Long distance pipelines damaging to mountains & streams

Article from WV Public Broadcasting, Associated Press, June 2, 2018

The final two protesters who had perched themselves on trees and poles to block construction of a natural gas pipeline through Appalachia have come down.

The Roanoke Times reports one protester was forcibly removed Friday and another came down voluntarily as authorities approached.

Friday’s actions end three months of aerial blockades in Virginia and West Virginia to protest construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

Authorities removed 30-year-old Catherine “Fern” McDougal Friday morning from an elevated platform in Giles County where she had been camped out since May 21. She was charged with four misdemeanors in federal court.

A few hours later, a man known only as Deckard came down from a tree stand on Peters Mountain in West Virginia. That stand had been occupied since February 26.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Mountain Valley Watch urges landowners and volunteers to report the start of any and all construction activity on the pipeline route including additional temporary work spaces, access roads and trenching. Report commencement of construction at:

833-MVWATCH or 833-689-2824

Please describe the nature of the work and the type of equipment being used and any possible violations such as missing erosion controls, refueling near waterways, driving through wetlands or operating outside of assigned right of way.

Time stamped photos with location data can be sent to Jason@newrivergeographics.com. Please do not use the Facebook page for incident reporting as we do not monitor that page for messages throughout the day. Feel free to reply directly with questions.

Construction contractors may be attempting to shield themselves from public scrutiny. Reporting new construction activity will help us respond effectively and keep contractor activity in public view. Thank you!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
No arrests made but shots fired at fracking protest in Fayette County, WV

Article from WCHS/WVAH, Charleston, WV, May 13, 2018

Oak Hill, WV — Fayette County deputies said shots were fired during a fracking protest in Oak Hill Saturday.

At about 1 p.m. Saturday shots were fired during a fracking protest in the Lochgelly area near Oak Hill, according to a news release from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department. The caller, Danny Webb, told dispatchers that shots were being fired by the protestors.

While dispatchers were on the phone with the caller, the release said they could hear more shots being fired.

When deputies arrived they said they found about 30 protestors who had gathered to protest the disposal of fracking waste on the property owned by the Danny Webb Construction Company.

Webb told deputies that shots had been fired by the protestors, but the protestors said Webb had fired several shots into the air near them.

The release said deputies could not locate any firearms or shells casings at the scene, but could hear multiple shots being fired in the distance, as if someone was shooting for target practice.

No one was injured and no arrests were made.

Near Blue Ridge Parkway &. Appalachian Trail

News Alert from Blue Ridge Life Magazine, March 6, 2018

Tree cutting is now underway at Beech Grove near Wintergreen in Nelson County, Virginia.

Early Tuesday morning – March 6, 2018 – Crews were seen assembling to begin cutting trees near the entrance to Wintergreen Resort and property adjoining The Fenton Inn B & B on Route 664 just below the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Passing motorists say that a heavier than normal Virginia State Police presence was observed in the general area of Wintergreen Resort and The Fenton Inn’s entrance early Tuesday morning. Over the past several days crews marked trees that had been approved for removal as part of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline Construction.

This morning WPOA’s Executive Director, Jay Roberts released the following statement:

“ACP contractors arrived this morning to begin cutting trees on WPOA property. The Wintergreen Property Owners Association (WPOA), while opposed to the location of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, understands and abides by the legal process that has led to the commencement of tree removal on WPOA property. While disappointed, the beginning of construction only increases our resolve to hold Dominion accountable for the financial and non-financial implications placed on our community by the presence of the pipeline. WPOA is committed to the best possible outcome for our community; one that provides fair treatment and security for our owners, employees and guests.”

“WPOA remains committed to holding Dominion accountable for the taking of our property and the burden this project places on our community going forward.”

See also: Buckingham : Protesters Confront Pipeline Tree Cutters Near Yogaville (Video) | Blue Ridge Life Magazine

Save the Trails & Views in WV & VA

This Land: There are many reasons to oppose natural gas pipelines

This Land Column by Dan Radmacher, Appalachian Mountain Advocates, February 23, 2017

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has rightly lauded decisions by two West Coast breweries to build East Coast facilities in Virginia. But he doesn’t seem to truly understand why Virginia — and specifically the Roanoke area — appealed to those executives.

