So much for recent Corps and Fish and Wildlife actions. Also, on Friday, September 25th, the U.S. Forest Service released its proposal for the 303-mile pipeline to pass through the Jefferson National Forest, a prominent concern of MVP pipeline opponents in Monroe County, West Virginia, home to a small but important portion of the Jefferson (i.e. Peters Mountain, etc.).
The Forest Service release of the new environmental impact statement is meant to address flaws in erosion and sediment control measures cited by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2018, when it struck down the original Forest Service permit. The release starts a 45-day public comment period that runs through November 9th.
The Service expects to issue a final decision by year’s end. Should the federal agency renew its approval, the pipeline would be allowed to pass through 3.5 miles of the national forest, in Monroe County, West Virginia, and Giles and Montgomery counties, Virginia.