Mountain Valley Pipeline impacts halt construction; rollbacks for Atlantic Coast Pipeline revealed

Northam administration must act following string of regulatory failures BREAKING: Developers of the Mountain Valley Pipeline announced today that they are suspending construction activities of the project in Virginia. Citizens have repeatedly called on the state to order a halt of construction due to dozens of documented violations of the state’s water quality standards. Today’s…

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Court order suspends Mountain Valley Pipeline construction in W.Va.

RICHMOND, VA — Today, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay of a crucial permit that the fracked-gas Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) needs to build across waterways in West Virginia. Under section 404 of the Clean Water Act, the Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit for the pipeline’s stream crossings that allows…

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Citizens boycott N.C. coal ash meeting

Greensboro, N.C. — Members of a statewide coalition who have been advocating for years for proper cleanup and disposal of massive coal ash ponds around the state today announced they are boycotting a public meeting in Greensboro scheduled for tonight by the Department of Environmental Quality, and another scheduled in Roxboro tomorrow night. The citizens,…

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Report calls for improvements to coal mine bonding in Central Appalachia

The Alliance for Appalachia, a coalition of 15 organizations, today released a report on the state of surface coal mine bonding in four Central Appalachian states. Bonds are used to ensure reclamation of mine sites should a company be unable to finish reclamation. The report details the bonding programs in West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and…

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Groups urge Tenn. governor to veto coal mining bill

Nashville, Tenn. – Today, 20 environmental and community organizations delivered a letter to Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam urging him to veto legislation approved by the state House that would significantly weaken protections relating to coal mining in Tennessee. The legislation would transfer authority to regulate coal mining from the federal Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation…

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Statement regarding Va. Governor Northam’s call for DEQ improvements

At today’s Environment Virginia Symposium in Lexington, Va., Governor Ralph Northam announced Executive Order VI, requiring a comprehensive review by the Secretary of Natural Resources and the Department of Environmental Quality of the agency’s permitting, monitoring, and enforcement activities. Further background is below. Statement from Peter Anderson, Virginia Program Manager with Appalachian Voices: “Governor Northam’s…

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