West Virginia is one of the country’s leading gas producers and home to a large network of wells, pipelines and storage facilities.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a new rule to cut methane from oil and gas extraction.
The EPA calls methane a “super-polluter.” It’s many times more potent at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.
West Virginia is one of the country’s leading gas producers and home to a large network of wells, pipelines and storage facilities.
The oil and gas sector is a big emitter of methane, and the new EPA rule aims to cut 1.2 million metric tons of it by 2035 – the equivalent of the emissions of 8 million gasoline-powered cars.
The EPA will impose a waste emissions charge to encourage the capture of methane and avoid the release. Producers can avoid the fee over time by complying with the standards set by Congress in the Inflation Reduction Act.
However, a new president and a new Congress will take office in January and could try to overturn the new methane rule.
Republican U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, who’s in line to become chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, said the election would have consequences.
“This natural gas tax will inflate prices for consumers and reduce domestic energy production, which will empower our adversaries abroad,” she said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues and President (Elect) Trump to repeal this misguided tax early in the next Congress.”
Equitrans must test for and correct any deficiencies in uninstalled sections of the pipe that could lead to corrosion.
Environmental and community groups had raised the alarm about sections of pipe that had been exposed to the elements for several years while the project was tied up in court.
Sun exposure can degrade the protective coating that prevents the pipe from corroding. As part of the agreement, the coating will be reapplied when necessary.
Over the summer, Congress mandated the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and a federal appeals court dismissed the remaining lawsuits against it.
In a statement, Diana Charletta, Equitrans’ president and operating chief, said the agreement would not have a material impact on the project’s cost or schedule.
“The terms of this consent agreement are directly aligned with Equitrans’ core values, which include continually striving to go above and beyond regulatory compliance requirements,” she said. “Importantly, the agreement outlines actions that are designed to reassure the public of MVP’s integrity and demonstrates our commitment to safe, responsible construction and in-service operations.”
The $6.6 billion project is scheduled for completion by year’s end.
Jessica Sims, Virginia field coordinator for Appalachian Voices, one of the groups that challenged the safety of the uninstalled pipe, said the agreement still fell short.
“We remain concerned about the degraded pipe that developers rushed to bury before today’s agreement, and we are disappointed that the requests from those directly impacted by this destructive, unnecessary project were not addressed,” she said. “Impacted residents asked for more community engagement, determination of a new impact radius and evacuation zone, and increased protection from geohazards.”
A Virginia board has granted a waterbody crossing permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
The State Water Control Board voted 3-2 on Tuesday to grant a permit for the natural gas pipeline to cross about 150 streams and wetlands in southwest Virginia, The Roanoke Times reported.
The pipeline still needs a similar permit from West Virginia and federal approval.
The planned 303-mile (488-kilometer) pipeline will take natural gas drilled from the Marcellus and Utica shale formations and transport it through West Virginia and Virginia. The project has faced legal challenges from environmental groups. A 75-mile (121-kilometer) extension into central North Carolina also has been proposed.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has cited the joint venture building the pipeline with nearly 400 violations. Opponents argue that the true number is higher and will increase if crossings resume.
In its recommendation for approval, the department said most failures to control runoff did not lead to sediment reaching water bodies.
David Sligh, conservation director for Wild Virginia, called the decision “heartbreaking.”
“Yet another public agency that’s supposed to protect us and our natural treasures has failed to live up to the standards we have a right to expect,” Sligh said in a statement.
A company building a natural gas pipeline in West Virginia has agreed to pay $122,350 for environmental violations.
The Charleston Gazette-Mail cited a consent order made public Monday in reporting that Columbia Gas Transmission agreed to pay the amount to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection for 16 violations while building the Mountaineer Xpress Pipeline.
Columbia Gas Transmission is a subsidiary of TransCanada and will operate the Mountaineer Xpress Pipeline when it’s completed.
TransCanada spokesman Scott Castleman said the company implemented measures to address each environmental issue as it arose and has accepted the draft consent order.
The pipeline is one of many being built in the region and would run 170 miles (274 kilometers) from Marshall County to Wayne County.
Beaver County officials say an early morning methane gas pipeline explosion in Pennsylvania destroyed one home and prompted an evacuation of others.
The blast in Center Township was reported shortly before 5 a.m. Monday. Officials say a home, two garages and several vehicles were destroyed by fires stemming from the explosion.
No injuries have been reported and crews were able to move several horses to safety.
The community of Center Township is located roughly 25 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. Witnesses reported hearing a loud boom and seeing an orange glow fill the sky.
The scene this am in Beaver County from Chuck Belczyk, as he was evacuating from his house pic.twitter.com/09oRu5lxAa
Pipeline owner Energy Transfer Partners says the valves to the pipeline were shut off and the fire was out by 7 a.m.
The 100-mile pipeline, known at the Revolution line, began operating earlier this month. It was built to supply the company’s Rover pipeline and Mariner East 2 lines.
About 25 to 30 homes were evacuated as a precaution. The Central Valley school district canceled classes. Interstate 376 was closed due to danger from falling power lines.
