Statewide VA

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    Mountain Valley Pipe Pushes Back Against ‘Emasculate FERC’ Lawsuit

    Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) is not taking a ludicrous, outrageous lawsuit by anti-pipeline residents from West Virginia and Virginia lying down. They are fighting mad as recent court filings show. MVP is a $3.5 billion, 301-mile pipeline that will run from Wetzel County, WV to the Transco Pipeline in Pittsylvania County, VA. A lawsuit was filed in federal court at the end of July to block the MVP project (see New Lawsuit Against Mountain Valley Pipe Seeks to Emasculate FERC). The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Roanoke, VA, seeks to block the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from doing its job by issuing a certificate to approve MVP. The plaintiffs claim FERC would be violating the U.S. Constitution by approving a private project that “takes” private land without just compensation. The plaintiffs maintain that according to the Constitution, land can only be taken for “public use” and that the pipeline is for private use, not for the public good. That’s the claim. As we said at the time, “If these virulent antis win this case, it would emasculate FERC–take away its authority to approve major interstate pipeline projects.” MVP in a court filing last Friday (full copy below) said pretty much the same thing. MVP says in their filing the lawsuit asks the court to invalidate the Natural Gas Act–the law of the land–which would have the effect of stopping all pipeline projects being built. The outcome of this lawsuit is already preordained. The lawsuit will get tossed. The only question is, how fast?…
    Read More “Mountain Valley Pipe Pushes Back Against ‘Emasculate FERC’ Lawsuit”

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    New Lawsuit Against Mountain Valley Pipe Seeks to Emasculate FERC

    In June, a group of radical “environmental” organizations filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit against the West Virginia Dept. of Environmental Protection–for doing their job (see Radicals File Lawsuit Against WV DEP for Approving MV Pipeline). Sierra Club, West Virginia Rivers Coalition, Indian Creek Watershed Association, Appalachian Voices and Chesapeake Climate Action Network sued the DEP because the department had the audacity to conduct a thorough review, and then issue a stream and water-crossing permit (demanded under federal law) for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). MVP is a $3.5 billion, 301-mile pipeline that will run from Wetzel County, WV to the Transco Pipeline in Pittsylvania County, VA. A second lawsuit has now been filed in federal court to block the MVP project–this time from anti-pipeline residents from West Virginia and Virginia. This second lawsuit is even more insidious than the first. The new lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Roanoke, VA (full copy below), seeks to block the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from doing its job by issuing a certificate to approve MVP. The suers claim FERC would be violating the U.S. Constitution by approving a private project that “takes” private land without just compensation. The suers maintain that according to the Constitution, land can only be taken for “public use” and that the pipeline is for private use, not for the public good. That’s the claim. If these virulent antis win this case, it would emasculate FERC–take away its authority to approve major interstate pipeline projects. We don’t give the case much of a chance, but hey, one never knows…
    Read More “New Lawsuit Against Mountain Valley Pipe Seeks to Emasculate FERC”

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    Bent Mtn Money Talks – VA DEQ Adds ‘Informal’ Hearings on MVP

    For some time we’ve covered opposition to the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), a $3.5 billion, 301-mile pipeline that will run from Wetzel County, WV to the Transco Pipeline in Pittsylvania County, VA. One of the hotbeds of opposition is in the Bent Mountain area of Roanoke County, VA (see our Bent Mountain stories here). Local gentry (i.e. wealthy) landowners have tried to involve local police to prevent surveyors from entering their property. It’s actually legal for surveyors to enter any landowner’s property–with advance notice. In one case the surveyors outsmarted the landowners by turning up at the crack of dawn (see MVP Surveyors Outsmart Va. Landowners, Survey at Crack of Dawn). That didn’t sit well with croissant crowd in Bent Mountain. After running our stories about Bent Mountain, we had a rather vicious email from one reader who claimed the people opposing MVP were just po’ folk, like the mythical Walton family, who have lived there for generations. Hogwash. If you check out Realtor.com you’ll see most of the houses listed for sale in Bent Mountain are going for more than half a million dollars. Three acres of land will run you $100,000–for just a building lot! Poor my foot. So it was no surprise for us to learn that Bent Mountain money talks. The Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has scheduled two public hearings for MVP–nowhere near Bent Mountain–on August 8th & 9th. A couple of local House of Delegates representatives objected and scheduled two of their own meetings–in the region. The House members somehow pressured the DEQ into agreeing to attend. In fact, a DEQ rep, “will offer opening remarks, answer questions and accept written comments” at the meetings. In other words, this will be an unofficial, official DEQ hearing for MVP, brought to you by the big money in Bent Mountain…
    Read More “Bent Mtn Money Talks – VA DEQ Adds ‘Informal’ Hearings on MVP”

