Energy & Environment Story Archives - Page 2 of 126 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Watchdog: Feds Should Look At Mountain Valley Pipeline Rupture

A section of pipe burst during hydrostatic testing on May 1 at Bent Mountain, Virginia, releasing large volumes of municipal water and sediment into streams and on nearby properties.

A pipeline safety watchdog said federal regulators “should be on notice” about a pressure test failure on the Mountain Valley Pipeline earlier this month.

A section of pipe burst during hydrostatic testing on May 1 at Bent Mountain, Virginia, releasing large volumes of municipal water and sediment into streams and on nearby properties.

The incident was initially reported to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality by a landowner. It took days for state and federal regulators, as well as the pipeline’s builder, to publicly address the incident.

The Pipeline Safety Trust, a nonprofit advocacy group, wrote to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Friday requesting that the agency seek more information about the failed test.

Equitrans Midstream, the company building the 303-mile, 42-inch natural gas pipeline, has asked FERC for approval to begin operations by the end of the month.

The pipeline is intended to convey 2 billion cubic feet of gas a day from West Virginia to Virginia.

A group of 18 Virginia lawmakers asked FERC to deny the approval following the failed test.

The pipeline watchdog, while stopping short of calling for FERC to deny the approval, said the regulator should seek more information about the failure at Bent Mountain and others from the company and its federal regulator, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

“Pipeline Safety Trust believes that FERC should be on notice about this failure, and that it should request more information from both MVP and PHMSA about this test and other hydrotests conducted on all segments of the pipe,” the letter said.

The pipeline builder has an agreement with PHMSA, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, dating to October that requires it to fix any problems with sections of pipe that were exposed to weather and sunlight for prolonged periods.

The pipeline’s opponents, including environmental groups and landowners, have noted that exposure to the elements can degrade the pipe’s corrosion-resistant coating.

Landowners in the Bent Mountain area said the failed section of pipe was installed in 2018.

“It should also seek information about the remedial actions taken for this segment and whether MVP has taken care to ensure that similar weaknesses or abnormalities are addressed in a manner that meets PHMSA’s safety standards,” wrote the Pipeline Safety Trust’s Erin Sutherland, policy and program director/counsel, to FERC.

The Pipeline Safety Trust was founded after a fatal 1999 gasoline pipeline explosion in Bellingham, Washington. Its executive director, Bill Caram, testified to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee earlier this month as Congress considers a bill to reauthorize PHMSA.

In a letter to FERC also dated Friday, Equitrans Midstream’s Todd Normane, senior vice president and legal counsel, wrote the failed test demonstrated the safety practices the company is following.

“It is important for the public to know that Mountain Valley is committed to the safe and responsible construction and operation of the MVP project,” the letter said, “and hydrostatic testing is one component of a robust inspection and testing process designed to ensure system integrity.”

20240510-5099_PST-Letter-to-FERC-re-MVP-Request-to-Place-Project-Facilities-in-Service Download

Residents Near Mountain Valley Pipeline Say Details Are Scarce

In spite of assurances from builders of the Mountain Valley Pipeline that it’s ready for service, some residents of a Virginia community want more answers.

At Bent Mountain, Virginia, construction crews are working on the Mountain Valley Pipeline to begin operation in the next few weeks.

It’s been several days since a section of the pipe burst during testing, releasing water, not the large volume of natural gas it’s intended to carry.

Residents reported the sediment-laden water in creeks and on property on the morning of May 1 to the state’s Department of Environmental Quality.

It took nearly a week for the pipeline’s builder and state and federal agencies to respond to West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s questions about the pipeline failure. People who live near the pipeline have encountered similar frustrations.

Robin Austin, a Bent Mountain resident who’s been monitoring the nearly $8 billion project for a decade, says so many agencies are involved, it’s hard to know where to go for information.

“It’s really complicated,” she said. “You’ve got all these agencies. That’s a whole other problem. You don’t know who to send stuff to when you think something’s going on or you’d like information, so that makes it really challenging to get information.”

Austin says the pipeline’s builder, Equitrans Midstream, resumed hydrostatic testing – pressure testing with water – on Tuesday night, after repairing the damaged pipe.

The company says 269 miles of the 303-mile pipeline across two states – West Virginia and Virginia – have been successfully tested.

