Or at least the Army Corps of Engineers wants to hear from you about the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). Under the Clean Water Act the MVP must have a permit to cross streams and wetlands. The Mountain Valley Pipeline has proposed some changes in the way that it crosses streams and wetlands in its 300 plus mile trip through West Virginia and Virginia. Because these changes affect its application for a permit, the Corps of Engineers is having two public hearings on November 1, 2021, for West Virginia and on November 4, 2021. for Virginia 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST. You may participate either by telephone or by computer.
If there are unforeseen technical difficulties, the Corps will try again on November 9, 2021.
Because the Corps of Engineers is worried about Covid, the hearings will be held online. For more information, including information related to the submission of information via the public hearing, see the September 30, 2021 Public Notice information, at: https://www.lrh.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Public-Notices/Article/2793909/lrh-2015-00592-gbr-lrp-2015-798-nao-2015-0898/.
If you want more information about the application, the public notice version of the permit application and appendices are available for public download at http://www.mountainvalleypipeline.info/news-info/ under the IP Applications tab.
The virtual public hearings will be held on the WebEx virtual platform as follows:
West Virginia Hearing: DATE: November 1, 2021, TIME: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST
Virginia Hearing: DATE: November 4, 2021, TIME: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST
Participants may participate either by telephone and/or computer.
If you wish to provide oral comments on the proposed project you are strongly encouraged to RSVP with your intent to speak at the public hearing to CELRP-MVP@usace.army.mil with the statement “RSVP to Speak at West Virginia Public Hearing” or “RSVP to Speak at Virginia Public Hearing” as appropriate and include your full name, email address, and contact phone number with area code. You may also request an advance copy of any visual presentation material by e-mail to CELRP-MVP@usace.army.mil. If time allows, unscheduled speakers may be allowed to provide oral public comments by following the directions of the moderator. For more information about attending a WebEx event, please visit https://help.webex.com/en-US/article/8l0y08/Join-a-Webinar-in-Webex-Events-(New)#Cisco_Generic_Topic.dita_fc78570c-5cf7-403a-a1a1-993a4fd36eb3.
You don’t have to go to both hearings. Any comments at either of the hearings will be included in the public record and considered as part of the Corps’ decision making.
The public will be able to submit electronic statements through the webinar application beginning at 6 p.m. on the date of each scheduled hearing respectively. The audio and visual portions of the hearing will also begin at 6 p.m. Attendees may join the conference 10 minutes prior to the scheduled meeting time.
To submit a comment prior to the hearings, send an email to: CELRP-MVP@usace.army.mil with the subject line “MVP Public Hearing Comment” and include your full name and contact phone number with area code. All comments received by email prior to the hearings or in the chat during each hearing will be incorporated into the administrative record.
During the virtual hearings, all participant lines will be muted in order to maintain audio quality. WebEx moderators will direct participants when it is their turn to speak. In order to accommodate as many statements as possible, each person providing an oral statement will be allotted two (2) minutes.
The Corps plan for the hearing is that it will listen to the oral statements but it wants the real arguments to be submitted in writing. In the public notice it asks that “all important facts and arguments should be submitted in writing.” Written statements may be presented at the hearings or submitted to this office prior to the hearing date. All electronically submitted statements during the virtual hearing will become part of the official record.
If you do not want to attend the virtual hearing, you can submit written comments. All written comments should be submitted electronically by email at CELRP-MVP@usace.army.mil by midnight Eastern Standard Time on November 19, 2021. If you are unable to submit comments via email, they may be sent by the United States Postal Service and postmarked on or no later than November 19, 2021 to the following address:
United States Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District
ATTN: CELRH-RD-E
Public Notice: LRH-2015-00592-GBR
LRP-2015-798, NAO-2015-0898
502 Eighth Street
Huntington, West Virginia 25701-2070.
Please note that names and addresses of those who submit comments, including oral comments, in response to this Public Notice become part of our administrative record, and, as such, may be available to the public under provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.
If you have any questions you can contact Mr. Adam Fannin at 304-399-5610 or by email at CELRP-MVP@usace.army.mi.
For details on how to sign on to the virtual hearings, go to
https://www.lrh.usace.army.mil/Portals/38/Users/007/87/1287/Public%20Hearing%20Notice%20-%20Attachment.pdf?ver=rsrBLHjlJawO-6fikfMvtQ%3d%3d. It has all the links, access codes, etc. that you will need to participate.