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    Va. Supreme Court Rules Against Granny in Pipeline Survey Case

    Granny Clampett

    Last September MDN told you about an 83-year old granny who didn’t want surveyors working for Dominion’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline to enter her property to conduct a survey for a possible pipeline route (see A Supreme Court to Hear Atlantic Coast Pipe Survey Case). The Virginia Supreme Court accepted the case and as we said at the time, it is “high stakes,” because a 2004 Virginia law specifically allows surveyors to enter a property WITHOUT landowner permission, as long as the surveyors provide ample, advance notice of when they are coming. Some landowners use that advance notice to set up illegal blockades and to call in the police–an abuse of police authority (see Va. Landowners Illegally Block MVP Survey Crew on Bent Mountain). Hazel Palmer, an 83-year old widow (i.e. granny) chose to litigate rather than protest. She took her case all the way to the Supremes, and last week the Supremes ruled against her. However, Dominion also got a slap on the wrist. The justices said notifications sent for when surveyors will arrive can no longer say the surveyors will arrive “on or after,” because “after” can mean years later. Instead, Dominion will have to give several potential, specific dates when surveyors will visit a property…
    Read More “Va. Supreme Court Rules Against Granny in Pipeline Survey Case”

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    MVP Surveyors Outsmart Va. Landowners, Survey at Crack of Dawn

    Just yesterday MDN reported on a small group of gentry landowners living in the lavish Bent Mountain area of Roanoke County, VA who illegally blocked access to surveyors from Mountain Valley Pipeline (see Va. Landowners Illegally Block MVP Survey Crew on Bent Mountain). Even though the surveyors have the right, under Virginia law, to enter their property and conduct survey work, even without landowner permission, the landowners called in the cops and the cops “suggested” to the surveyors that they get a court order first. Even though a court order is not required. It is an abuse of law enforcement and a waste of time and money. So the surveyors left. And then they returned the next morning (yesterday morning) at the crack of dawn, before the gentry landowners had risen to sip their first cup of coffee. The surveyors got their work done–and left. And when the landowners found out, they were outraged–that they had been outsmarted, by lowly, hoi polloi surveyors. People who get their hands dirty on the job…
    Read More “MVP Surveyors Outsmart Va. Landowners, Survey at Crack of Dawn”

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    Va. Landowners Illegally Block MVP Survey Crew on Bent Mountain

    In May, MDN noted a disturbing trend in the Commonwealth of Virginia of entangling law enforcement in the non-criminal issue of surveying for a federally-authorized pipeline project (see VA Landowner Uses State Police to Eject Pipeline Surveyors). A small minority of landowners continue to use (abuse) local law enforcement in their zeal to oppose the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), a $3.5 billion, 301-mile pipeline that will run from Wetzel County, WV to the Transco Pipeline in Pittsylvania County, VA. Under Virginia State law, surveyors may enter a property without the property owner’s express permission to survey, as long as they have sent a prior notice to the landowner with target dates of when they will be on location. Some landowners, knowing the surveyors are coming, call in the cops to pressure the surveyors to leave. And the cops play along. Not a good situation. What typically happens is that the surveyors will leave and subsequently file for a court order of eminent domain, forcing the property owner to later allow the surveyors on their property. It happened again last month when a landowner in Franklin County called in the county Sheriff (see Franklin County, VA Landowners Use Sheriff to Eject MVP Surveyors). It’s now happened again–this time in Roanoke County…
    Read More “Va. Landowners Illegally Block MVP Survey Crew on Bent Mountain”

