West Virginia Governor Jim Justice (R) announced January 20 the appointment of Harold Ward as Secretary of the Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. He replaces Austin Caperton, who resigned in December. Ward has most recently been Deputy Secretary of Operations for the Department,
Pa. grand jury report on fracking: DEP failed to protect public health
- – State Impact Pennsylvania – 6/25/20
DEP Pushes Back Again on PennEast Pipeline
- – NJ Spotlight – 10/11/19
Was there a different regulatory path for the ruptured Revolution pipeline?
- – Pittsburg Post-Gazette – 9/10/19
EPA signoff marks advance amid late permitting challenges for Mountain Valley Pipeline
- – S&P Global – 8/19/19
“VioBlitz” Uncovers Over 100 Potential MVP Violations
Impacted landowners, concerned citizens, and trained volunteer monitors participated in a “VioBlitz” over the August 9-11 weekend. Sponsored by the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, an ABRA member and a partner in the ABRA CSI program (Compliance Surveillance Initiative), participants traveled portions of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) and documented as many permit violations as possible over a 3-day period.
Opposition Voiced Against Corps of Engineers Permit Modifications
The West Virginia Rivers Coalition and 22 other organizations (including ABRA and
several of its members) filed comments on July 26 with the West Virginia Department of
Environmental Protection’s (WVDEP) proposed modification of Nationwide Permit 12 (NWP 12),
Mountain Valley agrees to pay $266,000 for pollution problems in W.Va.
- – The Roanoke Times – 5/14/19
W.Va. DEP Changes State-Imposed Regs for Stream Crossing Permits
- – WV Public Broadcasting – 4/30/19
WVDEP Approves Modified 401 Certification of Nationwide Permits
On April 24th the West Virginia Department of Environment Protection (WVDEP) approved its modification of the state’s 401 Certification of the Army Corps of Engineers’ 404 Nationwide Permits. In its approval, WVDEP decided against the proposed Standard Condition 22 that would have allowed it to waive or modify any standard or special condition which would have set a very bad precedent.