Protect The Greenbrier River
UPCOMING ACP COMMUNITY MEETINGS

Date: February 23, 2017

Time: 6pm

Where: West Virginia Weslyan College Performing Arts Center, Greek Room



Date: March 1, 2017

Time: 5-9pm

Where: Grandy Dance Theater 359 Beverly Pike, Elkins, West Virginia 26241



Date: March 2, 2017

Time: 5-9pm

Where: Marlinton Community Wellness Center 320 9th Street, Marlinton, WV. 24954


ALSO...Direct Action Training

Date:  February 25, 2017

Time:  9am-5pm

Where:  Pearisburg Community Center(Giles County) 
1410 Wenonah Avenue, Pearisburg, Virginia

Learn the types and methods of Direct Action.  




Mountain Valley Pipeline Public Hearing Information

 
Mountain Valley Pipeline Public Hearing Notice

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection - Division of Water and Waste Management will hold public hearings regarding the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline project for State 401 Water Quality Certification, Natural Streams Preservation Act Permit, and for Oil and Gas General Water Pollution Control Permit. Oral and written comments will be accepted at each hearing. The hearings will start at 6:00PM at the following locations: 

For Natural Streams Preservation Act Permit, State 401 Water Quality Certification, and Oil and Gas General Water Pollution Control Permit: 

* Summers County at Summers Memorial Building (451 1st Ave in Hinton) on Tuesday March 7, 2017. 

For State 401 Water Quality Certification and Oil and Gas General Water Pollution Control Permit: 

* Webster County at Webster County High School auditorium on Monday March 6, 2017.

* Harrison County at Robert C. Byrd High School Large Group Instruction Room on Thursday March 9, 2017.

The Mountain Valley Pipeline project is comprised of approximately 195 miles of natural gas pipeline along with compressor stations, meter stations, access roads, and interconnects through: Wetzel, Harrison, Doddridge, Lewis, Braxton, Webster, Nicholas, Greenbrier, Fayette, Summers, and Monroe Counties in West Virginia. The associated Oil & Gas Construction Stormwater General Permit (WVR310667) would be for the discharge of stormwater associated with the disturbance of 4,214 acres of land for the of construction of this project. The Natural Streams Preservation Act permit (NSP-17-0001) being sought is for a proposed crossing of Greenbrier River in Summers County near Pence Springs. The State 401 Water Quality Certification (WQC-16-0005) would be for activities that will or may discharge fill into waters of the State. Mountain Valley Pipeline project is proposing to mitigate for the streams and wetlands permanently impacted by this project. 

Any interested person may submit written comments on the Oil & Gas Construction Stormwater General Permit, the Natural Streams Preservation Act Permit, and/or the State 401 Water Quality Certification by addressing such to the Director of the Division of Water and Waste Management during the comment period, which begins with this notice and ends on March 19, 2017 at 8PM. Comments or requests should be emailed to dep.comments@wv.gov or by mail addressed to:

Director, Division of Water and Management, DEP 
ATTN: Sharon Mullins, Permitting Section 
601 57th Street SE 
Charleston, WV 25304-2345 

Applicant Type Permit ID
Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC Oil & Gas Construction Stormwater General Permit WVR310667 
Mountain Valley Pipeline, INC. State 401 Water Quality Certification WQC-16-0005 
Mountain Valley Pipeline, INC. Natural Streams Preservation Act Permit NSP-17-0001 

PROPOSED MVP ROUTE CHANGES 
 

See the following links on the MVP site [ https://www.mountainvalleypipeline.info/] for info related to MVP's January 13 "letter" and table about route changes.

Topo maps of route changes: There is a large 64-page (>30 MBs) file on the MVP site's News & Info page under their 10/13/16 filings, which shows the original application route together with the proposed October 2016 revisions. 


The blue line shows the original route and milepost #s; the red is the October 2016 revised route and milepost #s.

Parcel maps: On the Maps page, they have what should be the latest parcel maps, by county, to go with their Oct 2016 route modifications.



WV Legislative Session: Defending Water Quality



The 2017 West Virginia legislative session began yesterday, February 8, and we know it will be a tough one. We anticipate an onslaught of attempts to eliminate or weaken current laws that protect our water. 

In his first State of the State address, Governor Justice reinforced this belief when he singled out the WV DEP saying, "They're not there to tell us 'no', referring to his vision of the agency's role in making West Virginia more friendly for industry. 

We need you working along side of us to defend our water!

Starting next week, we'll be sending weekly Water Policy Updates to help you stay informed and take action when your voice can make a difference. Sign up here.


Here's what we need your help on:

  • Water Quality Standards: while we successfully made our voices heard last fall on bad revisions to WV's water quality standards, we need to be ready to defend against attempts to allow increased water pollution during the legislative session. 
  • Category A Drinking Water Protection: Category A protects our waters so they can safely be used as drinking water sources. We know industry wants to remove Category A protection from the vast majority of West Virginia's waterways.
  • Protecting Private Land: issues over eminent domain and private property will likely be on the agenda, including a bill that was defeated last legislative session which would have allowed gas company surveyors onto private property without permission.
  • Rollbacks to the Aboveground Storage Tank Act (ASTA): passed after the 2014 Elk River chemical leak, ASTA regulates certain aboveground storage tanks, like the Freedom Industries tank that caused the water crisis. Since the passage of the Act, the oil and gas industry has lobbied for an industry-wide exemption. We must be ready for a repeat attempt.
Article from WV Rivers Coalition



