See also: www.Appalmad.org

FERC Rubber Stamps Fracked Gas Pipelines Despite Widespread Concerns and Opposition

— Certificates for Atlantic Coast Pipeline and Mountain Valley Pipeline Continue Dangerous Trend —

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), after recently regaining a quorum, granted federal approval for the fracked gas Atlantic Coast (ACP) and Mountain Valley (MVP) pipelines. Fracked gas is primarily composed of methane, a dangerous pollutant 87 times more potent than carbon dioxide over the first 20 years in the atmosphere. Commissioner LaFleur notably dissented, saying the pipelines were not in the public interest.

Both the ACP and MVP would take fracked gas from West Virginia to southern Virginia, slicing through some of the most beautiful parts of the Blue Ridge Mountains and our national forests, with the ACP continuing into eastern North Carolina, crossing more than 1,000 waterways. If the pipeline receives the necessary state approvals, construction will pollute pristine streams and rivers, further threaten endangered species that are already on the brink, devastate forested wetlands and other valuable ecosystems, and threaten communities with the dangers of an explosion. The Sierra Club and a broad coalition of environmental and community groups plan to urge FERC to reconsider its decision.

Additional federal and state permits are required before construction can begin. North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia are each considering the potential water quality impacts of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline and must grant Water Quality Certification (WQC) under section 401 of the Clean Water Act before construction may proceed. North Carolina has delayed its WCQ decision on the ACP and asked the pipeline developer for more specific information on how it will affect certain water crossings. Virginia has yet to issue WQC for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and Sierra Club’s lawsuit against West Virginia recently resulted in the state asking the Court to allow it to reconsider its certificate for the MVP. Several other federal reviews are still required, including a separate Endangered Species Act analysis, air permits, and local land use approvals for the fracked gas compressor stations and other facilities along the route.

Contact: Doug Jackson, (202) 495.3045 or doug.jackson@sierraclub.org

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##### — Virginia Marine Resources Commission — #####

PUBLIC NOTICE — RE: Mountain Valley Pipeline, October 16, 2017

PUBLIC NOTICE: Notice is hereby given that Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC has requested authorization from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to install a natural gas pipeline beneath the bed of 18 streams and/or rivers with drainage areas greater than 5 square miles, which are considered to be State-owned subaqueous bottomlands of the Commonwealth along the designed pipeline corridor in Giles, Montgomery, Franklin and Pittsylvania Counties for the Mountain Valley Project (MVP).

Send comments/inquiries within 15 days to: Marine Resources Commission, Habitat Management Division, 2600 Washington Avenue, 3rd Floor, Newport News, Virginia 23607. (624374)

Source: http://www.roanoke.com/classifieds/community/announcements/legal/public-notice/ad_82c9a6a7-53fc-5955-b11e-6471439bcea2.html