352 pages
6 x 9
6 illustrations
Imagine one day you receive a letter in the mail that informs you that a large energy company is planning to build a massive pipeline through your property. That surveyors will be coming out soon. That they have the legal right to do so, whether you like it or not, because this project is in the “public interest”—because the pipeline will be carrying natural gas, the so-called “bridge fuel” that politicians on both sides of the aisle have been peddling for decades as the path to a clean, green energy future.
This was the gist of the letter that Dominion Energy sent to thousands of residents living along the path of its proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline in 2014, setting off an epic, six-year battle that eventually led all the way to the Supreme Court. That struggle’s epicenter was in the mountains of Virginia, where communities stretching from the Blue Ridge foothills to the Shenandoah Valley and the Allegheny highlands became Dominion’s staunchest foes. On one side was an archetypal Goliath: a power company that commands billions of dollars, the votes of politicians, and the decisions of the federal government. On the other, an army of Davids: lawyers and farmers, conservationists and conservatives, scientists and nurses, innkeepers and lobbyists, families who farmed their land since before the Revolutionary War and those who were not allowed to until after the Civil War.
At stake was not only the future of the communities that lay in the pipeline’s path but the future of American energy. Would the public be swayed by the industry’s decades-long public relations campaign to frame natural gas – a fossil fuel and itself a potent greenhouse gas – as a “solution” to climate change? Or would we recognize it as a methane bomb, capable of not only imperiling local property and upending people’s lives, but of pushing the planet further down the road towards climate chaos?
Vivid and suspenseful, gut-wrenching and insightful, Gaslight is more than the chronicle of a turning point in American history. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the dark, overlooked story of America’s “favorite fossil fuel,” and the immense future stakes of the energy choices we face today.
"[This] riveting report on a successful effort to thwart the construction of a natural gas pipeline from West Virginia’s fracking fields across Virginia to North Carolina.… [is an] illuminating background on the fossil fuel industry… [and] an impressive account of a David-vs.-Goliath struggle."
Publishers Weekly, starred
"Like all great writers, Mingle tells a very big story by way of a small, precise one. Through granular and humane reporting, he recounts the valiant campaign waged by a diverse group of local Appalachian landowners against one of the nation’s most powerful energy companies. This taut narrative is then deftly woven into the wider social and historical fabric, until it encompasses the whole of American politics, and, indeed, the very survival of humanity. One comes away convinced that natural gas, long touted as a 'bridge' to a green future, is, in fact, a highway to hell."
Robert Moor, author of 'On Trails: An Exploration'
"A stirring account of an epic battle—and a profound glimpse into this crucial moment, when the world is poised between two energy systems. This fine book makes the biggest questions on our planet very local, immediate, and understandable."
Bill McKibben, author of 'The End of Nature'
"Gaslight tells the story of how a group of people took on the powerful fossil fuel industry — and won. It’s a hopeful story of how we can make progress on climate change. Gaslight is the perfect blend of narrative, history, and science – it’s a gripping read!"
Leah Stokes, author of 'Short Circuiting Policy' and professor of environmental politics, University of California, Santa Barbara
Note to Reader
Prologue: The People vs. The Pipeline
PART I: The Public Necessity
Chapter 1: The Burning Spring
Chapter 2: An Energy Superhighway
Chapter 3: America’s Homeplace
Chapter 4: All the Hornets’ Nests
PART II: Ground Game
Chapter 5: Steep Slopes
Chapter 6: The Campaign to Elect a Pipeline
Chapter 7: Full Nelson
PART III: PATH DEPENDENCE
Chapter 8: Rooftop to Rooftop
Chapter 9: The Limits of Disturbance
Chapter 10: The Gas Light Company
PART IV: Sea Change
Chapter 11: The New Dominion
Chapter 12: Pipes vs. Wires
Epilogue: Pass It On
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
About the Author
People’s Book presents Jonathan Mingle in Conversation with Mike Tidwell.
