At its December 13 meeting, the Virginia State Water Control Board voted 4-3 to initiate the formal hearing process to consider revoking the 401 Certification of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). The motion was made by new Board member James
Fish and Wildlife Approval of ACP Stayed by Fourth Circuit
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Biological Opinion and Incidental Take Statement for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) were stayed on December 7 by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Court’s Order was the result of a motion filed
Fourth Circuit is Asked to Stay ACP’s Fish and Wildlife Permit
A motion to stay the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s (FWS) latest Biological Opinion and Incidental Take Statement for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) was filed November 30 with the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals by the Southern Environmental Law Center
Air Board Urged to Reject ACP’s Late Efforts on Compressor Station Vote
The Virginia Air Pollution Control Board has been asked to reject eleventh-hour attempt by Dominion Energy to insert new conditions and provisions into the pending air quality permit for the project’s compressor station in Buckingham County without input from the
U.S. Senate Confirms Fifth Member of FERC
Bernard McNamee, Executive Director of the Office of Policy for the U.S. Department of Energy, was confirmed December 6 to be a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). His approval came on a 50-49 vote, with all Democrats
Nelson County Turns Down ACP Floodplain Variance Request
The Nelson County Board of Zoning Appeals denied on December 3, by a 3-2 vote, four of Dominion Energy’s applications for the variances to the County’s flood plain ordinance needed to construct the Atlantic Coast Pipeline across flood plains in
Virginia to Establish a Methane Leakage Work Group
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced December 3 that it is establishing an ad hoc work group of stakeholders to develop a framework for limiting methane leakage from natural gas infrastructure. The group will support DEQ in its
As ACPAs ACP Compressor Station Vote Nears, A Political Labyrinth Emerges
The last issue of ABRA Update (November 15) reported on Virginia Governor Northam’s plans to replace two members of the State Air Pollution Control Board in advance of a crucial Board vote on a permit for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
FERC Asked to Issue Stop Work Order for ACP
A group of six ABRA members – Appalachian Voices, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Sierra Club, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, West Virginia Rivers Coalition, and Wild Virginia – have asked the Federal Regulatory Commission to issue a stop work order for
Fourth Circuit Vacates MVP’s Nationwide 12 Permit
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ issuance of a Nationwide 12 Permit to the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) has been held to be invalid by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. The November 27 Order from the Court held that