MVP pipeline construction in Summers County

From Neal Laferriere, Summers County Resident, May 13, 2019

I want to share an experience with you. We are in the northern end of Summers County, WV. Our property and the surrounding properties are currently experiencing the extensive disturbance that comes with the Mountain Valley Pipeline construction.

One of the things we have been aware of from watching the construction in other counties is that WVDEP is severely understaffed to be able to monitor this project.
They have one field agent for the entire lower half of the state. He is not only responsible for the MVP project, but also the Mountaineer Express Pipeline and several other projects.

Jason Liddle the WVDEP field agent for the southern region is extremely dedicated to his job and I commend him for his efforts and willingness to work with landowners.

That said here is what MVP is doing. On Tuesday of last week, I went to look at an extremely steep slope on the property across from my farm. MVP had come down the slope and cut erosion trenches in but had not put erosion control in place at the end of the trenches to prevent erosion and runoff from going directly into the springs and ephemeral stream that drain this property into Patterson Creek( part of the Meadow River drainage). I did not file a complaint with WVDEP that day, understanding that it might be a day or two to complete that section. I returned on Saturday, May 11th to check the trenches and hillside for erosion control measures. None were installed!

We had rain on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday this was forecasted all week. So erosion and sediment was allowed to flow off the construction site all weekend

I filed a complaint with WVDEP Saturday evening (pictures are attached).

I called Jason Liddle to follow up with him this morning. We discussed it and he called me back to let me know that he had called MVP to request a site visit. After Jasons call I went up to the front of our property to see MVP trucks pulling up and taking erosion control methods up to the steep slope. I hiked over and documented the workers putting erosion controls in. (Pictures attached) Jason showed up sometime later.

This is a very big problem. It shows that MVP is violating the regulations for the construction of their pipeline. It shows that they are playing with our environment and the WVDEP. They only came out to fix it to try and avoid a violation notice. They only came out to fix it because they knew the inspector was on his way.

MVP does not respect the WVDEP, MVP does not respect our clean water. They are playing a game of hide and go seek. They wait until someone says something about their sloppy work and then rush to hide it to avoid getting caught by the WVDEP inspector.

Something needs to be done to fix the broken system that allows companies to play games with our environment. That fail to respect WV regulations and the enforcement agencies.

The leadership in WV needs to take action that protects us as citizens, our land and our water from companies that think they can ignore the rules. They need to take a much more serious review of infrastructure and other projects that are impacting our lives and environment.

Please help us, it should not come down to citizens having to monitor these projects that our government and agencies approve. If these projects are going to be done, we need to ensure we can enforce the project. We need to ensure that the project can be done with out harming citizens or the environment. These things should far outweigh the potential revenue these projects might bring to the capitals coffers.

Perhaps the time is now for following suit with VA and file charges against them for the violations. I am certainly not a politician or an attorney, but I do know that until we make a stand and show that we won’t be pushed over MVP and companies like it will continue to run over us.

Please feel free to share this with colleagues or constituents. If you want more information please feel free to reach out to me.

Respectfully, Neal Laferriere

Auto Driver Killed w/ Truck Collision

Tyler Co. Woman Dies in Crash with Oversize Load Truck on WV Route 2

From an Article by Miles Layton, Tyler (County) Star News, January 6, 2016

The Tyler County Sheriff’s Department investigated a traffic fatality near Sistersville, WV on January 4th.

The sheriff’s department said vehicles driven by Nancy Lyle Dabbs of Friendly and Thomas Michael Nicholson II of French Creek collided at around 2 p.m. about a mile and half south of Sistersville. The sheriff’s department said Dabbs was pronounced dead at the scene. Nicholson was evaluated at the scene and released.

The sheriff’s department said weather conditions were a factor in the collision when Dabbs’ Chevrolet Cobalt crossed the center line and traveled into the northbound lane before colliding with Nicholson’s Mack Truck, which was owned by Deep Well Energy, LLC.

During the Tyler County Board of Education meeting Monday evening, Superintendent Robin Daquilante praised Dabbs’ work as a foster grandparent who volunteered her time at Sistersville Elementary School for several years. Foster grandparents assist children with activities at school such as reading and more.

Daquilante said when she was SES principal, she worked with Dabbs. She described as a “great, great lady.”

“I had the pleasure to work with her,” she said. “She was an asset to the school. She was very kind with the students and the staff alike. We will certainly miss her in Tyler County.”

Daquilante said counseling was available Tuesday for SES students.

The sheriff’s department was assisted by the Tyler County Medical Examiner and Tyler County’s Division of Highways’ office. Sistersville Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department was assisted by St. Marys Volunteer Fire Department while Paden City Volunteer Fire Company assisted with traffic control nearby the accident scene.

