Environmental groups (Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, NDRC and C-CANN) remind us to comment to the Virginia State Water Control Board (part of the Department of Environmental Quality) that a stream by stream environmental assessment should be required for the Mountain Valley Pipeline and the Atlantic Coast Pipeline crossings.
From the Sierra Club: Say it loud, Virginia: Pipeline Water Crossings Require Greater Scrutiny
Virginia is considering revoking the free pass that fracked-gas pipelines have been given to cross and damage over 1,000 rivers, streams, and wetlands.
The state’s Department of Environment Quality should have required individual review for each of these water crossings. Instead, it punted its responsibility and giving blanket permission for the entire state under the Army Corps of Engineers’ Nationwide Permit 12 — intended to be used only for small projects with “minimal impacts.”
The Atlantic Coast Pipeline and Mountain Valley Pipeline will cut through 1,000 streams and rivers and damage almost 800 acres of wetlands in Virginia. These pipelines will traverse rugged mountain terrain and sensitive habitats, and will be near drinking water sources for Staunton, Waynesboro, Roanoke, Salem, and Vinton. https://sierra.secure.force.com/actions/National?actionId=AR0113172&id=7010Z000002AtlRQAS&data=803f0c29d93224b72b668cc338980e42c8dc33dbe77545b515398d1ce13ac88e02f9e278934ca226f2c150498bcd1fcc&utm_medium=email&utm_source=sierraclub&utm_campaign=beyonddirtyfuels&utm_content=permit12VA2