In June, a newly-built TransCanada natural gas pipeline exploded near Moundsville, West Virginia. No injuries or damage to private property were reported, but a fireball burned for several hours after an 83-foot section of the pipeline burst into flames, releasing more than $430,000 worth of natural gas. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said shifting land likely triggered the explosion of the Leach Xpress pipeline.
All summer long, pipeline protesters have been camped along the Potomac River in Maryland and West Virginia. They don’t want to see a 3.5 mile long TransCanada natural gas pipeline built underneath the river. Supporters argue the line is critical to expanding natural gas resources to businesses and homes in the growing Eastern Panhandle.
Of the three outermost counties of the Eastern Panhandle, only Berkeley has access to natural gas as a utility source. That gas comes from West Virginia’s largest gas distribution company – Mountaineer Gas based in Charleston.
Mountaineer has over 220,000 customers throughout the state. It’s located in 49 of West Virginia’s 55 counties, and it maintains over 6,000 miles of distribution pipeline.
The company wants to expand distribution lines to Jefferson and Morgan counties. To do that, it’s relying on the completion of the TransCanada line in Maryland which would hook up to Mountaineer’s 22.5 miles of new line slated to begin construction in early 2018. The state’s Public Service Commission has already approved the first phase of the project.
But sections of that 22.5 mile pipeline will travel through private property – like this 600 acre farm owned by the Kesecker family in Berkeley Springs.
“It’s just very heartbreaking to know that you thought you owned something, and, you do until somebody else wants it, and they come in and they take it away from you,” said landowner Patricia Kesecker.
Kesecker and her husband raised their family in Berkeley Springs. Their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren all live nearby.
The Keseckers farm extensively and the property has been in the family for over 80 years. They also rent portions of land to about ten other people. For the past year the family has been very vocal about their disapproval of the Mountaineer Gas’ Eastern Panhandle Pipeline project.
In June, they were taken to court by Mountaineer Gas, and the Keseckers lost. Mountaineer obtained the right of eminent domain. This means the company is allowed on the Kesecker’s property without prior consent, but the company must compensate the family.
The Keseckers say, however, they don’t want money.
“I mean, we’re at the age, yeah, money would be nice, but it’s not nice to have to see our farm destroyed and it’s not worth it. There’s too much heritage, too much work that’s been done on this farm; blood, sweat, and tears.”
The family plans to appeal the court decision.
Credit Liz McCormick / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Kesecker in her pickup truck as she shows the land she and her husband have owned and farmed for decades.
Kesecker shows me the vast expanse of acreage from her pickup truck. She points to an 8 to 10 acre field slated to host the pipeline. She says if the line goes through her property, it’ll disrupt corn and hay farming operations. Her family and tenants are also concerned about possible explosions or gas leaks.
“Why should they have our property and use it to what they want to do, and we’re paying the taxes still on it, and the insurance on our farm is on it? If it blows up, we wouldn’t have enough money to put back what they destroy or whoever they might kill in the process if you go across it with a tractor or something,” Kesecker said.
The 10-inch, steel, low-pressure pipeline would be buried at least four feet underground. Mountaineer Gas would clear and maintain a 50-foot right of way.
Senior Vice President of Mountaineer Gas, Moses Skaff says it’s rare that his company has needed to use eminent domain to secure pipeline pathways. He says the case with the Keseckers was one of only two for the Eastern Panhandle Pipeline. Skaff says out of 146 land tracts, 138 have been secured through deals with landowners.
Skaff also points out that Mountaineer has been present in the Martinsburg area for over 50 years without any reported safety issues.
“We have a 24-hour monitoring system of all of our distribution lines that provide alerts to our corporate office here in Charleston, which is manned 24-hours,” Skaff noted, “We’re mandated by West Virginia Pipeline Safety to conduct surveys of all of our pipeline, meaning we actually walk pipelines to ensure the integrity of those pipelines.”
Skaff reports less than one significant incident a year occurs along their distribution system. He says his company also trains local emergency responders how to deal with incidents. He notes landowners near the pipeline also have the option to tap-in for access to natural gas.
John Reisenweber is the Executive Director of the Jefferson County Development Authority, and like residents of Morgan County, he doesn’t have access to natural gas. Reisenweber is a landowner, too, and says he understands concerns over eminent domain.
“If we didn’t at times use eminent domain, we wouldn’t get anything done,” Reisenweber said, “We wouldn’t be able to build roads, I mean, this route 9; go find somebody who’s doesn’t like route 9. Go find them. Well, they were here a few years ago, and some of that was eminent domain. But they are compensated for it. They may not like it, but you have to look at what’s in the greatest interest of the community at large, and we believe that this project is in the greatest interest of the community at large, cause we do believe it’ll be done safely, and we do believe it’ll allow us to grow the economy.”
Back at the Kesecker farm, the family is hopeful their appeal will be heard in court. They also hope the shorter TransCanada line is not built. They say if it isn’t, their property would be spared since the Eastern Panhandle Pipeline project would have to be reworked.
Mountaineer Gas says the TransCanada line is vital to the future of natural gas in the Eastern Panhandle.