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    VA DEQ Schedules Public Hearings for MVP, Atlantic Coast Pipes

    In April MDN told you that the Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) had succumbed to political pressure from the MANY lib Dems in the state that oppose benign pipeline projects, like the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) and Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), and changed their minds about the process they will use in issuing water quality certifications under Section 401 of the federal Clean Water Act (see Virginia DEQ Plans to Give 2 Pipeline Projects Detailed Exam). The DEQ will examine each segment of both ACP and MVP before issuing the required permits. The DEQ has scheduled five public hearings (i.e. circus freak shows) to accept comments on the projects. The hearings (scheduled below) will be held in August…
    Read More “VA DEQ Schedules Public Hearings for MVP, Atlantic Coast Pipes”

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    FERC Gives Dominion VA/MD/DC Pipeline Favorable Enviro Assessment

    In October 2016, Dominion announced a new pipeline project called Eastern Market Access Project (see Dominion Announces $145M Project to Expand Gas Supply to DC & MD). The project will beef up two compressor stations in Virginia, build a new compressor station in Maryland, and add a couple of pipeline taps near Washington, D.C. The purpose of the $145 million project is to deliver more gas to Washington Gas (and its customers), and to deliver gas to a new gas-fired electric power plant being built in Maryland. A Dominion spokesman confirmed for MDN that the gas will come from either the Marcellus or Utica plays. Some good news to report: the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued a favorable environmental assessment (EA) for the project…
    Read More “FERC Gives Dominion VA/MD/DC Pipeline Favorable Enviro Assessment”

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    VA Sec Natural Resources Tells Dominion to Back Off re AC Pipeline

    A lot of communication (letters, phone calls, meetings) fly back and forth between a midstream (pipeline) company and regulatory agencies when an application is filed for a project. Particularly a project like the Dominion’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline, $5 billion, 594-mile natural gas pipeline that will stretch from West Virginia through Virginia and into North Carolina. Companies like Dominion send letters, make phone calls and meet with federal and state regulators, attempting to anticipate and answer questions and concerns. It’s a natural part of the process. So we found it interesting, indeed strange, that the Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources, Molly Ward, sent a letter to Dominion back in April (just now coming to light) in which she tells Dominion to back off and that people in the agencies that work for her “will not base their decisions on requests or suggestions from an applicant.” The Roanoke Times, “reporting” on the letter, opens their article with this sentence: “Attempts by Dominion Energy to sway regulators in the Atlantic Coast Pipeline permitting process prompted a top official under Gov. Terry McAuliffe to notify the utility that state agencies would not heed those efforts.” So now, when a company attempts to provide information, perhaps anticipating issues and concerns for regulators, and reaches out to contact them proactively, that’s called an attempt at “swaying” and is somehow nefarious and underhanded. Should Dominion contact regulators to ask them to NOT approve the project? Ridiculous! Of course Dominion is going to try and convince regulators that the project is worthy/sound/needed/safe/etc. That’s their job! Why would Ward not want her people to hear directly from Dominion? Her people hear plenty from the other side, anti-fossil fuel nutters opposed to the project…
    Read More “VA Sec Natural Resources Tells Dominion to Back Off re AC Pipeline”

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    Virginia Marcellus Power Plant Now Online, Boosts Local NatGas Price

    Marcellus Shale gas is now powering a Panda Power Funds electric generation plant supplying electricity for 778,000 homes in the Washington, DC metro area. Panda announced that its 778-megawatt “Stonewall” generating station in Loudoun County, Virginia is now online producing electricity for Northern Virginia/District of Columbia customers. MDN first had its eye on this project in November 2014 when we brought you the news that South Jersey Gas had won the contract to provide Marcellus Shale gas to the plant when built (see NJ Utility to Provide Marcellus Gas to Virginia Power Plant). South Jersey Gas is using the Dominion Transmission pipeline to get the gas there. Dominion upgraded their system last year in order to flow more gas to the project (see FERC OKs 6 Dominion Compressor Station Upgrades in PA, MD, VA). Incredibly, the Panda Stonewall project is estimated to contribute a mind-blowing $7.1 billion to the Virginia economy during its recent construction and the first 10 years of operation. No wonder communities love these natgas-fired electric plant projects! Since Stonewall going online, the spot price of natural gas traded at the nearby Dominion South trading hub has gone up 50% from prices of gas traded there a year earlier…
    Read More “Virginia Marcellus Power Plant Now Online, Boosts Local NatGas Price”