Equitrans has asked federal regulators for permission to begin operating the pipe by the end of the month. Landowners, including Austin, have doubts about whether it’s ready.

“We want our community to be safe. If this has got to be here, it’s got to be safe,” Austin said. “That’s why we’ve observed for all these years. We’ll continue to do it. We’ll continue to do it if and when the gas is running through it.”

Tate reported from Bent Mountain, Virginia.

Capito Open To Renewal Of Water Bill Subsidy Program

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said Thursday she is open to extending a water bill subsidy program, following requests from the Public Service Commission of West Virginia.

Since it was established four years ago, the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) has helped more than 17,000 low-income households access water services across West Virginia.

But without renewed federal funding, the program is soon set to expire.

In February, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., introduced the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program Establishment Act, which would make the program permanent.

Now, West Virginia officials like Charlotte Lane, chair of the Public Service Commission (PSC), are urging the state’s lawmakers to back Padilla’s bill and support the creation of a permanent version of the program.

On Wednesday, Lane wrote a letter to Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., asking her to help renew funding for LIHWAP.

“Water is our most important resource. Our local communities rely on water systems to provide safe drinking water,” she wrote. “We believe it is imperative that Congress take action to… ensure that low-income households do not lose access to this critical assistance.”

Without a program like LIHWAP in place, Lane said access to water and wastewater services would become more insecure for many West Virginians.

“If the LIHWAP program lapses, there is no question that many will suffer,” she wrote. “LIHWAP has proven to be a successful program in getting assistance to those who need it the most.”

During a press briefing Thursday, Capito indicated that she would consider renewing LIHWAP’s funding.

But she stopped short of endorsing a permanent version of the program, and said lawmakers were considering adjustments to how LIHWAP operates.

“We’re looking at extending it. I think we have to look at some reforms, maybe, to the program,” she said. “But we will be looking at the letter that the PSC sent us, and [seeing] how it most directly impacts our West Virginians.”

After a brief extension period, February marked the last month for LIHWAP to accept new applicants. Without renewed funding, this will be the final year for LIHWAP to distribute its one-time subsidies to households nationwide.

A similar program, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, is permanent. States are granted a pool of money annually, and distribute it to low-income households to support their heating and cooling needs.

Attorney General Sues EPA Over New Power Plant Rules

West Virginia and Indiana are leading a lawsuit, along with 25 other states, against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to stop new rules on existing coal and new natural gas-fired power plants.

The suit was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The EPA’s final rules were released at the end of April. Coal plants will have to ultimately cut their carbon dioxide emissions by 90 percent or shut down. New gas plants will have to also capture 90 percent of their CO2.

The EPA is working on a separate rule to cut carbon emissions from existing gas plants. About 40 percent of U.S. electricity comes from gas.

The new rules include updated limits on mercury and other toxic pollutants from plants that burn coal. They also include changes to how power plants dispose of the wastewater that results from treating coal emissions to remove toxic pollutants.

Finally, the rules require the cleanup of coal ash disposal sites that were closed prior to 2015.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said the rule ignored the ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in West Virginia v. EPA, which said the EPA could not use the Clean Air Act to force coal-fired power plants into retirement.

“This rule strips the states of important discretion while using technologies that don’t work in the real world — this administration packaged this rule with several other rules aimed at destroying traditional energy providers,” Morrisey said. “We are confident we will once again prevail in court against this rogue agency.”

When those rules were announced, EPA Administrator Michael Regan said, “By developing these standards in a clear, transparent, inclusive manner, EPA is cutting pollution while ensuring that power companies can make smart investments and continue to deliver reliable electricity for all Americans.”

The power plant rules align with changes that have been happening in the sector in the past decade. Electric utilities have moved sharply away from coal, largely switching to natural gas, and now, renewables and batteries.

“This year, the United States is projected to build more new electric generation capacity than we have in two decades — and 96 percent of that will be clean,” said White House Climate Adviser Ali Zaidi.

A separate statement from the Natural Resources Defense Council was more blunt.

“While polluters and their allies always complain that whatever technology EPA is requiring is not ready for prime time, in this case their argument is even more ridiculous: In addition to the technology being available, it’s also being supported with billions of dollars of tax incentives via the Inflation Reduction Act.

