Pipeline expansion plans in Virginia face calls for full environmental review
Two proposed natural gas pipeline expansion projects in Southwest Virginia are drawing renewed scrutiny from federal lawmakers, who are urging regulators to require deeper environmental review before permits are issued.
U.S. Reps. Jennifer McClellan and Bobby Scott of Virginia, along with North Carolina Rep. Valerie Foushee, sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) calling for full Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) for both projects. According to Virginia Mercury, the lawmakers said the scale of the projects and their proximity to communities and waterways warrant a more thorough review than what has been proposed.
The projects include the Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate extension, which would add about 31 miles of new pipeline from Pittsylvania County, Va., into North Carolina, and a planned expansion of Williams’ Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line (Transco), Virginia Mercury reported. The Transco project would extend approximately 55 miles, including 26 miles through Southwest Virginia, and add new compressor stations in Pittsylvania County.
FERC has indicated that new EIS reviews are not required, relying instead on prior environmental assessments that concluded the expansions pose no significant risk to human health or the environment. Lawmakers countered that approach departs from precedent for projects of similar size and could underestimate potential impacts on wetlands, waterways and nearby communities.
Concerns have also been raised about the co-location of two high-pressure pipelines along similar routes, including repeated crossings of rivers such as the Banister and Sandy rivers and tributaries of the Dan River. Federal and state agencies, including the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, are expected to make permitting decisions on both projects in the coming months.
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