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    Franklin County, VA Landowners Use Sheriff to Eject MVP Surveyors

    In May, MDN noted a disturbing trend in the Commonwealth of Virginia of entangling law enforcement in the non-criminal issue of surveying for a federally-authorized pipeline project (see VA Landowner Uses State Police to Eject Pipeline Surveyors). A small minority of landowners continues to use (we’d call it abuse) local law enforcement in their zeal to oppose the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), a $3.5 billion, 301-mile pipeline that will run from Wetzel County, WV to the Transco Pipeline in Pittsylvania County, VA. Under Virginia State law, surveyors may enter a property without the property owner’s express permission to survey, as long as they have sent a prior notice to the landowner with target dates of when they will be on location. Some landowners, knowing the surveyors are coming, call in the cops to pressure the surveyors to leave. And the cops play along. Not a good situation. What typically happens is that the surveyors will leave and subsequently file for a court order of eminent domain, forcing the property owner to later allow the surveyors on their property. It’s a SURVEY for goodness sake! It’s a couple of guys (or girls) walking across the property, using a transit to figure out if/where the best route would go. Landowners are far better off working WITH surveyors to convey their wishes–“I’d prefer you’d leave that area alone”–rather than being obstructionists. But such is the uncivil world we now live in. We have another abuse of cops to eject surveyors, this one involves landowners in Franklin County, VA who called the Franklin County Sheriff’s office to order the surveyors off their property. No worries, the surveyors will be back in a few days with a court order in hand… Read More “Franklin County, VA Landowners Use Sheriff to Eject MVP Surveyors”

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    As Deadline for Mountain Valley Pipe Final EIS Nears, Antis Squirm

    Local anti-drilling reporters in Virginia are breathlessly hyping the fact that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is set to issue a final environmental impact statement (EIS) on June 23 for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), a $3.5 billion, 301-mile pipeline that will run from Wetzel County, WV to the Transco Pipeline in Pittsylvania County, VA. Antis are only too happy to provide a load of bull for local reporters to use in articles to scare the general public. For example, when talking about the pipeline, it’s always the “deeply controversial” Mountain Valley Pipeline. Of course it’s only “deeply controversial” to a few hundred people. Everyone else couldn’t care less. A bunch of pipeline opponents, who don’t like how the system works, want to change the rules. Funny, isn’t it, when the other side can’t win in the realm of public opinion, or in the courts, they resort to demanding the rules get changed–to favor them. Antis now want FERC to do something it has never done: Issue a revised or supplemental draft EIS, instead of a final EIS–which would restart a public comment period and seriously delay the project. Which is the point. We expect FERC will ignore this latest transparent effort to stop the project…
    Read More “As Deadline for Mountain Valley Pipe Final EIS Nears, Antis Squirm”

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    Is Virginia Governor Race a ‘Referendum on Pipelines’?

    Will Virginia in the south become what New York is in the north: a block to Marcellus/Utica gas leaving the region? Perhaps. At least, that’s what radical environmentalists are hoping is what happens. On June 13 Virginia will hold a primary. We recently wrote about its importance (see Fate of 2 Important Pipelines May Rest in Virginia Governor Race). Former Congressman Tom Perriello (far-left Democrat) says he’ll block both the $5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the $3.5 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline if he wins the primary and the general election. He may well win it. Antis are positioning this primary and the election as “a referendum on pipelines.” The brutal truth is that most people in the Old Dominion could care less about pipelines. It is only a small cadre of gentry-class horse farmers and radical anti-fossil fuelers who oppose the pipeline projects. But if you read local news, you wouldn’t know that. We’d like to say, “Hey, it doesn’t matter who wins, the law is the law and a governor can’t stop a federal pipeline project.” But then, we’re from New York where that is exactly what has happened! At least so far. Both the Constitution Pipeline (Williams) and the Northern Access Pipeline (National Fuel Gas Company) have been blocked by Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo for political reasons. Both pipelines have taken the state’s Dept. of Environmental Conservation to court, where it’s quite possible, even likely, the state will lose. However, nothing is 100% certain–and because of Cuomo’s actions, both pipelines are now years delayed. Our concern is that a major delay may happen in Virginia too, if the state elects someone like Perriello…
    Read More “Is Virginia Governor Race a ‘Referendum on Pipelines’?”

