Pipelines Clear Another Regulatory Hurdle

Another regulatory barrier to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and Mountain Valley Pipeline has fallen. The board of trustees of the Virginia Outdoors Foundation unanimously approved Monday applications for “conversion of open space” by the two natural gas pipeline developers that propose to cross 11 VOF conservation easements.

From the outset, VOF informed the pipeline companies that their incursions would be incompatible with the conservation values of the easements, therefore triggering a process in state law known as “conversion” of open space. (See the VOF announcement here.)

The two resolutions included several conditions, including restrictions on the footprint of the pipelines and access roads, the conveyance to VOF of more than 1,100 acres of substitute land in Highland, Nelson, and Roanoke counties, and the transfer of $4.075 million in stewardship funding for the properties’ long-term care and maintenance.

The VOF easements will remain in place on the properties with overlaying permanent rights-of-way for the pipeline developers.

Last week the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) granted the ACP and MVP certifications of public convenience and necessity. The VOF vote eliminated one of the few remaining regulatory obstacles to the project. The pipelines still face one significant hurdle, however: meeting state regulatory standards for erosion and sediment control.

Read the full article in Bacon's Rebellion