MVP construction now halted in both Virginias
Construction in Virginia on the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) was stopped late last week by its organizers.
According to a press release from the Sierra Club, the move came after dozens of water quality violations were reported to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality by several groups.
According to the Virginia DEQ, the move was agreed upon by MVP and themselves to “ensure that proper soil erosion and sentiment controls are implemented.”
During the stoppage, MVP crews are scheduled to work on problem spots along the pipeline’s Virginia corridor.
The Virginia stoppage comes just a week after a federal court put a stop to construction of the pipeline in West Virginia due to concerns about a water crossing permit issued to MVP by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
While the Virginia stoppage is not court-mandated and is simply on the Virginia DEQ to end, Virginian environmental groups cheered the stoppage.
“Virginians know that the Mountain Valley Pipeline threatens our health, water, and communities to transport fracked gas that we don’t even need. After years of speaking out against this dirty, dangerous pipeline, the pressure we have brought to bear on MVP and Gov. Northam is paying off,” Kate Addleson, the Sierra Club’s Virginia Chapter director, said in a news release.
“There is no right way to build these fracked gas pipelines, and while we are pleased to see construction temporarily halted while DEQ investigates the reported violations, the only way to truly protect our water, climate, and communities from the MVP would be to abandon the project completely.”
Email: mcombs@register-herald.com
