FERC Scoping Meetings for Proposed Mountain Valley Gas Pipeline Environmental Impact Statement to be held May 4-13, 2015, in Va. and W. Va.

On April 17, 2015, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC,  issued a “Notice of Intent to Prepare and Environmental Impact Statement” for the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline Project.  EQT Corporation of Pennsylvania and NextEra Energy of Florida–collaborating to form Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC–have proposed the approximately 300-mile natural-gas pipeline from West Virginia to a connection in Pittsylvania County, Va., with the existing Transcontinental (or Transco) pipeline that runs from Texas to New York.

According to the April 17 FERC notice, the route as currently proposed would include the following Virginia counties: Giles, Montgomery, Roanoke, Franklin, and Pittsylvania; and the following West Virginia counties: Wetzel, Harrison, Doddridge, Lewis, Braxton, Webster, Nicholas, Greenbrier, Fayette, Summers, and Monroe.

FERC scheduled six public “scoping” meetings to gather input on “potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impacts,” according to the FERC notice.  The meeting dates and locations are as follows:

Monday, May 4, 7:00 p.m., James Monroe High School, Route 1 in Lindside, W. Va.

Tuesday, May 5, 7:00 p.m., Eastern Montgomery High School, 4695 Crozier Road in Elliston, Va.

Thursday, May 7, 7:00 pm, Chatham High School, 100 Cavalier Circle in Chatham, Va.

Monday, May 11, 7:00 p.m., Robert C. Byrd Center, 992 North Fork Road in Pine Grove, W. Va.

Tuesday, May 12, 7:00 p.m., West Virginia University Jackson’s Mill, 160 WVU Jackson Mill in Weston, W. Va.

Wednesday, May 13, 7:00 p.m., Nicholas County High School 30 Grizzly Road in Summersville, W. Va.

The FERC docket number for the proposed pipeline is PF15-3; access to project documents and a place for public comments on the proposal are available online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ferconline.asp.  Access specifically to the April 17 notice on the planned environmental impact statement is at http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/file_list.asp?accession_num=20150417-3022.