The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) is set to hold a public hearing on August 12 regarding the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s LLC application for a 401 water quality certification. This relates to the proposed construction of a 5.2-mile high-pressure, steel natural gas transmission pipeline in Rockingham County.
The public hearing will take place at Eden City Hall Council Chambers, starting at 6 p.m., with registration beginning at 5:30 p.m. The proposed pipeline would stretch from Pittsylvania County, Virginia, into Rockingham County, North Carolina, and is expected to impact streams and wetlands in the area.
State certifications under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act are necessary for activities that might result in discharges into navigable waters. The DWR will assess if the project meets state water quality standards and whether it has minimized impacts on surface waters or wetlands.
The pipeline aims to provide natural gas to Enbridge Gas North Carolina and Duke Energy Carolinas. “According to the application,” stated in documents related to the proposal, “the project would permanently impact 52 linear feet of jurisdictional intermittent streams.”
The purpose of this public hearing is to gather comments from residents about the certification application. There is no guarantee that all registrants will have time to speak. Comments can also be submitted by mail or email until September 12.
Interested parties can access application materials online via Permit file.
