Doug Jackson, 202.495.3045 or doug.jackson@sierraclub.org
Charleston, WV -- Yesterday, U.S. District Judge John T. Copenhaver Jr. refused the company behind the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s (MVP) request to force the landowners in their suit to respond by December 4. MVP’s attorneys sought to hurry the process so they can seize land through eminent domain and begin construction on the fracked gas pipeline. The West Virginia Gazette-Mail reported that 24 out of 115 landowners or parcels named in the litigation have not been personally notified yet. The company behind the fracked gas project is attempting to rush the process through because there are regulations stating tree clearing must be completed by March 31, 2018.
In response, Sierra Club Senior Organizing Representative for West Virginia Bill Price released the following statement:
"Due process is one of the founding principles of our country and we are glad to see MVP couldn’t bully their way into rushing their suit forward. Fracked gas pipelines like the MVP threaten our water, air, and communities, and West Virginians deserve every opportunity to have their rights protected against them and the corporate polluters that want to build them."
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.