ICYMI: Senator Kaine Asks FERC to Reconsider Fracked Gas Pipelines

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Citing the rare 2-1 decision by which the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast pipelines, Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) has added his name to the chorus of calls for the commission to reexamine those approvals. In his letter, Kaine noted “the split decisions were most unusual — 98 percent of FERC orders in 2016 were unanimous,” and that FERC now has its full complement of five commissioners.

The Mountain Valley Pipeline would carry fracked gas from the Marcellus Shale out of West Virginia and across southern Virginia while the Atlantic Coast Pipeline would run through the state and all the way into southern North Carolina. Both projects have encountered stiff opposition due to the fact that their construction would threaten pristine forests and waterways while their usage would harm public health and exacerbate climate change. The Atlantic Coast Pipeline’s route also raises significant environmental justice concerns because it disproportionately threatens communities of color.

In response, Sierra Club Virginia Chapter Director Kate Addleson released the following statement:

"We applaud Senator Kaine calling on FERC to reexamine their ill-considered approval of these dirty, dangerous pipelines. The Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast pipelines would threaten Virginia’s water, land, communities, and climate, and FERC’s approval of them puts corporate polluters’ profits over the health of people. As a senator and a Virginian, Tim Kaine knows FERC should be a watchdog for Americans, not a rubber stamp for the fracked gas industry."