Statement on safety agency PHMSA release of consent order for perilous Mountain Valley Pipeline

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 4, 2023

CONTACT
Dan Radmacher, Media Specialist, (540) 798-6683, dan@appvoices.org

On October 3, 2023, the Pipeline and Hazardous Safety Materials Administration reached a consent agreement with the developers of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. The agency had previously released a Notice of Proposed Safety Order, outlining their deep concerns with the developers’ construction, testing and reporting methods. The consent agreement outlines requirements for review of uninstalled pipe, cathodic protections and reporting. Regarding the pipe coatings, the agreement does not disclose the “evaluation, written report, and procedures required under Corrective Measure 17(A)(i)-(iii),” which have already been approved by the PHMSA Director. The measures were determined by KTA-Tator, Inc., an independent third-party with expertise in pipe coatings.

Statement by Jessica Sims, Virginia Field Coordinator:
“The unprecedented consent agreement for Mountain Valley Pipeline mandates important new steps for testing whether pipe is corroded, but it largely leaves the public in the dark as to what corrective measures are required to keep the public safe when pipe coating is found to be compromised. We remain concerned about the degraded pipe that developers rushed to bury before today’s agreement, and we are disappointed that the requests from those directly impacted by this destructive, unnecessary project were not addressed. Impacted residents asked for more community engagement, determination of a new impact radius and evacuation zone, and increased protection from geohazards.”