The Stonewall pipeline, above, in Lewis County, during construction. The steep slopes in West Virginia are part of the reason this construction can't be done here without a great deal of impact to stream ecology. Moreover, counties were told they were going to receive tax money from such projects. A recent investigation produced no reliable reports of tax money from this project going to counties. Where is the tax money they promised?
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Eminent Domain for Private Gain is wrong. Hazel Palmer is a landowner in Virginia in the path of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Here is a short version of her story.
Maury Johnson of Monroe County, WV, takes us on a tour of what the Mountain Valley Pipeline would do to a local farm owned by the Shanklins. This is a series in 8 parts, all of them very short. This farm is known to contain Indian artifacts, wetlands, and streams fed by a spring that has provided water to the Shanklins and many local wells for centuries. It is known that construction thorugh this land will have a negative effect on water, property values, economic development, and public safety and health for decades to come. This doesn't even touch the deleterious effect of the methane leakage from pipelines and associated gas infrastructure which will continue the destruction of our climate, which has recently crossed the 350ppm of CO2 guideline known to be the limit for life. We are now at 400ppm.
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News
What happens when pipeline construction goes wrong? look at this cease and desist order from WV DEP
failure rates higher on pipelines built since 2010
Water: The missing link for solving climate change (relevant to pipeline b/c of construction and water runoff)
U.S. blocks major pipeline after 18 leaks and a 2 million gallon spill of drilling mud
Oil and gas industry pipeline problems are well-established. Why did it take a fatal explosion to spur action?
WV DEP Gives Mountain Valley Pipeline 401 Certification Without Due Consideration of Impact
Former Obama EPA Official Now Lobbying for Atlantic Coast Pipeline
News on the Rover Pipeline, affecting Tyler and Doddridge: Many trees already felled
New York State: DEC denies permit for Northern Access Pipeline
New Report on Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Atlantic Coast Pipeline Says 68M metric tons, as much as 40 coal-fired plants
Basics & Specifics About Natural Gas Pipelines
MVP DEIS now available from POWHR
DPMC: Atlantic Coast Pipeline - A Question of Need
Oil Change International Report - The Sky's Limit: Why the Paris Climate Goals Require a Managed Decline of Fossil Fuel Production
New Study Shows Atlantic Coast and Other New Pipelines Unnecessary, Too Risky
Landowners: See Important Info on ROW!
Pipeline Stored on Route 33 in danger of corrosion from exposure
This photo was taken August 2, 2016, in Buckhannon, WV. The Atlantic Coast Pipeline would not receive its certificate from the FERC any earlier than July 2017. The pipe has been stored on the lot in Buckhannon since May of 2016. Word from industry workers has it that construction should start in November of 2017 if they get approval. Steel pipes for pipelines should not be stored outside any longer than 18 months if they are to avoid dangerous corrosion. That would be November of 2017.
Dominion-Duke/Atlantic Coast Pipeline, LLC., filed their formal application in September of 2015. According to Dominion's website, "Dura-Bond, which ACP LLC selected after an extensive bidding process, is scheduled to produce the pipe at its Steelton, Pa., mill beginning late 2015 through March 2017. Dura-Bond plans to hire about 150 employees at the mill to run a second shift of union workforce to meet the schedule." Info from NACE on Corrosion of Pipelines and Underground SystemsCorrosion Basics |
"The photos of the Gascoyne pipe yard (in ND) show sections of pipeline piled up several layers high and left out in the open. The duration of time the pipes were stored without protection against the elements led the interveners to question the integrity of the pipe materials.
EN Engineering’s Schramm testified that the National Association of Pipe Coating Applicators recommends protecting pipe materials left above ground within six months. But Schramm added that Scotch, a,manufacturer, recommends taking measures to protect the pipe within 12-18 months. (Audio of Schramm’s relevant testimony at 0:23:15 – 0:29:00 on Saturday Aug. 1) However, Sabrina King, a member of the Dakota Rural Action group who shot the photos referred to during the hearing, claimed the pipe had been at the Gascoyne yard in North Dakota since December 2010." A 42" Pipeline in Texas Explodes, Leaving a Blast Zone of 1/3 mile |
Pipeline Explosions from Nopipelies.org
Life near compressor stations; not what we moved here for |
Compressor Stations are sources of volatile, flammable, carcinogenic gases, noise, and light pollution. Symptoms range from headaches and nosebleeds to asthma, nervous disorders, and cancer. Watch this man talk about his experience living near a compressor station in Dimock, PA. Then, stay tuned for more testimony from others living near compressors.
