Protecting the heritage, resources and economy of the Allegheny-Blue Ridge region
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has announced a revised schedule for releasing a final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) and making a final decision on the restoration plan that had been submitted for the now-cancelled Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Originally,
Several key decisions are due to be made soon concerning necessary permits for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). Here’s a review of some key dates:
Willie Phillips has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The November 16 action was on a voice vote. Phillips has been Chair of the District of Columbia Public Service Commission and before that was assistant general counsel for the North American Electric Reliability Corp.
Charles Sams was confirmed as the new Director of the National Park Service on a voice vote by the U.S. Senate on November 18. Sams has been a member of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council and has served as Executive Director of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
A three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on October 29 on two separate cases brought by ABRA members challenging permits issued for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP).
The first case, Wild Virginia v.
A proposed mine safety test facility to be located in Mace, WV, straddling the Pocahontas-Randolph county line, has been approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), despite strong opposition over environmental issues from conservation groups in WV,
Friends of Shenandoah Mountain (FSM), a long-time ABRA member, has proposed that a 90,000-acre tract of the George Washington National Forest be designated by Congress as a National Scenic Area. FSM has just created a virtual tour of the proposed Scenic Area site.
A proposed project in the Monongahela National Forest (MNF) has evoked strong concerns from the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy (Conservancy), the state’s most prominent conservation organization and a founding member of ABRA. The stated purpose by the MNF of the Gauley Healthy Forest Restoration Project (GHFRP),
H
Sponsor: Friends of Buckingham
Developer: Aston Bay
Since at least 2016, Aston Bay Holdings has drilled more than 20 exploratory holes in the A-1 agricultural zone on land situated between Yogaville and the Union Hill community.
Sponsor: National Forest Integrity Project
Developer: U.S.Forest Service
According to the US Forest Service, the Greenbrier Southeast project seeks to improve forest stand health and composition to improve future wildlife habitat and to provide for future commercial timber sales and economic projects.
Sponsor: Rockbridge Area Conservation Council
Developer: Apex Clean Energy
Apex Clean Energy is working to complete development and start construction on Rocky Forge Wind, potentially the first onshore wind farm in the Commonwealth.
Sponsor: Friends of Blackwater
Developer: WVDOT/WVDOH
Corridor H of the Appalachian Development Highway System, also known as US 48, will extend 157 miles from northern Virginia to central West Virginia. It is being constructed from Interstate 79 (I-79) in Weston eastward across the Allegheny Mountains to I-81 in Strasburg,