Doug Jackson, 202.495.3045 or doug.jackson@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) conditionally approved Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC’s request to extend its controversial fracked gas pipeline into North Carolina. The previously planned Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) is years behind schedule, billions of dollars over budget, and has already caused water pollution and property damage in its path. In Virginia alone, MVP committed over 300 environmental violations, mostly related to improper erosion control and stormwater management, drawing a lawsuit from state regulators there. MVP is also under a stop work order from FERC.
FERC is the federal body responsible for evaluating and permitting interstate fracked gas pipelines. By issuing a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity today, FERC has given its green light to MVP’s plan to extend its 300-mile pipeline another 75 miles through central North Carolina, despite local opposition to the project and no clear need for the gas it will transport. MVP still needs to secure several other state and federal permits before it can begin construction. From October 2008 to February 2020, FERC issued 480 certificates of public convenience and necessity authorizing construction, authorization, or abandonment of fracked gas projects, while denying just one new pipeline application.
In response, Sierra Club Beyond Dirty Fuels Senior Campaign Representative Joan Walker released the following statement:
"There was never any need for the 303 miles of the fracked gas Mountain Valley Pipeline, and there’s certainly no need for 75 miles more. The people in its path don’t want it on their land, the communities surrounding it don’t want it polluting their water, and no one wants it polluting the air and exacerbating the climate crisis. The only entities that want this billion-dollar boondoggle are the polluting corporations that profit off it while passing the costs - and the risks - on to people.”
Haw Riverkeeper Emily Sutton said:
“The fracked gas Mountain Valley Pipeline has committed hundreds of violations of commonsense water protections in other states, and if they start construction in North Carolina, they are going to pollute the water here, too. It’s simple - people have a right to clean, safe water, and this fracked gas project threatens that right and has no benefits to the public. We encourage our communities to continue their opposition at the state level, and expect our state agencies and Governor Cooper to prioritize the health and safety of our communities and our environment ahead of a dying fossil fuel industry.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, 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.
About Haw River Assembly
The Haw River Assembly is a 501(c)(3) non-profit citizens’ group founded in 1982 to restore and protect the Haw River and Jordan Lake, and to build a watershed community that shares this vision. Our goals are to promote environmental education, conservation and pollution prevention; to speak as a voice for the river in the public arena; and to put into peoples’ hands the tools and the knowledge they need to be effective guardians of the river. For more information, visit www.hawriver.org