trending Market Intelligence /marketintelligence/en/news-insights/trending/xhgxpwixk__z1ztd34vqqa2 content esgSubNav
In This List

Virginia watches progress on Mountain Valley, Atlantic Coast projects

Podcast

Next in Tech | Episode 49: Carbon reduction in cloud

Blog

Using ESG Analysis to Support a Sustainable Future

Research

US utility commissioners: Who they are and how they impact regulation

Blog

Q&A: Datacenters: Energy Hogs or Sustainability Helpers?


Virginia watches progress on Mountain Valley, Atlantic Coast projects

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality said it will pay the same close attention to the $3.7 billion EQT Corp.-led Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline that it is paying to the $5.1 billion Dominion Energy Inc.-led Atlantic Coast pipeline because of the amount of citizen concern.

"Because of the depth of citizen concerns and to assure transparency, we plan to follow the same notification procedures for [the Mountain Valley pipeline] as required for the Atlantic Coast pipeline," agency Director David Paylor said in a Feb. 2 statement. The two pipeline projects, approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on the same day in October 2017, both cross Virginia as they leave West Virginia.

The Virginia agency will submit a report to the state Water Control Board on the approval of Mountain Valley pipeline's final erosion and sediment control and stormwater plans, annual standards and specifications, and a supplemental karst evaluation plan ahead of construction, according to the statement. At a January meeting on the Clean Water Act Section 401 certification for the Atlantic Coast pipeline, the Water Control Board required the Department of Environmental Quality to report on these same plans.

In other news on the Mountain Valley pipeline, the developers agreed to pay $27.5 million as compensation for expected tree-cutting and environmental impacts, The Roanoke Times reported Feb. 2. The payment followed negotiations between the developers and the state. Money will go to conservation groups, including the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and the Virginia Environmental Endowment.

The developers also paid $2.5 million in another agreement to mitigate the pipeline's impact on historical resources in southwest Virginia.

Like Mountain Valley, the Atlantic Coast developers recently established a $57.8 million environmental mitigation fund in North Carolina under an agreement with Gov. Roy Cooper to compensate for "unavoidable effects" on natural resources, support economic development in counties affected by the pipeline and expand renewable energy projects in local communities.

FERC recently authorized early construction work on both the 2-Bcf/d Mountain Valley and 1.5-Bcf/d Atlantic Coast projects, pushing the proposed outlets for Appalachian gas supplies closer to service. (FERC dockets CP15-554, CP16-10)