve to know exactly where Ralph Northam stands on it.