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A Grand Experiment
Several large, high-pressure, natural gas pipelines are proposed to cross through the state, including the Atlantic Coast and the Mountain Valley pipelines. These are 42 inches in diameter and will carry natural gas at a pressure of 1440 psi. Many of them will run merely feet from homes, schools, hospitals, and other centers of population. A pipeline of this size and magnitude has never been built on this type of terrain - steep slopes and unstable soils are a nightmare for construction and maintenance, yet the companies assure us they can do it safely. We are concerned that they may be overambitious. We believe that this is a disaster waiting to happen. And we don't want to be guinea pigs in their grand experiment.
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The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is a 42" high-pressure pipeline that will send fracked gas within 2200 feet of Upshur County's only high school, and 1200 feet from our police barracks. We believe this is a disaster waiting to happen, yet our county commission refuses to prepare for the future. Counties must develop their own disaster plans or forfeit FEMA assistance in case of a disaster. Can Upshur County really afford the ACP and all its possible hazards?
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More Pipeline News:
100 Tribes and 3,000 people gather to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline
Spectra Gas Pipeline Explosion Cuts Flows to Eastern U.S.
Shell Pipeline Leaks 20,000 Gallons of Oil in California’s Central Valley
Farmers Join Cowboy & Indian Alliance to Plant “Seeds of Resistance” along path of Atlantic Coast & Mountain Valley Pipelines
Environmental Movement Targets FERC to Stop Pipelines - Exclusive Interview
Group challenges lax pipeline survey practice
The Push for Pipelines: a Five-Part Series on the OVEC website
More by Bill Hughes
Pipeline claims made by Hampton Roads Caucus inaccurate
Delaware Riverkeeper sues FERC, alleging bias and corruption in pipeline cases
Pipeline Too Risky for Robeson, NC (Blog)
Pipeline Controversy: Would You Let it Through Your Land?
Energy Justice Shale Initiative Supports the Holleran Family Farm in PA, Threatened by Tree Cutting for Pipelines
Cumberland County residents voice dissent for proposed pipeline
Economic Issues
Businesses join call for federal review of proposed pipelines
Pipeline Study Claims Disastrous Economic Results for Communities
HUD may not loan on homes near drilling and pipelines
Economic Effects of ACP to be Disastrous, says new report by Key-Log Economics
Atlantic Coast Pipeline would cost Nelson County, VA $43 mllion according to new economic study
Landowner Rights & Land Use Issues
Too big to fight: In Pa. pipeline wars, landowners lose before judge rules on eminent domain
Thoughts on Nelson County (VA) Hearing for Surveying Against Owners' Will
Fact Sheet: Does Eminent Domain Apply to This Pipeline?
Regarding Mountaineer Express Pipeline
Mountaineer Express seeks to put compressor station in Calhoun or Ritchie County: Company seeks county with lower tax requirements
What to say to FERC regarding Mountaineer Express pipeline
Maps of the MXP here.
Where is the market for gas going?
Should ratepayers fund an outmoded project when the solar revolution is just around the corner?
Q: What is wrong with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission?
A: Can you say "conflict of interest"?
The FERC is funded by the projects it approves, so it has an incentive to approve all the projects that come across its desk. Testimony at The People's Hearing in December of 2016 showed that this agency, like many others, is known for a "revolving door" between itself and industry and nepotism as well. With its history, it is difficult to have faith that its panel of commissioners will be able to do the right thing.
Have a look at the website on the Algonquin Pipeline Expansion Project, a 42" diameter, high-pressure gas pipeline that would run only 105 feet from the diesel tanks that run Indian Point Nuclear Facility in upstate New York. An explosion would take out these tanks and cause a nuclear meltdown. The facility is currently leaking radioactive mess into the Hudson River. The Algonquin Pipeline received its certificate from the FERC to begin construction March 3, 2015.
