By Mike Tony, Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The opportunity is imminent to tell West Virginia state environmental regulators what you think of the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s request to cross waterbodies throughout the Mountain State.
The state Department of Environmental Protection will hold a virtual public hearing at 6 pm. Tuesday on whether it should approve a key water permit for the 303-mile natural gas pipeline project traveling from Northwestern West Virginia to Southern Virginia crossing Wetzel, Harrison, Doddridge, Lewis, Braxton, Webster, Nicholas, Greenbrier, Fayette, Summers and Monroe counties.
Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC, the joint venture that owns the pipeline, still has applications pending with West Virginia and Virginia state environmental regulators for about 300 water crossings while it seeks approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to tunnel under 120 additional waterbodies.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection asked last month for an additional 90 days beyond the 120 days the Corps of Engineers gave the agency to review Mountain Valley Pipeline’s water permit request. In March, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality requested an additional year to review the pipeline permit application…
