Dereliction of Duty, Part II: WVDEP Abandons Responsibility to Review Another Fracked Gas Pipeline

CHARLESTON, WV -- Today, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) again waived its opportunity to review the water quality impacts of a fracked gas pipeline, this time with the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Under section 401 of the Clean Water Act, states must certify that proposed pipelines will not violate state water quality standards before construction can begin. DEP has the responsibility to determine whether or not to issue that certification for West Virginia, but announced today they are abdicating that responsibility.

Today’s news comes just a month after DEP waived the same opportunity on the fracked gas Mountain Valley Pipeline.

In response, Sierra Club West Virginia Chapter Regional Organizing Manager Bill Price issued this statement:

"If Secretary Caperton won’t allow DEP to do even the bare minimum to protect West Virginia’s health, water, and tourism, why bother to show up to work at all? This marks the second time in just over a month that Austin Caperton and Governor Justice have let us down by abandoning the responsibilities we trusted them with. Dirty, dangerous fracked gas pipelines threaten our health, water, and communities and I’m disgusted that our DEP has once again caved in to corporate polluters instead of protecting West Virginians.”

Derek Teaney, Senior Attorney at Appalachian Mountain Advocates, issued this statement:

“DEP’s waiver delivers the wrong message to the fracking pipeline industry -- that it can just skate right through here without any of that pesky environmental oversight. I know Kenny Rogers said you have to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em, but it seems like DEP just wants to fold ‘em every time. This is shameful behavior from the agency charged with protecting West Virginia’s water quality. I can’t wait to hear DEP explain how the damage from this pipeline to some of our state’s most pristine streams was unpreventable.”