Have a look at the website on the Algonquin Pipeline Expansion Project, a 42" diameter, high-pressure gas pipeline that would run only 105 feet from the diesel tanks that run Indian Point Nuclear Facility in upstate New York. An explosion would take out these tanks and cause a nuclear meltdown. The facility is currently leaking radioactive mess into the Hudson River. The Algonquin Pipeline received its certificate from the FERC to begin construction March 3, 2015.
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See the entire documentary series "Pipeline," by Marino Colmano, here.
Negotiating for pipeline easements
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Thinner pipe in rural areas
The thickness of the pipe has bearing on how well it will hold up over time. There are four classes of pipeline - class I being thinnest (between .3 and .8 inches thick), II, III, and IV growing thicker and being allowed to operate at higher pressures. The law allows pipelines to be thinner in areas with lower population. There is also no setback distance in federal or state law from structures for pipelines. This document explains.
WeldsEven the best welds will not hold up under much duress. West Virginia has many inclines of 45 degrees or more, as well as seismic activity. Moving earth can lead to loosening of the welds over time, and eventually to leaks and ruptures.
WaterThe construction period is hard on water resources. Digging and excavation uncover mud and dirt, which inevitably run off into streams, creating a bad situation for creatures living in them. Hydrostatic testing of the pipeline to detect flaws in the welds (which is required for interstate lines but not intrastate lines such as Stonewall Gathering) can use around 600,000 gallons of water each time a segment is tested. It is not clear where this water will come from or where it will go after testing. Fossil fuel energy itself is highly water-intensive.
InfrastructureAccording to the NTSB, there are over 2.5 million miles of pipeline in the U.S., which are largely unregulated. Unfortunately, many of them are unmapped. Since 9/11, the DHS has developed strict regulations on who can know the location of energy infrastructure. Since citizen watch is so important to protecting our environment and public health, this makes it much harder for us to protect ourselves when our agencies and officials can't or won't. Most pipeline ruptures occur through excavation, but even the people at 811 Call Before You Dig are not privy to all pipeline locations.
Compressor stations are noisy, create light pollution, and continually release toxins into the air. If you agree to let the gas company install a compressor station on your land, make sure the company adds a sound barrier. The Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Mountain Valley Pipeline are proposed to take gas from West Virginia to markets north and south, as well as to sites on the east coast for export. It is no longer clear that we need these pipelines, especially in light of the recent increase in demand for and availability of renewables. The companies building the pipelines argue that it will bring jobs to the area, but in each state, for each pipeline, the number of permanent jobs will be less than 100 - current estimates are 34 for MVP, 22 for ACP. Certificate of Public Convenience & NeccesityThe FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) is tasked with approving or denying the permit requests to build interstate pipelines. In doing so, they must judge whether or not these lines are in the public interest. This has bearing on whether or not private land can be taken for the project. If it is deemed to be in the public interest, it can be given a certificate of public convenience and necessity and must comply with NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act). The companies argue that the gas will benefit people here, but if it is exported, this claim becomes contentious. FERC currently decides whether eminent domain can be used to force the pipeline based on the percentage of landowners who sign a lease. If 80% of landowners agree, FERC may give approval. This is why it is so important for landowners to hold out.
Public health and safety at riskMVP executives have recently stated that the safety setback on a pipeline of this size and magnitude is .5 mile. The Association for Public Safety recommends even greater distance: 2/3 mile. In Upshur County, WV, ACP officials seem to believe that placing a class I or II (thinnest grade) pipe less than 1/2 mile from the high school is acceptable. We believe not, especially in light of Dominion Gas's poor safety record. The WV DEP is aware of slope failures and water quality violations at Dominion’s West Virginia pipeline projects. This news report from late 2014 details violations at one such site. Here is the DEP consent order describing 18 violations between 2012 and 2014.
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Property Values LoweredYou may not be able to get a loan, mortgage, or second mortgage on a home that is near a pipeline or fracking well, even if it is not on your property. See the slideshow, above, regarding HUD not loaning on homes near such operations, and also see this slideshow on 11 Things that Will Trash Your Home's Value. See #1.
Truck trafficWater trucks have to travel hundreds of times back and forth carrying both clean water, brine (produced water) and flowback (what comes back when the well is fracked). Water trucks are in the range of 60,000 to 80,000 pounds. Our rural roads were not equipped to handle that amount of weight, and this places an intense load on the roads and bridges. County budgets are often insufficient to repair the damage, and so the roads are either not repaired, creating a safety hazard, or the cost of repair is passed onto the people in the form of new taxes. It is unfair to make citizens, including those that would rather not use fracked gas, bear the expense of this for-profit industry.
