The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced September 30 that it will conduct two virtual public hearings to solicit the views of interested persons regarding the permit application submitted by Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC to cross certain bodies of water along the project’s path in West Virginia and Virginia.
Biden Administration proposes changes to strengthen NEPA
Proposed changes in regulations governing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) were announced October 6 by the Biden Administration. NEPA is the basic law governing the manner in which environmental reviews are conducted of proposed projects, such as pipelines. The announced revisions would reverse changes made to NEPA regulations in 2020 by former President Trump (for earlier ABRA Update article on Trump changes,
Virginia FOIA training sessions being offered
The Virginia Freedom of Information Council, a state agency, has announced it will be conducting online training sessions about the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and how to use it.
A session on “Access to Public Records will be held October 27 at 10 am.
Conservation groups comment on ACP restoration proposal
Fifteen conservation groups were represented in comments filed September 13 by the Southern Environmental Law Center, Appalachian Mountain Advocates and Chesapeake Bay Foundation regarding the Draft Supplemental Impact Statement for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline route that was published on July 23 by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
FERC still on schedule in its review of ACP restoration plan
When the draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) restoration plan was published by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on July 23, it was indicated that a final SEIS was to be published by November 19 and an Authorization Decision Deadline was set for February 17,
FERC urged to require a Supplemental EIS for the MVP
Twenty conservation organizations (including ABRA and several of its members), urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on September 13 to require a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) regarding the project’s application for an amendment to its FERC certificate.
New FERC Commissioner named by President Biden
President Biden announced on September 9 his intent to nominate to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Willie L. Phillips, Jr., currently Chairman of the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia. FERC currently has four sitting Commissioners as the result of the departure in July of Neil Chatterjee,
Governor Northam Appoints New Secretary of Natural Resources
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced on September 22 he was appointing Ann Jennings as the new Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources. Ms. Jennings has served as Deputy Secretary of the department and replaces Matt Strickler, who was appointed to the position when Governor Northam took office in 2018.
Comments due September 13 on draft SEIS for ACP restoration
Comments on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) for restoration work on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline route are due on Monday, September 13. The DESIS was published July 23 (for background and a link to the draft, click here).
Mountaintop mining causes biodiversity losses, new study says
The September 2 issue of Science Daily reports on a new study that concludes biological diversity is “severely threatened by mountaintop coal mining.” The study was conducted by a research team led by Dr. Emily Bernhardt of Duke University and published this past summer in the journal Ecological Applications.