Imagine one day you receive a letter in the mail that informs you that a large energy company is planning to build a massive pipeline through your property. That surveyors will be coming out soon. That they have the legal right to do so, whether you like it or not, because this project is in the “public interest”—because the pipeline will be carrying natural gas, the so-called “bridge fuel” that politicians on both sides of the aisle have been peddling for decades as the path to a clean, green energy future. This was the gist of the letter that Dominion Energy sent to thousands of residents living along the path of its proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline in 2014, setting off an epic, six-year battle that eventually led all the way to the Supreme Court. That struggle’s epicenter was in the mountains of Virginia, where communities stretching from the Blue Ridge foothills to the Shenandoah Valley and the Allegheny highlands became Dominion’s staunchest foes. On one side was an archetypal Goliath: a power company that commands billions of dollars, the votes of politicians, and the decisions of the federal government. On the other, an army of Davids: lawyers and farmers, conservationists and conservatives, scientists and nurses, innkeepers and lobbyists, families who farmed their land since before the Revolutionary War and those who were not allowed to until after the Civil War. At stake was not only the future of the communities that lay in the pipeline’s path but the future of American energy. Would the public be swayed by the industry’s decades-long public relations campaign to frame natural gas – a fossil fuel and itself a potent greenhouse gas – as a “solution” to climate change? Or would we recognize it as a methane bomb, capable of not only imperiling local property and upending people’s lives, but of pushing the planet further down the road towards climate chaos? Vivid and suspenseful, gut-wrenching and insightful, Gaslight is more than the chronicle of a turning point in American history. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the dark, overlooked story of America’s “favorite fossil fuel,” and the immense future stakes of the energy choices we face today.
This is an in-person event. Seated capacity at People’s Book is 50 patrons. Standing room is an option. All events are first come first serve seating. Accessible seating is always available.
This event is in partnership with Chesapeake Climate Action Network.
Imagine one day you receive a letter in the mail that informs you that a large energy company is planning to build a massive pipeline through your property. That surveyors will be coming out soon. That they have the legal right to do so, whether you like it or not, because this project is in the “public interest”—because the pipeline will be carrying natural gas, the so-called “bridge fuel” that politicians on both sides of the aisle have been peddling for decades as the path to a clean, green energy future.
This was the gist of the letter that Dominion Energy sent to thousands of residents living along the path of its proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline in 2014, setting off an epic, six-year battle that eventually led all the way to the Supreme Court. That struggle’s epicenter was in the mountains of Virginia, where communities stretching from the Blue Ridge foothills to the Shenandoah Valley and the Allegheny highlands became Dominion’s staunchest foes. On one side was an archetypal Goliath: a power company that commands billions of dollars, the votes of politicians, and the decisions of the federal government. On the other, an army of Davids: lawyers and farmers, conservationists and conservatives, scientists and nurses, innkeepers and lobbyists, families who farmed their land since before the Revolutionary War and those who were not allowed to until after the Civil War.
At stake was not only the future of the communities that lay in the pipeline’s path but the future of American energy. Would the public be swayed by the industry’s decades-long public relations campaign to frame natural gas – a fossil fuel and itself a potent greenhouse gas – as a “solution” to climate change? Or would we recognize it as a methane bomb, capable of not only imperiling local property and upending people’s lives, but of pushing the planet further down the road towards climate chaos?
Jonathan Mingle is joining us on the Busboys stage with local activist and author Mark Tidwell to talk more about the future of America’s energy problem and the impending crisis that is upon us with climate change. Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and Mingle will be signing following the program.
This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of GASLIGHT will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is in person and will not be livestreamed.
We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books
On Thursday, Aug. 1, from 12:30-1:30 p.m., the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy and Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance will co-host a webinar with Jonathan Mingle, author of Gaslight: The Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Fight for America’s Energy Future.
Description:
Imagine one day receiving a letter in the mail informing you that Dominion Energy is planning to build a massive pipeline through your property. What would you think? That this energy behemoth, with 109 billion dollars in total assets and a production portfolio consisting of 48% from natural gas, will do whatever it wants with your property? Even if your family has lived there since before the Revolutionary War? Or do you stand up with your neighbors and fight for your land, your health, and your rights? You fight. And you win.