One of the coolest things about living in Roanoke — and there are many — is easy access to the Appalachian Trail and other great hiking locations. There are several awesome hikes along the trail within a short drive. You can hike up Tinker Mountain and get a great view of Carvin’s Cove, or drive out 311 and either climb Dragon’s Tooth or head out the other direction to one of the most photographed spots in Virginia: McAfee’s Knob.

When Deschutes announced its decision to build an East Coast brewery in Roanoke, executives specifically mentioned the region’s outdoor recreational opportunities and other quality of life issues. The company’s headquarters is in Bend, Ore., an outdoors paradise, and executives wanted a similar location.

Roanoke’s got great hiking, biking and paddling opportunities in and around the city. Natural beauty is everywhere — and more people have begun to recognize that being a cool mountain city is a good for business.

But McAuliffe doesn’t seem to understand that allowing the construction of multiple natural gas pipelines through Virginia will have a negative impact on those qualities, and not just in and around Roanoke. The Mountain Valley Pipeline and Atlantic Coast Pipeline will both cut across the Appalachian Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The Mountain Valley Pipeline would cross the AT at a spot in the Jefferson National Forest in Giles County. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy said the location is “an area of unbroken wild landscape consisting of forest, rocky outcropping and grassy bald” free of human development. The pipeline company has said it might drill a borehole under the Appalachian Trail to minimize the impact, but hasn’t ruled out cutting a trench across the trail.

Though both pipelines will be buried, the disruption from construction and the ongoing maintenance of the 125-foot utility corridor will create a visual blight visible from the Appalachian Trail, the Blue Ridge Parkway and other locations, marring scenic vistas across the state.

Visual pollution isn’t the only problem. Compressor stations along the pipeline will contribute to air quality problems and noise issues. And, of course, the pipelines will be at constant risk of exploding.

But none of that makes an impact on McAuliffe, who continues to support the pipelines as economic drivers — ignoring the long-term economic damage they will do. McAuliffe also ignores the long-term environmental damage the pipelines will cause and their major contribution to climate change.

According to a recent study by Oil Change International, methane leaks from the two pipelines will cause as much greenhouse gas pollution per year as 45 coal-fired power plants. The multibillion-dollar investment in the pipelines will also discourage the development of renewable, clean-energy alternatives.

Former congressman Tom Perriello, running for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination against Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, is strongly opposing the pipelines. “If elected governor, I will use the authorities available to me to prevent these pipelines and instead encourage all stakeholders to invest in opportunities that create far more Virginia jobs, keep more value in the community, protect our landholders’ rights and protect our beautiful natural heritage,” Perriello said during a Richmond news conference.

Perriello said the threat of climate change and the need to invest in clean energy drove his decision — and he further promised not to accept any campaign contributions from Dominion, which has given $20,000 to Northam and has been a major supporter of McAuliffe’s.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Denver Riggleton, who lives in Nelson County near the Atlantic Coast Pipeline route, is also opposing the pipelines. He’s running against former Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie, a pipeline enthusiast like McAuliffe.

These pipelines aren’t good for Virginia — or West Virginia. They aren’t good for the economy, the environment or the future well-being of the people who live here. It’s a shame McAuliffe is blind to that.

>>> Dan Radmacher is former editorial page editor of The Charleston Gazette and The Roanoke Times. This Land is a weekly column produced by Appalachian Mountain Advocates.

Gulf South 30 inch Pipeline (1-14-15)

Open Public Meetings Set for Upshur and Lewis Counties for Information & Legal Advice

From April Keating, Mountain Lakes Preservation Alliance, Upshur County, WV

The Mountain Lakes Preservation Alliance and the Greenbrier River Watershed Association are  sponsoring public meetings regarding the several large pipelines proposed to cross many West Virginia counties.

Counties to be affected are: Wetzel, Braxton, Lewis, Webster, Doddridge, Harrison, Upshur, Randolph, Pocahontas, Greenbrier, and Monroe County residents.

These meetings are designed to provide additional information to that provided by the industry open-house meetings. Topics to consider include water quality, public safety, property rights, property values, emergency response, inspections, public health, and public policy. Expert presenters will follow with a Question and Answer session.

Whether you have received a survey letter, are a public official, or simply a concerned citizen, you are encouraged to attend. These decisions made now could affect many generations of West Virginians for years to come.

xxx – Saturday, February 21 at 1 PM at the Rock Cave Fire Hall, Upshur County, WV — Cancelled on account of snow weather forecast.

