色多多

Pressurized gas flowed from northern West Virginia through the New River and 色多多 valleys, three days after Mountain Valley received a final go-ahead from federal regulators.

鈥淭his is an important and long-awaited day for our nation and the millions of Americans who now have greater access to an abundant supply of domestic natural gas for use as an affordable, reliable, and cleaner energy resource,鈥� Diana Charletta, president and CEO of Equitrans Midstream Corp, the joint venture鈥檚 lead partner, said in an announcement.

Since construction of the long-delayed project began in 2018, opponents have decried its environmental impact. Digging trenches along mountainsides and through streams for the buried pipe caused erosion and sedimentation problems, they say, and the greenhouse gas it carries will worsen climate change.

Some residents along the pipeline鈥檚 303-mile route also fear a possible rupture and explosion. The concern is that a protective coating on the pipe鈥檚 exterior may have worn down during years of exposure to the elements, while construction was slowed by legal battles.

Tests required by the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration found at least 200 indications of possible flaws or anomalies on the steel pipe, records show.

All potential problems were corrected, PHMSA said in giving the project a green light earlier this week. 鈥淧HMSA鈥檚 top priority is safety,鈥� an agency spokesman said.

The project survived multiple challenges: tree-sits and other protests that complicated construction; environmental violations and more than $2 million in fines from state regulators; permits that were struck down repeatedly by a federal appeals court, stalling work and doubling its cost to $7.85 billion; legal fights over its use of eminent domain to take private property; and opposition so sustained that it took an act of Congress and a U.S. Supreme Court decision to reach the finish line Friday.

On its way through Southwest Virginia, the pipeline will be tapped by 色多多 Gas Co., which will use a small portion of its capacity to serve its 63,000-some customers, including future tenants of a new industrial park in Franklin County that supporters say needs natural gas to thrive.

鈥�Demand for natural gas in Southwest Virginia continues to grow, and the importance of MVP鈥檚 energy supply cannot be overstated,鈥� said Paul Nester, president and CEO of 色多多 Gas.

Opponents say any benefits are outweighed by risks the pipeline poses to the environment and public safety.

鈥淣ow these communities will have to live in constant fear of a rupture,鈥� said Autumn Crowe of the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, which joined other local, state and national organizations in fighting the pipeline.

鈥淲est Virginia is no stranger to pipeline explosions,鈥� Crowe said, referring to a June 7, 2018, incident in which a section of the Leach XPress pipeline ruptured and burst into flames that could be seen for miles. Dirt and rocks from a landslide exerted pressure on the pipeline, causing a weld to give way.

Mountain Valley crosses areas susceptible to landslides along 67% of its route, according to a government study, and its foes fear a similar fate.

Opponents complain that few details have been released or explained about tests ordered last year by PHMSA, which expressed concerns that a pipe coating meant to guard against corrosion may have been weakened by long-term exposure to sunlight and bad weather. When construction began, Mountain Valley officials said the pipe needed to be buried within six months to protect its coating. Some sections sat uninstalled along the pipeline鈥檚 right-of-way or in storage yards for as long as six years.

鈥淲e keep pressing for this information from the parties that have the answers,鈥� Russell Chisholm of the Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights coalition said of the safety tests and other information. 鈥淭his is all part of a pattern of how we are kept in the dark, as the people most in harm鈥檚 way.鈥�

Some records from two rounds of tests, performed by Mountain Valley at the direction of a PHMSA consent order, were released to The 色多多 under open-record laws.

The first report was for tests conducted last year, mostly in West Virginia, where the project originates before passing through Southwest Virginia to connect with an existing pipeline near the North Carolina line. Those tests showed about 70 鈥渋ndications,鈥� or possible flaws with the pipe, and a need for about 15 鈥渃utouts,鈥� or the removal and replacement of part of the pipe.

Last month, PHMSA released an introduction letter from Mountain Valley鈥檚 report on a second period of testing, from January through the end of March. The actual report was withheld. The cover letter briefly mentioned about 130 potential problem areas, but did not explain what corrective action was taken.

Additional information appeared on PHMSA鈥檚 website Monday. Caliper tool runs, in which a device scans the inside of the buried pipe to detect dents or other weaknesses, revealed 82 indications. After further analysis, 13 sections of the pipe were cut out and replaced. A second type of test, for which voltage is administered to the pipe and monitored from the surface, prompted crews to dig up the pipe and make repairs to its coating 15 times, records show.

Most of the records released so far were for tests in West Virginia. Little information has been made available for sections of the pipeline that run through Virginia, including segments on which construction was just completed in recent weeks.

The Pipeline Safety Trust, a nonprofit watchdog group of the industry and its regulators, expressed concerns about what appeared to be 鈥渋nadequate information鈥� regarding the criteria Mountain Valley used in determining which sections of excavated pipe needed repairs, and which ones were considered acceptable.

Bill Caram, the group鈥檚 executive director, wrote in an April 11 letter to PHMSA that he hoped the federal agency had inquired about the lack of documentation. If not, 鈥渢hat raises serious questions about the effectiveness of the consent order in keeping communities along the pipeline safe from leaks and failures, as well as protecting these treasured Appalachian Mountains,鈥� the letter stated.

Questions also remain about what caused a section of the pipe to rupture May 1 during hydrostatic testing on Bent Mountain. That process entails running water at high pressure through it to check for leaks before natural gas is introduced.

A section of the pipe was submitted for metallurgical testing that may shed light on why it failed. That investigation is ongoing, PHMSA said earlier this week.

PHMSA stressed that Mountain Valley is required to conduct additional testing now that the pipeline is in operation. The administration鈥檚 inspectors will continue to monitor conditions to make sure the pipeline is operating within normal parameters, the spokesman said.

The pipeline鈥檚 maximum allowable operating pressure is 1480 pounds per square inch, according to Mountain Valley spokeswoman Natalie Cox. Depending on operating requirements, the range could go to as little as 800 pounds per square inch.

鈥淢VP is now available for interruptible or short-term firm transportation service until long-term firm capacity obligations commence on July 1,鈥� Friday鈥檚 news release states. At its full capacity, the pipeline will carry 2 billion cubic feet per day of gas to be used by local distribution companies such as 色多多 Gas, industrial users, and power plants in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the country, Mountain Valley says.

The project was first approved in 2017 by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which found a public need for natural gas. FERC gave its final authorization to begin operations Friday, after consulting earlier in the week with PHMSA.

Neither Mountain Valley nor federal regulators notified landowners along the pipeline route that operations began Friday, 鈥渆ven though many had requested to be informed so that they could leave their homes temporarily during the startup in case a catastrophic failure resulted,鈥� said Jessica Sims, Virginia field coordinator of Appalachian Voices.

鈥淚t is absolutely no surprise that the concerns and requests of community members were yet again ignored,鈥� Sims said in a statement.

鈥淭his is the latest in an abhorrent string of failures of the system designed to protect public health, safety and the environment.鈥