Behind Schedule, Mountain Valley Pipeline Wants Permit Extension
Nadia Ramlagan, Producer
Tuesday, July 26, 2022
Developers of a more than 300-mile natural gas pipeline which would run through North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia wants a permit extension until fall 2026 to complete its main line. The permit is set to expire this October.
Ridge Graham, North Carolina field coordinator for Appalachian Voices, said the proposal to run additional pipeline into North Carolina poses threats to residents. He explained the compressor stations used to funnel gas leak methane and other toxic chemicals harmful to nearby communities. He also pointed out land use is a major issue.
"There's threats to private property, as far as trying to take away land that's owned by people in North Carolina, in order to try and build these pipelines," Graham asserted.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is accepting public comments on the proposed extension of the Mountain Valley Pipeline until Friday. Developers say the project is more than 90% complete, but critics dispute the claim.
Graham argued instead of greenlighting natural gas projects, the state should be working toward its goal of significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions by investing in renewable energy, in order to combat the effects of climate change.
"We should be looking at more solar and more wind capacity that are actually renewable," Graham contended. "The whole project is really facing uncertainty both for the extension and for the main line itself."
Since construction on the pipeline began four years ago, the project has racked up hundreds of water quality violations in multiple states, and faces numerous outstanding permits needed for completion of the project.
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