>>> Saturday, February 28 at 2 PM at the Ireland Community Building, Lewis County, WV

>>> Saturday, March 28 at 1 PM at the American Legion in Buckhannon, Upshur County, WV

To learn more about these meetings, contact Elise Keaton, 304-647-4792, elise@greenbrier.org

Also, please call Appalachian Mountain Advocates, 304-645-9006, or email MLPAWV@gmail.com.

See also the web site of the Mid-Atlantic Responsible Energy Project:  www.MAREproject.org

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Note: The photo above shows the damages to the forest in Mississippi in mid-January 2015 from an explosion and fire on the 30 inch Gulf South natural gas pipeline.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Press Conference: Governor’s Conference Room, State Capitol, Charleston, WV

Time and Date: 3 PM, January 13, 2015

West Virginia Highlands “On the Chopping Block”

Contact: Tom Rodd, Project Director, Friends of Blackwater, Allegheny Highlands Climate Change Impacts Initiative

One day before the West Virginia State Board of Education takes up a controversy over proposed changes to West Virginia climate change science teaching standards, the conservation group Friends of Blackwater is releasing a new report titled “On the Chopping Block,” that evaluates the impacts of climate change on the State’s most mountainous region.

The report, which can be accessed online by clicking here, says that the historic climate, ecology, and economy of the Allegheny Highlands region, which includes Canaan Valley, Dolly Sods, and the Blackwater Canyon, is already being damaged by the impacts of climate change — and that the threat of much greater damage is rapidly growing, as global warming accelerates.

The “On the Chopping Block” report will be officially released at a press conference on Tuesday, January 13 at 3:00 PM in the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston, West Virginia, in the Governor’s Cabinet and Conference Room. The report will be presented to the West Virginia State Board of Education on the next day, at the Board’s Wednesday, January 14 10:00 AM meeting in Charleston at Building 7 of the Capitol Complex.

The Board recently revised proposed science teaching standards to suggest that global warming and climate change are not necessarily caused by human activity, causing a substantial controversy that has attracted national attention. “Human-caused climate change is real and the impacts are already being felt in the Highlands — and they are getting worse,” said Tom Rodd, Director of Friends of Blackwater’s Allegheny Highlands Climate Change Impacts Initiative. “We could lose our spruce and hardwood forests, our ski industry, and many important wildlife and plant species, including ‘Ginny,’ the West Virginia Flying Squirrel. We have to start reining in global warming before it’s too late.”

The report summarizes the presentations of more than a dozen scientists at a June 2014 conference at Blackwater Falls State Park in Davis, West Virginia, on the topic: “Climate Change and the Highlands: What’s at Stake, What’s at Risk?” and cites to a number of studies and reports by federal and state agencies, including the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.

The “On the Chopping Block” report, and a list of speakers, photos, and other resources from the Blackwater Falls 2014 conference, are available at the group’s website, www.alleghenyclimate.org.

“This ground-breaking report is based on dozens of peer-reviewed scientific studies. It is the first comprehensive look at the impacts of climate change on the Highlands,” Rodd said. “We hope this report will be useful to the State Board of Education as they discuss how our children should learn about the best science on global warming and climate change.”

Angela Anderson, Director of the Climate and Energy Programs of the Union of Concerned Scientists, praised the group’s work and the Blackwater Falls conference as a “strong, science-focused program.” Her comments can be read by clicking here.

Friends of Blackwater’s Allegheny Highlands Initiative is one of 450 organizations and institutions affiliated with the UCS that are sharing information and best practices on ways to communicate about the effects of climate change in ways that motivate people to collaborate, instead of polarizing the debate.

The report cites a recently released National Climate Assessment reporting that extreme precipitation events in the Highlands region have already increased by 40 percent, due to climate change caused by increased greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.

The report also cites U.S. Geologic Survey and University of Virginia studies that say that rising temperatures are damaging habitat for the Eastern Brook Trout, the state fish of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia; and Penn State studies saying that the region’s ski industry is at risk.

Contact: Tom Rodd, Project Director, Friends of Blackwater, Allegheny Highlands Climate Change Impacts Initiative.  Web-site:   www.wvalleghenyclimate.org