A day after federal regulators granted the Mountain Valley Pipeline authorization to go in service, MVP said it’s preparing to start transporting gas, but has not yet said when that will begin. The company reported to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Monday that it’s completed all safety checks, but some residents want to see more information about those inspections.
Within view of the pipeline, Theresa “Red” Terry lives with her husband on Bent Mountain. She’s fought the pipeline for years, partly because she’s concerned that an accident could lead to an explosion.
"I don’t like them taking my life for money," Terry told RadioIQ earlier this year. "I don’t want to be in town when it blows up, and coming home to no husband." Terry said they have no plans to move.
Some residents who live along the route don’t have financial means to relocate, says Russell Chisolm, co-director of Protect Our Water Heritage Rights, and a resident near the pipeline in Giles County.
"I don’t know how else to express how angry, infuriated, grief stricken I am in this moment," Chisholm said.
Chisholm’s organization and three other regional groups hosted a news conference Wednesday. They say there are many questions over safety that haven’t been answered, and would like the government to release more detailed information about inspections of MVP.
Chisholm’s number one concern is that an explosion may occur along the route. He pointed to slips and landslides during construction, and the unstable geography for parts of the route.
Although pipeline explosions do occur, the Pipeline Safety Trust says it’s a low likelihood that someone living along a pipeline will ever be affected by one.
Other activists on the call said they don’t think regulators took their concerns for safety and environmental protections seriously.
Jason Crazy Bear Keck is the co-founder of 7 Directions of Service, a non-profit that works with Indigenous Americans and African Americans who live in the path of MVP.
He cited multiple reports citizens have discovered of potential safety issues along the MVP. "Of course it’s not safe for service," Keck said. "We’ve already proven the violations. We’ve got pictures. We’ve got witness testimony. This whole regulatory process is a joke. Why not just say you have no choice. Why even play the song and dance. Of course we don’t believe what they say."
He said he and other activists will continue to monitor MVP, after it goes into service.
"Of course we’re going to be responsible and continue monitoring our environment. Doing the job that high-paid officials aren’t willing to do," Keck said.
Keck and his wife live in a portion of North Carolina that could be impacted by the Southgate extension project— the next phase of MVP that would transport gas from Pittsylvania County into North Carolina.
That project is still pending approval by state agencies.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