#   #   #   #   …  Latest Fracking News . . .

Large Fire Causes Significant Damage at Fracking Site in Oklahoma

A fire ripped through a fracking site near Chickasha near Oklahoma City, OK, on Wednesday afternoon, damaging oil rig equipment. The fire broke out around 4 p.m. at an oilfield equipment site owned by Continental Resources on Highway 39 between Chickasha and Blanchard, OK.

See also: www.FrackCheckWV.net

Mom's Driveway Under Attack

Mom’s Driveway: Just another “minor project” in the Wetzel Marcellus gas field

From Bill Hughes, Wetzel County Resident, May 5, 2014

I was recently asked to watch over a parcel of property by the son of an elderly woman. Stone Energy has a very active footprint nearby and he was concerned that his Mom’s driveway access and the mailboxes and everything nearby would be disrupted, blocked, damaged, etc.

Parts of the problem situation described and shown above and below have existed for over two years. I have not tried to get anyone to focus on this since up till now it has been a lesser problem when compared to some of the erosion and sedimentation issues of the ongoing natural gas operations in our region.

However in the past few months there has been a very large increase in traffic, both small and larger heavy equipment operating in and thru the unprotected stream bed. It seems that there are preparations for a well pad in progress up the hill. I have been told that in the future a bridge might be built. The standard solution seems to be just to dump more limestone and keep on trucking.

The traffic across Little Fishing Creek here has included, among others: Dump trucks; track hoes, ukes (articulated dumps) rollers, service trucks; utility trucks, pickup trucks; employees pickups; water-withdrawal pump tender’s pickups; diesel fuel delivery trucks; etc.

The water storage pond on the Conley property can be seen on Google Earth. It has been and is part of Stone Energy’s central water management system. All the earth moving equipment to construct the pond was brought up by way of the Little Fishing stream crossing shown in these pictures.

Trucks have been driving thru the creek here at low flow or high flows, without regard for the weather conditions. Larger equipment has been moved thru the steam bed in this unprotected stream crossing. There are no culverts or pipes. In addition to the mechanical service vehicle driving thru the graveled stream bed, a large Sheepfoot’s roller was also driven thru the stream bed.

For a few years, piles of limestone have been regularly stored at the banks of the stream in order to be conveniently placed into the stream bed as often as needed to keep the stream bed passable for the gas industry service vehicles. Dozers and other earth moving equipment would frequently cross thru as needed.

When it comes to industrial activities involving stream crossings of heavy equipment, large trucks, limestone fill materials, and multiple crossings per day, I believe that a bridge needs to be built FIRST—then comes the road improvements, the ponds, laydown areas, and support equipment  for the well pad (s).  Can Mom use her driveway as she normally did?  And, what about the residents that have years of tranquil living in these (and our other) locations throughout the Marcellus region?

Little Fishing Creek & Impacting Roller

Heavy truck traffic is continuing to ruin the roads of Wetzel county, with the current focus on American Ridge Road, causing  it to deteriorate into a gravel road.  Each driller is to get bonding to cover damages. Under the state’s new “Oil and Gas Policy,” drillers are required to post an additional $1 million road bond to operate in West Virginia. The bond would only be $250,000 if the company chose to operate just in District 6, which includes Wetzel, Tyler, Marshall, Ohio, Brooke and Hancock counties.

American Ridge resident Jim Holler said the drillers need to address these matters sooner rather than later. “It’s not just the dust and the potholes that concern the citizens living along this road as much as it is the lack of concern for the residents to fix the major safety issues exhibited by the gas company,” said Holler. “What will it take to push this company to fix the roads? Maybe, it’s time the state revokes their bond, shutting down their operations until these roads are repaired and at least brought back to the asphalt state they were before they began.”

The district highway engineer says that Stone Energy is expected to pay for road damages, that Chesapeake Energy has been upgrading roads in Wetzel county and CONSOL (incl. CNX Gas) is repairing roads in the northern panhandle.

Generally, roads and bridges in West Virginia are in need of better maintenance. Dashle Kelly, a doctoral fellow at WVU, has proposed that WV implement user fees on the roads throughout the State to collect adequate monies to repair and maintain the roads and bridges.  He says that the existing Road Fund has been depleted so not enough current tax revenue is available.

In fact, as reported earlier here, the Morgantown Industrial Park road is in such poor condition that the local newspaper in its September 1, 2011 editorial said that the “industrial park road cannot wait until next year for repairs.”  In addition to pavement wear, there is subsidence of the ground under the road as a result of the weight of the vehicles and as a result of natural slippage.