That’s the story Jonathan Mingle tells in Gaslight: The Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Fight for America’s Energy Future. In this vivid and suspenseful true story, Mingle chronicles the communities that became Dominion’s staunchest foes. This land, stretching from the Blue Ridge foothills to the Shenandoah Valley and the Allegheny highlands, is home to the lawyers and farmers, conservationists and conservatives, scientists and nurses, innkeepers and lobbyists, regular people that fought back and won against Dominion.
Mingle will discuss his new book, Gaslight, and paint a portrait of the people involved in the fight. Join him to become inspired in your climate activism!
Join POWHR at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Blacksburg for an evening with Jonathan Mingle, author of Gaslight: The Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Fight for America's Energy Future, a chronicle of the efforts of the citizens of the Shenandoah Valley and Allegheny highlands to derail Dominion Energy's Atlantic Coast Pipeline from 2014 - 2020.
Jonathan will discuss the story of methane gas buildout in the US and the immense future stakes of the energy choices we face today.
A2 Forum: How To Fight A Pipeline--And Win
Join Anthropocene Alliance for a conversation with Jonathan Mingle, author of Gaslight: The Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Fight for America's Energy Future.
Imagine one day receiving a letter in the mail informing you that Dominion Energy is planning to build a massive pipeline through your property. What would you think? That this energy behemoth, with 109 billion dollars in total assets and a production portfolio consisting of 48% from natural gas, will do whatever it wants with your property? Even if your family has lived there since before the Revolutionary War? Or do you stand up with your neighbors and fight for your land, your health, and your rights? You fight. And you win.
That’s the story Jonathan Mingle tells in Gaslight. In this vivid and suspenseful true story, Mingle chronicles the communities that became Dominion’s staunchest foes. This land, stretching from the Blue Ridge foothills to the Shenandoah Valley and the Allegheny highlands, is home to the lawyers and farmers, conservationists and conservatives, scientists and nurses, innkeepers and lobbyists, regular people that fought back and won against Dominion.
Jonathan Mingle will discuss his new book, Gaslight, and paint a portrait of the people involved in the fight. Join him to become inspired in your climate activism!
This event is free and open to the public.
Jonathan Mingle is an independent journalist. He has written about the science and politics of climate change, energy, technology, public health, and other subjects for The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, Undark Magazine, Yale Environment 360, Slate, The Boston Globe, and other outlets. He is a recipient of the Middlebury Fellowship in Environmental Journalism and the Alicia Patterson Foundation Fellowship. As a 2020 APF fellow, he reported on the political, legal, and grassroots battles over new natural gas (aka methane) infrastructure, and its local impacts and global climate consequences. His first book is Fire and Ice: Soot, Solidarity, and Survival on the Roof of the World.
Anthropocene Alliance is the nation's largest coalition of frontline communities fighting for climate and environmental justice.
Read Chapter 1: The Burning Spring below or download it here.
Congratulations to Jonathan Mingle, author of Gaslight, for being named a finalist for the Southern Environmental Law Center's 2025 Philip D. Reed Environmental Writing Award. From the press release:
The work of this year’s finalists explores a wide array of environmental topics, ranging from threats to wildlife and dwindling habitats, environmental injustices faced by Southern communities, the challenges our region faces as it deals with the realities of climate change to the importance of environmental conservation.
Presented each year, the Reed Award celebrates writers who achieve both literary excellence and offer extraordinary insight into the South’s natural treasures and environmental challenges. The award recognizes writers in two categories: the Book Category for works of nonfiction (not self-published) and the Journalism Category for newspaper, magazine, and online writing published by a recognized institution such as a news organization, university, or nonprofit group.
Reed Award winners are selected by a national panel of judges that includes leading environmental writers, journalists, and advocates. Winners will be announced in early February 2025.
Read an excerpt of Gaslight below.