Virginia Department of Environmental Quality proposes $179,000 fine for Southeast Supply Enhancement Project violations during pipeline construction
Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Company issued consent order and fine for more than 75 erosion and sediment control violations in Pittsylvania County
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 13, 2026
CONTACT
Dan Radmacher, Media Specialist, (276) 289-1018, [email protected]
RICHMOND, Va. — On July 16, the Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Company signed a proposed consent order by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality that would levy a $179,068 fine against the company for failure to comply with erosion and sediment control regulations. DEQ is accepting public comments on the proposed order until Sept. 9.
More than 75 violations were discovered by DEQ and third-party compliance inspectors conducting inspections from April 8, 2026, through June 11, 2026, on the Eden Loop of the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project. SSEP is a 55-mile, 42-inch diameter high-pressure methane gas pipeline. The Eden Loop is located in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, and Rockingham County, North Carolina.
The fine would amount to the sacrifice of about an hour’s worth of profit for the gas pipeline giant, which reported $384 million in net income for the first quarter of 2026 to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“These types of violations are exactly what communities along the pipeline route have been warning regulators about throughout the permitting process,” said Matt Allenbaugh, Virginia Campaign Coordinator at Appalachian Voices. “The fact that the pipeline company couldn’t manage stormwater and erosion and sediment control during a drought illustrates why this pipeline should not have been permitted in the first place.”
Prior to the third-party inspections, DEQ issued Transcontinental a notice of violation for failing to conduct construction activities in a manner consistent with the approved erosion and sediment standards set forth by permits authorizing the construction.
“The Virginia DEQ is finally clued in to what we’ve been saying all along: Transco cannot be trusted to build and operate SSEP without impacting our water quality,” said Jasmine Vazin, Deputy Director with Sierra Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign. “The warning signs have been there for those of us willing to see them. The work of regulators and inspectors — including the vast network of tireless volunteer water quality monitors — is vital to keep pipeline companies like Transco accountable and voice the concerns of everyday communities who are impacted by these projects.”
“This pattern of pollute, pay and move on will only stop when community objections to dirty projects are given the attention they deserve and enforcement action removes the incentive to rush construction in the name of profit,” said Russell Chisholm, Managing Director of Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights.
