Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines gain federal approval (WV)

WV MetroNews ^ | October 13, 2017 | Brad McElhinny

[buckalfa]

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Federal regulators have approved two major natural gas pipelines that would start in West Virginia and supply the eastern seaboard.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted certificates to both the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Mountain Valley Pipeline on Friday evening. The pipelines would transport gas from the Utica and Marcellus shale deposits.

One of the commissioners dissented, calling the public interest of the projects into question.

Additional necessary permits are pending at the state level in both West Virginia and Virginia.

The $5.1 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline would span 600 miles from Harrison County and across Lewis, Upshur, Randolph and Pocahontas counties in West Virginia through Virginia and into North Carolina. It’s a project by Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas and Southern Company Gas.

The $3.5 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline would go 303 miles through Wetzel, Harrison, Doddridge, Lewis, Braxton, Webster, Nicholas, Greenbrier, Fayette, Summers, and Monroe counties to transport West Virginia natural gas into southern Virginia.

The MVP will be constructed and owned by Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC (Mountain Valley), which is a joint venture between EQT Midstream Partners, LP; NextEra US Gas Assets, LLC; Con Edison Transmission, Inc.; WGL Midstream; and RGC Midstream, LLC.

Advocates of the pipeline projects have cited economic development benefits, such as the ability to move West Virginia’s ample supply of natural gas to markets where greater market prices might be achieved.

Critics have concerns about the pipelines’ paths through historic and fragile terrain, including potential effects on wildlife, forests and karst landforms.

FERC’s certificates also grant both pipelines the authority to invoke eminent domain to acquire easements across private properties. The projects’ effects on private property have been consistent controversies along the pipelines’ routes.

The most recent version of the West Virginia Economic Outlook said the state’s natural gas supply could contribute a greater impact with increased means to get supply to more markets. In recent months, natural gas prices in West Virginia have been suppressed by a glut.

“Prices also faced pressure from insufficient pipeline infrastructure, which created bottlenecks that left natural gas supplies stranded rather than delivered to high demand areas, such as New England, and allowing prices between the areas to remain closer to parity for extended periods of time,” according to the report by West Virginia University’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research.

That could change with increased means to get the supply to market, the report concluded.

“Financial reports by drilling companies indicated they have been awaiting the installation of additional pipeline capacity to ease constraints on selling gas to markets in the Northeast US that are aggressively adding natural gas-fired generation capacity,” according to the economic outlook report.

The report also concluded that pipeline construction would be among the factors contributing to an uptick in construction employment in coming years.

“Construction activity is expected to grow at its fastest pace between 2017 and 2020,” according to the report. “The energy industry will drive a large portion of this growth, as several natural gas pipeline projects and at least one natural gas-fired power plant are slated to begin or wrap up within the next couple of years.”

One member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Cheryl LaFleur, dissented, writing that she couldn’t conclude either project was in the public interest.

[buckalfa]

A win on the march for American energy independence. A win for economic development and job creation in a state that desperately needs both. Of course I am sure the NIMBYS and envirowackos have their lawsuits ready to go.

Full disclosure, I used to reside in Monroe County, WV and part of me would like to see its bucolic Americana left unspoiled. However WV needs to be dragged out of the 19th century if it is to survive.

[Bookshelf]

I have traversed a little known wilderness in Arizona and found an underground gasline passes through there. I would have never known it if there had not been small unobtrusive signs to tell me what was underfoot. I think the same thing could happen with the two WVa pipelines.

[meatloaf]

It’s a mixed blessing due to the effect of passing through the national forest. The positive effect is that many of the Marcellus wells which have already been drilled cannot be produced due to the lack of pipeline capacity. The new pipelines represent a future knife to the throats of Middle Eastern oil and gas producers along with Russia. Once the pipeline construction begins the countdown has begun to the flooding of markets with cheap American natural gas. LNG shipments to Europe have already begun threatening Russia’s energy dominance of Europe for political purposes.

[CincyRichieRich]

Anyone know the status of the keystone pipeline?

It would impact cronyism captain buffet and his BSF investment.

[Don Corleone]

MAGA!

[chrisser]

We live in WV and have a pipeline slated to go through our property.

Presumably unlike AZ, WV is heavily forested. Wherever the pipeline goes will be a deforested cut through that will be maintained in perpetuity. It will be very obvious, especially since the state is finally recovering from being nearly clearcut a century ago - ironically again for the benefit of the NorthEast and "progress".

These pipelines are quite a different animal than the natural gas developments of previous decades. Most people in WV don't own the mineral rights to their property (they were sold in the last century) and accept that they may end up with a well on their property at some point. But the wells are generally very small footprint with little impact, and free gas is usually part of the deal. Likewise with the small pipelines that have traversed the area in the past.

These new pipelines are large and high pressure. They require extensive excavation, road widening and redirection, multiple access pathways and large clearcuts. I think you're going to see a lot of pushback after it's too late and these lines are in place. There's been amazingly little publicity about what's happening both nationally and locally.

