Va governor signs pipeline bill that protects consumers

CONTACT: Cat McCue 434-293-6373 cat@appvoices.org This week, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed into law HB 167, which protects utility customers from paying for large new gas pipeline costs if the State Corporation Commission (SCC) determines that new pipeline capacity is not necessary for reliability and is not the least-cost way to meet electricity demand. Delegate…

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Federal report on MVP-Southgate pipeline snubs human, environmental impacts

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today published the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate extension pipeline. Although considerations were incorporated from public comments, the overall conclusion of the FEIS remains the same from its draft stage. A conditional Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity is expected to follow which,…

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FERC orders halt to Mountain Valley Pipeline construction

CONTACTS: Doug Jackson, Sierra Club, 202-495-3045, doug.jackson@sierraclub.org Cat McCue, Appalachian Voices, 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org Jared Margolis, Center for Biological Diversity, 802-310-4054, jmargolis@biologicaldiversity.org WASHINGTON, D.C. — Late yesterday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ordered Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC to halt construction activities along the entire 303-mile route of the fracked-gas project. FERC’s order is in response…

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Virginia Gov. Northam announces climate goals for 2050

CONTACTS: Cat McCue, 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org Today, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed Executive Order 43, setting a goal for the commonwealth to achieve 100 percent zero-carbon electricity by 2050. Statement from Appalachian Voices Executive Director Tom Cormons: This announcement from the Northam administration underscores that Virginia must chart a course for a cleaner, healthier and more…

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North Carolina denies water permit for MVP Southgate pipeline

Church

Contact: Ridge Graham, 828-278-7493, ridge@appvoices.org Cat McCue, 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has denied a key water quality permit for the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate, dealing the project a setback. The permit is required under Section 401 of the federal Clean Water Act and would allow the pipeline company to…

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Citizens herald major setbacks for controversial fracked-gas pipelines

people stand with "no pipelines" signs

The Mountain Valley Pipeline and Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which have triggered growing opposition and controversy across Virginia and beyond this year, were both dealt major legal setbacks today. On the Mountain Valley project, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring and the state Department of Environmental Quality filed a lawsuit against Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC, based on…

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Va. air board waits to decide on ACP compressor station

Today, Virginia’s State Air Pollution Control Board voted 6-0 to defer until December a decision on a permit requested by Dominion Energy to operate a 55,000 horsepower natural gas compressor station for its proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline in Buckingham County. According to statements made by Board Chair Richard Langford during the meeting, the information record…

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3rd water-crossing permit suspended on Mountain Valley Pipeline

Pittsburgh, PA — At the request of a coalition of clean water advocates, the Pittsburgh District of the Army Corps of Engineers late Friday suspended a third permit that the fracked gas Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) must have to build through waterways for its project. This permit affected waterways in Wetzel and Harrison counties in…

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