This large truck is forced to cross the line on curvy, rural roads.
"Man camps"An increase in out-of-state workers is inevitable in this industry. Most companies bring workers with them, especially for skilled jobs such as surveying and welding. These workers set up RV camps, often in designated areas. Often, they create problems for the communities they settle in, such as drug problems and prostitution of local girls and women. They are often unprepared to navigate heavy trucks over the hilly terrain and narrow roads found in rural WV, which constitutes a safety hazard, not only for them, but for other drivers. In addition, workers from out-of-state often do not appreciate and respect our state, from the people to the land and water. Crime in these rural communities is on the increase.
Eminent Domain abuse and landowner rightsCompanies wishing to install pipelines have been caught trespassing on private property, entering without permission, and refusing to leave when asked. WV Code 61-3b-3 states landowners have the right to refuse entry to anyone and they are legally required to leave.
More info.The WVGES (Geological and Economic Survey) has a page devoted to pipeines.
The POWHR Coalition has much information on the Mountain Valley Pipeline. The Blast Radius: What does it mean for you? Boom in unregulated gas pipelines posing new risks More on the blast radius from Preserve Montgomery County (VA) Good News! |
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Pipelines: The Big Picture (Roanoke Times) on why the FERC should consider the effects of the proposed pipelines together. Some of them are very close. All of them start in NW West Virginia.
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Pipeline Accidents
More than 2.5 million miles of pipelines operate in the United States. Thousands of those miles run near or close to our streets, our interstates, churches, businesses, homes, and schools. They are a largely unseen part of the U.S. transportation system. It is said that pipelines are the safest way to transport hazardous substances, and this may be true, but it does not change the fact that a pipeline break is a hazard and a liability to any community.
Local governments are tasked with developing disaster plans for their communities. Under the Stafford Act, it is the responsibility of local governments to develop hazard mitigation plans. If they do not, they will not be eligible for FEMA disaster relief. Most pipeline companies are self-bonded, self-insured, LLCs, meaning their liability is slim to none, and your community may be left without disaster aid in the event of a catastrophic failure of pipelines or related infrastructure.
Please visit your county commission and encourage them to take action to create a disaster plan and evacuation drills for your county BEFORE the proposed projects are completed. If you need a copy of a draft resolution to present to your commission, email us and we will provide you with an example that you can adapt for your own county.
Local governments are tasked with developing disaster plans for their communities. Under the Stafford Act, it is the responsibility of local governments to develop hazard mitigation plans. If they do not, they will not be eligible for FEMA disaster relief. Most pipeline companies are self-bonded, self-insured, LLCs, meaning their liability is slim to none, and your community may be left without disaster aid in the event of a catastrophic failure of pipelines or related infrastructure.
Please visit your county commission and encourage them to take action to create a disaster plan and evacuation drills for your county BEFORE the proposed projects are completed. If you need a copy of a draft resolution to present to your commission, email us and we will provide you with an example that you can adapt for your own county.
The Sissonville explosion of 2012 was horrendous. One eye-witness, Sue Bonham, describes her ordeal:
"I witnessed the Earth being scorched, my home burning and melting, everything was blistering or exploding, my step-daughter's home imploding into ashes, and hearing the continuing roar of the explosion. I looked into the sky and wondered if maybe this was simply the end of the world." Read her full testimony and the reports of PHMSA, NTSB, and more here. |
Back in January, in Brooke County, WV, an ethane line that was barely over a year old burst and exploded, searing over five acres. It was the fifth pipeline incident that month. See Rachel Maddow's video blog on this here.
The Williams Transco pipeline explosion in Appomatox, VA in 2008 was caused by corrosion, not backhoe activity as first indicated.
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In July of 2015, a brand new pipeline carrying tar sands burst in Alberta, Canada, spilling 35,000 barrels or 1.32 Million gallons of emulsion. A report from CBS News states, "The detection system did not work in this case, so it isn’t known how long the substance was leaking. A contractor walking along the pipeline discovered the spill."
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