State Representatives Vote to Repeal Streams Protection Rule

 In an effort to restrict the EPA's power, West Virginia representatives voted to repeal the Streams Protection Rule last week.
The rule - signed into action in December 2016 - came from the U.S. Department of the Interior. The agency said the rule instated regulations to prevent and minimize the impacts coal mining has on water.
"(The rule) will protect 6,000 miles of streams and 52,000 acres of forests over the next two decades, preserving community health and economic opportunities while meeting the nation's energy needs," the agency said in a statement.
While the regulations were updated, the rule itself was not a new concept. The Stream Protection Rule updated a 33-year-old set of regulations. The agency claims the rule would have made life better for citizens living in the shadow of mines.
The effort to repeal the act was supported by West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., who was the the lead co-sponsor for the official disapproval and overturn of the the stream protection rule.
"The Stream Protection Rule is the latest in a series of overreaching and misguided Obama-era regulations that have targeted America's coal industry," Capito said.  "If this rule was allowed to stay in place, it would add to the economic devastation for people in coal communities."
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., introduced the repeal of the rule. He said the rule was a crippling overreach of power by the previous administration. Manchin said he continues to be committed to protecting coal mining communities and economies.
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey holds a similar view. He said the state has the primacy of regulations of waterways.
"The government was reaching into areas traditionally left up to the state," Morrisey said.  "It would have reduced or eliminated mining in large parts of the state."
Although Morrisey wants to ensure water is the highest quality,  he said economic forces must be considered.
"We can't accept regulations to eliminate mining," he said.
Local law makers also supported the senate's decision. Sen. Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, said the rule placed an unnecessary burden on West Virginia.
"The EPA in the last five to 10 years has had too much overreach," Blair said.  "I 100 percent support the senate's decision to repeal the rule."
Sen. Paul Espinosa, R-Jefferson, believed nothing in the regulation would make West Virginia's water safer.
"Frankly, I believe this rule was simply one final attempt by the previous administration to kill an industry it doesn't support," Espinosa said.  "I applaud our congressional delegation and President Trump for ending this federal overreach that has had such a devastating impact on our state's economy."
Although West Virginia lawmakers said the rule would have stunted the state economy, Angie Rosser of the West Virginia Rivers Coalition said repealing the rule will leave communities living near mines in a lurch without adequate protections.
"It's concerning the protection was repealed," Rosser said.  "Especially for people living next to mining operations."
Rosser called the rationale for appeal simplistic.
"The long-term costs of failing to provide protection will be more devastating than protecting the health of our streams and the health of people who depend on the water," Rosser said.
According to Rosser, there are a multitude of factors pushing West Virginia to transition from coal to other ways of energy production.
"In addition, I've seen no data to back up claims of job loss as a direct result of the stream protection rule alone," Rosser said.  "The repeal was brought about by short sited leaders. We should protect water as our most valuable resource."
Although Rosser believes the repeal will have a negative trickle down effect for West Virginians, state representatives believe the repeal of the rule will boost the economy.
Article from The Journal at  journal-news.net




MOVIE!!!!

Join us at the Lyric Theatre for Pipeline Fighters! This inspiring and thought-provoking documentary focuses on the fight against the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project that threatens the health and safety of our area.

In Oct. 2014 filmmaker Marino Colmano began recording local citizens efforts to fight against the environmentally destructive MVP. He created a series of short episodes and eventually produced a full length documentary. Pipeline Fighters has earned entry into several film festivals and won Semi-finalist at the Los Angeles Cinefest.

When: February 16 - 7:00 PM
Where: Lyric Theatre - Blacksburg
Cost: $5 donation requested*



 



Support Clean Water in Your Community at No Cost to
You!!! 

 
If you shop at Kroger stores and you support clean water, you can help Greenbrier River Watershed Association at no cost to you.  Kroger has a program called Community Rewards that donates to non-profitorganizations 5% of your purchase amount!  This does not affect the fuel points that you earn on your Kroger card or cost you anything extra.
 
To do this, sign up for a Kroger Plus card and then sign up for the Community Rewards program, naming Greenbrier River Watershed Association as the organization you want contributions to go to.  This must be renewed once a year for Kroger to continue making these contributions.
 
To sign up:      (If you already have a Kroger card, go to step 2.)
 
1)  Get a Kroger Plus card, either, a) by going to a Kroger store and asking for one at the customer service desk, or
b) Go to Kroger.com and click on "Register" and fill out the information and click "Create Account."  Next, add a Plus Card by clicking on "Get a Digital Plus Card online today," fill in your name, and enter your ten-digit phone number where it says "Alt ID", and click "Save."
 
2)  If you already have Kroger Plus card, but have not created an account on-line, go to Kroger.com and click "Register" and enter your existing Kroger card number, the number below the bar code on your card.  Click "Save."
 
3)  After you click on "Save" in one of the above, an "Account Summary" screen will come up.  At the bottom of that screen is "Community Rewards."  Click "Enroll" and fill out the required information there, click "Save", and it takes you to a new page, where you enter83802,  the number of Greenbrier River Watershed Association, then click "Search" and click on button in front of Greenbrier River Watershed Association, then click "Enroll." You're done!
 
Thank you for your support of Greenbrier River Watershed Association!

 
Where to find news

As always, great information is at  www.pipelineupdate.org and these two great groups now have Facebook pages, Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance and Dominion Pipeline Monitoring Coalition. There is a Facebook Page (at least one) for the Dakota Access Pipeline fight -- Sacred Stone Camp. The GRWA has been upgrading our website www.greenbrier.org come visit us there.



 
If you appreciate the work we are doing, please consider a donation today.

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