M. V. P. PRESS CONFERENCE SET @ 1 PM on TUESDAY in D. C. (10/10/23)

Mountain Valley Pipeline Construction Violations Continue, Along with Resistance

Press Conference @ US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, October 10th @ 1

WHO: Maury Johnson of Greenville, WV, whose well water and organic farm are being damaged under eminent domain for construction of the controversial 303-mile fracked gas Mountain Valley Pipeline. MVP was fast tracked by the US Congress last June through debt ceiling legislation as a concession to Senators Joe Manchin (WV) and Chuck Schumer (NY), who received significant contributions from MVP developer NextEra Energy, as well as President Biden.

WHAT: Press conference with Maury Johnson, most recently featured by MSN.com. Maury, a retired history teacher, works with Preserve Monroe, the Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights (POWHR) Coalition, and numerous other environmental and community service organizations.

WHEN: Tuesday October 10, 2023, 1pm Eastern Time

WHERE: U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590

WHY: Current MVP Safety Violations on Maury’s Farm and other area properties

Notorious for hundreds of violations over multi-year start-and-stop construction, MVP is currently installing pipe with expired safety coating, running equipment across Maury Johnson’s farm, and parking equipment on top of the buried pipeline, possibly violating construction permits and adding to the likelihood of stress fractures, leaks and explosions should MVP become activated.

Maury repeatedly requested a Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) onsite inspection this week regarding the urgent MVP safety violations. On 10/4/23 PHMSA Inspectors met with Maury and several of his neighbors who are all impacted by the MVP project. They expressed concerns for not only the local area but concerns from across WV and VA.

Maury will be in DC on Tuesday and has respectfully requested a meeting at the US DOT / PHMSA Office of Pipeline Safety – Eastern Region following a phone conversation and his latest filing regarding pipe safety issues.

According to an email sent Tuesday by DOT/PHMSA Office of Pipeline Safety, Eastern Region, Community Liaison Nitander “Nita” Raju, PHMSA inspectors are looking into the concerns and an inspector is coming to Maury’s property on October 4, 2023.

“Safety is our priority,” she wrote, “At your earliest convenience, please provide your questions to me so we can address them as soon as possible. If you have any additional concerns or information regarding the MVP, please provide them to me as well.”

Tuesday’s press conference will be held whether or not PHMSA has met with Maury. His hope is that his concerns will be heard and his questions answered, and that he will be in a position to state that PHMSA takes pipeline safety seriously and are always willing to address landowners’ and citizens’ concerns.

TWO PHOTOS ~ MVP equipment parked in probable violation of permits on the previously installed pipes on Maury’s farm, September 30, 2023.

Ongoing MVP Safety Violations ~ This week, MVP owner Equitrans Midstream Corporation agreed to new safety measures after PHMSA ordered a safety review of the project, arguing segments left buried underground or exposed to the elements during years of delay could pose a safety risk. Several environmental groups have been warning PHMSA these risks could result in a catastrophic failure. Equitrans will be required to submit a remedial work plan for pipeline damage and conduct tests on coatings designed to prevent corrosion. Impacted residents remain concerned.

MVP is also awaiting a Federal Energy and Regulatory Commission (FERC) decision on permission to increase transportation rates. As chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Manchin – MVP’s champion and by far the largest US Congressional recipient of money from fossil gas pipeline companies – wields significant control over FERC.

Ongoing Resistance to MVP ~ In addition to documenting pipeline safety violations and related explosion threats, public opposition has centered on challenging MVP’s permitting through wetlands and national forests, and raising awareness around landslides and earthquakes in the pipeline zone. MVP runs through the Appalachian Mountains, Jefferson National Forest, under the Appalachian Trail and hundreds of stream crossings. The original budget of $3.5 billion is now estimated to be $6.2 billion. FERC recently granted MVP another 4-years to complete.

Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights (POWHR), a coalition of groups from across several Virginia and West Virginia counties, has joined forces with 7 Directions of Service, an Indigenous-led North Carolina based organization, to oppose MVP and the proposed MVP Southgate Extension Project. Numerous groups from across the country have expressed their opposition to these MVP projects across Appalachia.

Appalachians Against Pipelines has engaged in a persistent direct action campaign to stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline since 2018. Volunteers have physically blocked construction for numerous days.

Ongoing Climate Breakdown ~ As the US Energy Information Administration reports that US exports of fossil gas set a record high in the first half of 2023, climate disasters fueled by gas, oil and coal combustion continue to devastate communities around the globe. While expanding gas infrastructure primarily for export, the US continues recruiting countries to the Global Methane Pledge to voluntarily reduce global methane emissions by at least 30% from 2020 levels by 2030 – a target considered essential for keeping a 1.5C future within reach.

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