Mountain Valley Pipeline filed documents March 21 requesting two variances in West Virginia. MVP requested that the variances be approved by March 22.
>> Letter: MVP Variance Requests G-1 & Bradshaw-1
One variance request (G-1) seeks FERC approval of an additional laydown yard in Monroe County, WV. Currently, the site in question is being used for cultivated crops. The site also contains an non-specific cultural resource, which MVP states they will avoid and protect with a safety fence.
“All streams and wetlands will be avoided as well as indicated on the erosion and sediment control drawing,” the request states. “The entire site will be graded as needed for a flat surface and graveled. A topsoil stockpile location has been designated on the alignment sheet.
MVP included the following attachments to the variance request. Those labeled “Privileged” were not published in the FERC docket.
- Alignment Sheets
- Cultural Resource Report (PRIVILEGED)
- Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species Report — simply states there were no rare, threatened, or endangered species found on site based on a survey performed December 6, 2017.
- Stream and Wetland Delineation Report — during surveys performed July 6, September 12, and December 7 in 2017, Tetra Tech identified four palustrine emergent (PEM) wetlands and one perennial stream within the survey area.
- Landowner Exhibit (PRIVILEGED)
MVP plans to use the space, if the variance is granted, as a laydown yard for contractor parking, construction trailers, equipment and pipe storage, fuel storage, and equipment maintenance. A 500 gallon fuel tank will be located on site at a location indicated on the attached alignment sheets.
The request states, “MVP will not park, refuel, or maintain equipment within 100-feet of the delineated wetlands.”
The access road that would be required to enter the property would cross a stream and a wetland.
>> MVP Variance Request: Monroe Co, WV Laydown Yard
The second request (Bradshaw-1) seeks variance to perform 24-hour construction at the Bradshaw Compressor Station site in Wetzel County, WV. MVP asks that this variance be granted until May 31, 2018 “in order to complete grading and site preparation activities.”
“It is not anticipated that this variance will cause adverse impacts to resources or nearby noise receptors,” MVP said in the filing.
Attached to the filing is a “Bradshaw Compressor Station Nighttime Construction Noise Evaluation,” sent in the form of a technical memorandum January 19 to MVP from Texas-based consulting firm SLR International Corporation. The technical memorandum indicates that, adjusted for use percentage of each piece of equipment, the decibel range for individual pieces of equipment used on site overnight is 62-89 dBA.
The commissioned report concluded:
“SLR has updated the noise model for the Bradshaw Compressor Station with the proposed nighttime construction activities. A conservative estimate of the potential sound levels due to the nighttime contributions from the rock crusher, excavators, bulldozers, light plants, generators, and dump truck traffic has been added to the noise model. Even with the conservative assumptions incorporated in the noise model, nighttime construction is predicted to contribute less than 55 dBA Ldn and less than a nighttime level of 48.6 dBA Leq at the nearby NSAs.”
>> MVP Variance Request Bradshaw Compressor Staton: 24hr Construction
UPDATE
MVP filed a revision to Variance Request G-1 March 22. The filed revision only included new copies of the alignment sheets included with the original request. The alignment sheets, prepared by Holland Engineering, indicate that the revision made was “notched out around MVP-STR-970.”
>> Revision to MVP Variance Request: Monroe Co, WV Laydown Yard