Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Richmond, VA -- Today, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VADEQ) issued a draft water quality certification for the fracked gas Mountain Valley Pipeline under section 401 of the Clean Water Act. In March, the VADEQ asked the Army Corps of Engineers for a year to review and issue the draft water permit, and in June the Corps granted VADEQ only six months. The release of the draft permit kicks off a public comment period.
Planned to run over 300 miles through West Virginia and Virginia, MVP has already paid millions of dollars in penalties for hundreds of violations of commonsense water protections, and the US Environmental Protection Agency has recommended against federal approval of another key water-crossing permit for the Mainline project.
The MVP Southgate extension also faces a number of hurdles before it can move forward, including a necessary air permit for its Pittsylvania Compressor Station, and a water quality certification from the state of North Carolina that has already been denied twice.
In response, Lynn Godfrey, Pipeline Organizer with the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, released the following statement:
“MVP has already had hundreds of water quality-related violations in the course of construction of their dangerous fracked gas pipeline. Why should we give them the chance to cause further destruction to our waterways? It’s clear that MVP can’t be trusted to safely build or operate their pipeline. The State Water Control Board must heed the mounting concerns about this dangerous project from EPA and the public and reject its permit to pollute Virginia’s waters.”
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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.