FERC granted Mountain Valley Pipeline’s Request for Notice to Proceed No. 17 March 27. MVP originally requested the Notice to Proceed March 20. The order allows construction to begin in the following areas:
- Discontiguous portions of pipeline in Giles, Craig, Montgomery, and Roanoke Counties, Virginia
- Three additional temporary workspaces in Lewis County, West Virginia
- One workspace, one access road, and one anode bed in Giles County, VA
- Ten workspaces, five access roads, and one anode bed in Montgomery County, VA
- Fourteen workspaces, five access road, and one anode bed in Roanoke County, VA
NTP No. 17 allows construction to begin within the following segments of historic districts:
- Big Stony Creek Historic District in Giles County, VA between about mileposts 200.2 and 200.5
- North Fork Valley Rural Historic District in Montgomery County, VA between mileposts 226.3 and 228.3
- Bent Mountain Rural Historic District, Bent Mountain Apple Orchard Rural Historic District, and the Coles-Terry Rural Historic District in Roanoke County, VA between mileposts 240.1 and 245.9.
FERC noted that the Treatment Plan for the North Fork Valley Rural Historic District should be modified to address comments filed by Montgomery County March 23, as well as a letter from FERC dated March 13. Additionally, FERC stated that the Treatment Plan for the Bent Mountain Rural Historic District, Bent Mountain Apple Orchard Rural Historic District, and the Coles-Terry Rural Historic District should be revised to show an agreement with Roanoke County “to manage the mitigation funds, or another non-profit partner should be found.” FERC also suggested that MVP “consider increasing the buffer from the Henry-Waldron Cemetery.”
Notice to Proceed No. 17 comes amid numerous objections from landowners and interested parties, specifically related to the new discovery of a Siouan historical site in Roanoke and Franklin Counties, VA.
FERC also granted MVP’s Variance Request G-1 March 26. The request was originally filed March 21. and requested a variance for an additional 23.4 acre laydown yard in Monroe County, WV.