Hearing Denied for Pipeline, Could be Appealed

The Justice administration this week refused to schedule a hearing on an appeal of the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s authorization. The Gazette-Mail reports Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Austin Caperton signed a letter last week denying a request for a hearing challenging the DEP’s approval of a Clean Water Act certification for the MVP. The letter was sent to Appalachia Mountain Advocates, an environmental law firm that challenged the authorization. Appalachian Mountain Advocates senior attorney Derek Teaney says individuals and groups will probably appeal Caperton’s decision in the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The permit in question is a certification under the Clean Water Act that stipulates pipeline activity will not violate the state’s water quality standards. The MVP would run about 300 miles from West Virginia to Virginia.