The following statement is from Wild Virginia, on something a lot of us were asking for a few years ago – “stream-by-stream” permits for the Mountain Valley Pipeline – but which is now “too little too late,” as Jon Sokolow points out (see below). The problem at this point is that new fossil fuel infrastructure, such as the Mountain Valley Pipeline, simply make ZERO sense – actually, less than zero sense – on both enviro/climate and economic grounds. Just cancel this destructive, nonsensical boondoggle already! (also, we need to hear from every candidate for Virginia statewide office about where they stand on this project, and on fossil fuels in general)
“Mountain Valley Pipeline has submitted a notice with FERC of its intent to file a new permit application with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and to seek new Clean Water Act section 401 water quality certifications from Virginia and West Virginia state regulators.
On behalf of Wild Virginia:
This is the kind of individual review that MVP should have been required to do from the start. The broad brush “Nationwide” permit from the Corps and the general state certifications could not and did not provide the kind of detailed analysis and requirements needed to properly protect people and resources.
Now, the federal and state agencies must finally step up and do their duties. In particular, the Virginia State Water Control Board must find that MVP cannot be built through the mountains and limestone valleys of West Virginia and Virginia and meet our water quality standards. Virginia agency scientists said from the start that in-depth testing was needed at stream and wetland crossings and that those waterbodies could be permanently harmed by pipeline construction. Our officials did not heed those warnings and we will insist that they face them again now. MVP’s applications should be rejected and this ill-conceived scheme should finally be abandoned.”
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