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    Fate of 2 Important Pipelines May Rest in Virginia Governor Race

    Election matters, and elections for governor really matter–at least with respect to shale drilling and pipelines. Here in New York State, where MDN is written, we are ruled by a corrupt autocrat by the name of Andrew Cuomo. Single-handed Cuomo has decided to ban fracking and block new shale gas pipelines (see After 6+ Years, Andrew Cuomo Bans Fracking in New York; NY Gov. Cuomo Refuses to Grant Permits for Constitution Pipeline; and Cuomo’s Corrupt NY DEC Blocks NFG Northern Access Pipeline Permit). So when a Democrat candidate in Virginia to be the next governor vows to block pipelines there, we don’t take it as just electioneering. These people are serious–and dangerous. Our court systems have failed to reign in Democrat autocrats who rule by fiat. It’s up to the people to ensure they don’t get elected. On June 13 Virginia will hold a primary in their gubernatorial race. Since a Democrat has won the governor’s mansion in nine out of the last ten elections, it pays to pay attention to the two leading Dem candidates for governor in Virginia. One of them, former Congressman Tom Perriello, says he’ll block both the $5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline through his state, and the $3.5 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline. His opponent, the sitting Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam, doesn’t outright oppose the projects but instead says they will be put under an extreme review by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Just one problem with that: The DEQ says FERC is the one who will monitor and review the project, not the DEQ. In other words, what Northam has been promising is just another empty political promise (surprised?). With a close race, will this late-breaking news from the DEQ tip the balance in favor of the radical Perriello?… Read More “Fate of 2 Important Pipelines May Rest in Virginia Governor Race”

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    Poll: Majority of Voters in VA, WV, NC Support Atlantic Coast Pipe

    Leftist anti-fossil fuelers are only too happy to poll anything and everything–except for what really matters. How do the VOTERS in Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina feel about the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP)? ACP is Dominion Energy’s $5 billion, 594-mile natural gas pipeline that will stretch from West Virginia through Virginia and into North Carolina. The Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), the “voice of the energy consumer,” set out to answer the question: How do voters feel about ACP? In a poll commissioned by ACP, a majority of voters in all three states support the project–by an overwhelming majority. ACP hired Hickman Analytics Inc., a “Democratic-leaning,” Maryland-based firm to do the polling. Harrison Hickman, founder of the firm, said, “By any measure, whether it’s a policy matter or a voting matter, the pipeline has widespread support.” That’s something you won’t read in most news outlets. Here’s the results of the poll… Read More “Poll: Majority of Voters in VA, WV, NC Support Atlantic Coast Pipe”

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    ExxonMobil & Employees Contribute More than $50M to Higher Ed

    You know how money-grubbing, cheap, careless and in general no-good those Big Oil companies are, right? They only care about themselves. They seek to rape and pillage Mom Earth, keeping piles of gold in their coffers, killing humankind in the process. That’s the picture painted by anti-fossil fuel nuts. Here’s the real picture: In 2016, between employees and the corporation, Exxon Mobil donated more than $50 million to colleges and universities across the United States. That is a staggering number. Many of those colleges and universities were located in the Appalachian basin (Marcellus/Utica), including $2.7 million in PA, $800K in OH, $1.4 million in VA, $3.2 million in NY and $1.2 million in NJ. Just the opposite of the negative picture painted by the enemies of fossil fuels… Read More “ExxonMobil & Employees Contribute More than $50M to Higher Ed”