This is fascinating…and troubling, really:
In 2017, @GovernorVA said “science would dictate” whether Mt Valley Pipeline would be built. Yet in Dec ltr to St Water Control Bd, made public today, Va. Assoc of Professional Soil Scientists called for STOP WORK order bc proper soil surveys hadn’t been done. The association’s letter was published today on the FERC docket…
See here or below for the full letter – sent on December 9, 2020 – from the Virginia Association of Professional Soil Scientists to the State Water Control Board. As the letter states, very clearly:
- “Proper soil evaluations are critical for proper site-specific engineering and/or construction planning including avoidance, erosion and sediment control, wetland and stream crossings loss/impact, sediment pollution in karst cave system areas, slope stability (landslide) concerns, surface and seasonal groundwater flow interception, habitat loss, vegetative productivity, and limitations associated with depth to bedrock. This is especially critical for large pipeline planning and installation because pipeline projects intercept areas like karst systems and steep slopes adjacent to streams or other sensitive receptors.”
- “It is clear that an Order 1 Soil Survey should have been done along the entire length of all large pipeline projects before final siting and construction [of the Mountain Valley Pipeline – MVP] began.”
- “Our opinion is that no construction is appropriate until an Order 1 Soil Survey be performed. No more land disturbance should be allowed in Virginia. Our request is that the DEQ and State Water Control Board put a stop work order on the MVP project. MVP needs to stop destroying Bent Mountain’s watershed, now. MVP needs to stop everywhere.”
You can’t get much more clear than that. So why didn’t Virginia environmental authorities take appropriate action back in December (or earlier)?
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