Mountain Valley Frack Gas Pipeline ~ Unnecessary Risk for Residents, Farms, Streams & Mountains

MVP 42 inch coated pipeline actually too large for rough terrain and varied conditions

From the Letter to Editor of Betsy Lawson, Sunday Edition, Morgantown Dominion Post, April 2, 2023
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A guest essay in Sunday’s Dominion Post (3-26-23) extolling the benefits of finishing the Mountain Valley Pipeline is so glaringly misleading that a response is required.

The remaining unbuilt section would cross the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Trail — one of the most pristine areas in Appalachia. People who live there have seen whole sections of already built pipeline slide down the steep hillsides, an unstable terrain where a pipeline eruption and possible explosion seem inevitable. The construction of pipelines to carry natural gas at high pressures of 1,200 psi, some to ports on the coast where it will be sold overseas, risks the safety of many residents for the profit of a few elsewhere.

This pipeline will not benefit the common good. Landowners will lose some of their land through eminent domain and see a decrease in their property values, while profits go to the corporate shareholders. Fewer tourists, hunters and fishermen will visit an area that looks industrialized. Soil erosion from these massive scars on the land will destroy trout streams and water quality. Tax revenue will decrease in this area and ratepayers may be stuck paying off this boondoggle as renewable energy makes fossil fuels less economic.

Further, fracking for natural gas mostly benefits the few people who sell it. The pollution and noise from fracking lower the quality of life for everyone who lives in proximity. We are experiencing 24/7 noise now from construction of a new fracking pad in our neighborhood. When the drilling starts, it will be far worse.

West Virginia has been under the thumb of the fossil fuel industry for much too long, making us one of the least healthy and least prosperous states in the country. We must vote for leaders who look to the future and promote the economic prosperity of clean energy.

>>> Betsy Lawson, Morgantown Area of Monongalia County, WV