If natural gas begins to flow through the Mountain Valley Pipeline a year from now, as its developers expect, the operation will produce about 730,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases per year.
Airborne emissions of carbon dioxide from three compressor stations along the 303-mile pipeline, along with methane expected to leak from the buried steel pipe, have long been a concern of opponents who say that delivering huge amounts of fossil fuel to markets will only worsen a climate change problem that is rapidly overheating the earth.
On July 12, Mountain Valley announced a plan: The company will spend at least $150 million over the next 10 years on carbon offsets, which will be used to construct a massive methane abatement system at a coal mine in far Southwest Virginia.
Pipeline goes CO2 neutral: Innovative or green washing?
By
Carlos Anchondo | 07/13/2021 10:53 AM GMT
Lengths of pipe placed on the ground along the under-construction Mountain Valley pipeline near Elliston, Va., in September 2019. Charles Mostoller/REUTERS/Newscom
Developers of the Mountain Valley pipeline will buy more than $150 million in carbon offsets to make the conduit carbon-neutral during its first decade in service, according to an announcement yesterday that spurred allegations of green washing.
The project which aims to carry natural gas roughly 300 miles from West Virginia to southern Virginia will make the pipeline “one of the first interstate natural gas transmission pipelines to acquire carbon offsets for its operational emissions,” according to Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC, a joint venture of energy companies. The company said the plan is part of a long-term commitment to counter emissions from its operations and purchases of electricity.
Oil Change International
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DivestMVP Orgs and Their 7,600,000 Members Highlight “Financial and Reputational Risk” of MVP
PEMBROKE, VA Today, a group of environmental and financial organizations announced the launch of the DivestMVP coalition.
The organizations, which collectively represent over 7,600,000 members and supporters, are highlighting the financial instability of the fracked gas Mountain Valley Pipeline and why it is such a risky bet for investors. DivestMVP will hold an introductory webinar this Thursday, February 25, at 6:00pm ET to brief supporters on the campaign.
The controversial project is over three years behind schedule and has nearly doubled its original budget, the result of a rushed and shoddy permitting process that has not withstood legal challenges. In addition to the extraordinary delays and cost overruns, regulators have imposed millions of dollars in penalties on MVP for violating over 350 environmental and water protec
Developers of the Mountain Valley Pipeline say it remains on schedule for completion by yearâs end, despite a restart in seeking government approval to cross nearly 500 streams and wetlands.
All required permits should be in hand by summer, âallowing us to ramp up to full construction,â Diana Charletta, president and chief operations officer of Equitrans Midstream, the lead partner in the joint venture, said during an earnings call Tuesday.
Already behind schedule and over-budget, work on the natural gas pipeline hit a major road bump last October, when a federal appeals court issued a stay to a water body crossing permit issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.