“Instead of fighting a losing legal battle, power plant owners and states should be locking up their lawyers and turning loose their engineers,” said David Doniger, a senior attorney at the organization.

Morrisey said in a statement that he would also file a motion to stay the new rule as soon as possible.

Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming joined the West Virginia- and Indiana-led lawsuit.

A Week After Mountain Valley Pipeline Burst, Builder Says Testing Works

Initially, the only way the public knew about the incident was because a landowner reported the sediment-laden water had inundated her property to the state’s Department of Environmental Quality.

A week after a section of the Mountain Valley Pipeline ruptured during testing, its builder says the failure shows the testing is working as designed and intended.

Part of the pipe burst on May 1 at Bent Mountain in Roanoke County, Virginia, releasing an unknown quantity of municipal water used to pressure test the line.

Initially, the only way the public knew about the incident was because a landowner reported the sediment-laden water had inundated her property to the state’s Department of Environmental Quality.

For days, the pipeline’s builder and the state and federal regulators supervising the project said little about the rupture.

On Wednesday, Natalie Cox, a spokeswoman for Equitrans Midstream, said the company notified state and federal regulators about the rupture and that the released water had dissipated by the next day.

“There were no injuries reported, and all appropriate state and federal agencies were notified,” she said. “By Thursday morning, the released water had dissipated and temporarily affected tributaries had returned to pre-hydrotesting conditions.”

Cox said the company has resumed hydrostatic testing of the pipeline, including where it ruptured, and has successfully completed the process on 269 miles of the route.

Cox added that no other sections had failed and that last week’s failure proves the testing works. The damaged section will be sent to a laboratory for analysis, she said.

“Importantly, the disruption of this one hydrotest does, in fact, demonstrate that the testing process is working as designed and intended,” she said.

The 303-mile, 42-inch diameter pipeline, which stretches from Wetzel County, West Virginia, to Pittsylvania County, Virginia, has been one of the most contested fossil fuel infrastructure projects of recent years.

The pipeline’s construction began in 2018 and was periodically paused because of court challenges. Last year, Congress required, as part of a spending deal, that the pipeline be completed.

If the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approves the pipeline to begin operating in the coming weeks, the $7.85 billion project will have more than doubled in cost.

Equitrans Midstream has asked FERC to approve the pipeline’s operation by May 23. On Wednesday, a group of 18 Virginia lawmakers sent FERC a letter asking them to deny the request.

Since October, the Mountain Valley Pipeline has been under an agreement with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to ensure sections of pipe maintained their integrity after they were exposed to weather during the long pauses in construction activity.

Pipeline opponents warned the exposure may have degraded the pipe’s corrosion-resistant coating.

When it starts operating, the pipeline will carry as much as 2 billion cubic feet a day of gas.

Tate reported this story from Floyd, Virginia.

Destructive, Powerful Tornado Touched Down In Northern Panhandle

A tornado touched down in Hancock County, destroyed multiple structures before turning to head into Pennsylvania on Tuesday night.

Tornadoes are ranked on a scale ranging from 0-5 known as the Fujita scale. This tornado is believed to be a 2-3 level tornado.

Meteorologists have currently estimated that the tornado had winds of 140 miles per hour, double the wind speed of what is considered a weak tornado. Crews are still working to confirm the locations, and the strength of the storm.

The tornado decimated a barn and blew the second story off of a house. Lee Hendricks, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said when sturdy structures are destroyed it is indicative of a powerful storm.

“The damage was pretty substantial,” Hendrick said. “So we can look at the type of damage, what structures or trees or the surrounding indicators that we can see in the damage path. And we can take that and calibrate that to the Enhanced Fujita scale to give us a wind estimate on what caused that damage.”

This tornado marks the 11th tornado to touch down in the Mountain State this calendar year, which meteorologists at the Weather Service say is abnormally high.

Hendricks said warm air coming through the gulf is stirring up weather in the midwest, which has recently been battered with powerful tornadoes. Then that weather heads east.

“It seems like every three days, we’re getting a fairly active weather system moving through our area,” Hendricks said. “Now as the weather starts to warm up and we get more opportunities for getting warm, humid air being pumped out on the gulf, and we’re still getting the strong systems coming out of the Midwest, we are increasing our chances for severe weather.”

Teams from the National Weather Service are still surveying the damage from a separate storm in Jefferson County.