Federal authorities have started a criminal investigation of the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
According to disclosures filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission this week, the U. S. Attorney’s Office in Roanoke and a grand jury have asked for company records related to pipeline construction.
The Roanoke Times first reported the disclosures.
Mountain Valley and the company building it have been named in several state actions and lawsuits related to runoff and erosion. But this is the first indication of federal criminal and civil investigations.
In the disclosure, the company says it is complying with the requests for records.
Here is the complete disclosure from the EQM Midstream Partners annual report:
On January 7, 2019, the MVP Joint Venture received a letter from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Virginia stating that it and the EPA are investigating potential criminal and/or civil violations of the Clean Water Act and other federal statutes as they relate to the construction of the MVP. The January 7, 2019 letter requests the MVP Joint Venture and its members, contractors, suppliers and other entities involved in the construction of the MVP to preserve documents related to the MVP generated from September 1, 2018 to the present. In a telephone call on February 4, 2019, the U.S. Attorney's Office confirmed that it has opened a criminal investigation. On February 11, 2019, the MVP Joint Venture received a grand jury subpoena from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Virginia requesting certain documents related to the MVP from August 1, 2018 to the present. The MVP Joint Venture is complying with the letter and subpoena but cannot predict whether any action will ultimately be brought by the U.S. Attorney's Office or what the outcome of such an action would be.
