Objections filed with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to the agency’s Draft Decision Document to amend the Forest Plan of the Jefferson National Forest so that construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) can proceed have been rejected out of hand by Deputy Regional Forester Frank Beum. Mr. Beum’s October 19 letter in response to the 760 individual objections that were filed with the (USFS) by the August 7 comment deadline “determined that the proposed amendment meets the required law, regulation, and policy.” The decision clears the way for the eventual issuance of a Special Use Permit to allow the MVP to cross 3.5 miles of the Jefferson National Forest.
A draft decision document for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, setting forth proposed amendments to the Forest Plans of the George Washington and Monongahela National Forests, was issued on July 21. A response to objections filed regarding that document have not yet been issued.