Frankly, the "jobs" benefit is a joke. In our little town of 800, we expect a brief influx of 1500 people. There's no local hiring happening (construction starts next month). We'll have to deal with the trucks and traffic and the logistical nightmare of the town tripling in size, and then they'll be gone. Maybe the gas station and restaurant will benefit, but it will be temporary and more of a PITA to everyone else.

[HangnJudge]

I am an owner of some of those mineral rights
My family is also 8 generations WVa folk

I understand both sides of this argument

[kingpins10]

You miss the point. It’s not so much about “progress” as it is about working towards energy independence for the US and making nations dependent on the US for energy. The geopolitical gains are worth the minuscule environmental alterations.

[chrisser]

"The geopolitical gains are worth the minuscule environmental alterations."

Funny how that calculus only applies to us rural folks. Nobody picks a route through the suburbs, bulldozes everything along it, and tells them they'll just have to live with it for the greater good even though it has no direct benefit to the area.

To be clear, I realize the value of pipelines and I also realize it's a heckuva lot cheaper to put where there are less people.

But the pipelines pick the route based on their convenience and cost savings (and sometimes for no particular reason at all), then they use the feds through FERC as a hammer to force property owners to capitulate. By the time most people affected know what's happening, the decisions have been made and there's no recourse.

If a project like this had gone through a populated area, there would have been endless public meetings with even the remotest stakeholders consulted. Everyone would know what's coming. Even today, less than a month before construction begins and the town sees a huge influx of people, there's been no articles in the local paper, and the vast majority of townspeople I've spoken to have no idea a pipeline is going through here. We don't even have traffic lights in town.

I work at the only medical facility in the county and it hasn't occurred to anyone to let us know we may have a surge in patients when our population triples.

The sad thing is that most people would probably support the project because they are patriotic and do see the benefit. But the way the project's been managed, I expect a lot of people to be furious that nobody bothered to let us collectively know what to expect. That callousness towards rural people and the disruption to their lives is all too typical and unfortunately, it's a conscious choice.

[KC_Lion]

YES!

Real wealth created by real energy!

This is what will make America great again.

[spokeshave]

Also Coal... Its the Trump energy policy.....

The USA will become world dominant in Coal, Oil, LNG and raw materials for the various chemical industries

West Virginia had second highest GDP

WASHINGTON - West Virginia had the second highest growth in gross domestic product (GDP) of any state in the country during the first quarter of 2017, and Gov. Jim Justice attributes the climb to the bounce back in the coal industry.

Mining grew by 21.6 percent nationally, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce report, contributing to growth in 48 states. That made Texas, West Virginia, and New Mexico the three fastest growing states, growing at 3.9 percent, 3.0 percent and 2.8 percent, respectively.

"I know the coal business like the back of my hand and the current spike in the coal market was one I saw coming, and our state Legislature refused to listen," Justice said in a news release. "If you go back to the October 2016 debates for governor, I said that coal would rebound and that our severance tax collection would go up. Some people laughed at the time, and they were totally wrong."

The governor's office also reported that a new Reuters analysis shows U.S. coal exports have increased more than 60 percent this year due to soaring demand from Europe and Asia.

Now you know why WV loves Trump.

Delivering promises Bigly.

.. Its the Trump energy policy.....The USA will become world dominant in Coal, Oil, LNG and raw materials for the various chemical industries

[Reily]

Easy for Justice to claim that he saw it after it happened. On Oct 2016 I am sure most coal industry specialists viewed a Hellary presidency as enviable. That would not mean a bright future for coal!

[jdsteel]

You may be surprised at how beneficial those nice, maintained paths through the woods are to sportsmen, hunters and outdoor enthusiasts.

[hal ogen]

Winning! MAGA!

[chrisser]

They’re also superhighways for predators, both two-legged and four legged, into terrain that would otherwise be difficult to traverse.

They coyotes will love it.

[Bookshelf]

The Mountain Valley is a 36 inch pipeline; “An official at Dominion Resources, one of the developers, said that the pipeline route had been adjusted 300 times, for a total of 250 miles (400 km) of rerouting, since its original draft in order to accommodate “environmentally sensitive areas” and other concerns.

[Bookshelf]

The Atlantic Coast is a 42 inch pipeline. An official at Dominion Resources, one of the developers, said that the pipeline route had been adjusted 300 times, for a total of 250 miles (400 km) of rerouting, since its original draft in order to accommodate “environmentally sensitive areas” and other concerns.

The environmentalists will fight the pipelines no matter where it goes, the precautions taken, or the benefits accrued. They usually use Native Americans as stalking horse, as they have done in North Carolina.

[Oatka]

Critics have concerns about the pipelines’ paths through historic and fragile terrain, including potential effects on wildlife, forests and karst landforms.

A pipeline across the Sahara would face similar arguments by these modern-day Luddites.

[jdsteel]

Two legged yes. Coyotes seem to have no problem without trails!