West Virginia DEP Proposes $265,972 Fine Against MVP, Releases Consent Order for Public Comment
To Comment on the Consent Order:
Mail written comments to WVDEP’s Public Information Office at 601 57th
St., S.E., Charleston, WV., 25304. OR e-mail your comments to
DEP.Comments@wv.gov. (Reference Mountain Valley Pipeline, Consent Order
#8951)
May 14, 2019
CHARLESTON, WV — Today, the West Virginia DEP publicly released their draft Consent Order for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, in which they propose a fine of $265,972 for 26 Notices of Violation issued between April 3 and November 30, 2018. The release of a draft initiates a public comment period that will be open until June 20, 2019. Attached to the draft order were 160 pages of photos showing inspections of violations by DEP staff. Cited violations include failure to implement perimeter controls, failure to prevent sediment-laden water from leaving the site without going through an appropriate device, and causing conditions not allowable in waters of the State.
The draft Consent Order was submitted to MVP for review April 19, 2019 and was signed by Robert Cooper, Senior Vice President, Engineering and Construction for MVP, LLC, and returned to DEP May 6, 2019.
Maury Johnson, POWHR Executive Committee Member and WV Impacted Landowner
“Today’s Consent Order, assessing fines in excess of over $265,000 for damages to WV streams, springs and wetlands though November of 2018 from the Mountain Valley Pipeline is welcome, but it is a pittance to the true cost of the damages citizens have documented in Summers and Monroe Counties alone. $265 million dollars might be a little closer to the real damages that have occurred across the state on this one unnecessary fracked gas pipeline.
“We commend the environmental inspectors who are trying to do their jobs, given the impossible task before them with not enough resources or staff to do the job. I hope that WV DEP uses this money to hire more environmental inspectors to monitor these pipelines and other projects that imperil the water we all depend upon to sustain life.
“In the meantime, we believe the most prudent course of action for DEP would be to issue a Stop Work Order while the violations mentioned in the Consent Order are cleaned up and the public comment period conducted.”
Ashby Berkley, WV Impacted Landowner
“Again the will and protection of the people of West Virginia is sold out to the out-of-state Gas, Coal, and Mineral Companies. The violation settlement of $265,000 assessed to MVP would not pay for chemotherapy for one child with cancer caused by water polluted by fracking, or for one home destroyed by explosion of a massive gas line. Why do we pay for environmental protection if it is not enforced for the protection of the people? This is no different from the massive sell out of natural resources and minerals that started in the 1800s. Why are we the poorest state and they are the richest companies?”
Contact:
Maury Johnson, POWHR Executive Committee Member, maurywjohnson@yahoo.com, (304) 832-6085
# # #