Eight conservation groups have urged the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to issue a a certification under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act for the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s requested approval of new waterbody crossing methods for the project. The groups’ May 20 letter was prompted by a May 13 letter to DEQ from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission requesting DEQ’s opinion on whether 401- certification for the proposed waterbody crossings was required. The groups’ letter states:
“There is no question that Mountain Valley’s requested amendment triggers Section 401 and requires state certification. In fact, both FERC and Mountain Valley have acknowledged that the requested amendment would authorize numerous activities that ‘may result in [a] discharge into the navigable waters.’”
The organizations signing the letter are Wild Virginia, Appalachian Mountain Advocates, Appalachian Voices, Southern Environmental Law Center, Virginia Conservation Network, Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, Preserve Ben Mountain and Preserve Floyd.