If approved, the Mountain Valley Pipeline will carry natural gas across 3.5 miles of the Jefferson National Forest and intersect the Appalachian Trail in Virgina. The Forest Service approved the right-of-way for the 42-inch-diameter pipeline in 2017 and again in 2021, but both decisions were vacated by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Given the steep, unstable slopes in Appalachia, erosion and landslides are a major concern. Opponents also say the large size of the pipeline creates additional risk.
The Forest Service is proposing to amend the Jefferson National Forest Land Management Plan “as necessary” to allow for the pipeline to cross the national forest. The Forest Service draft supplemental environmental impact statement is available, and the comment period has been extended until Feb. 21.
In the long-running battle over the pipeline, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, which originally opposed the project, signed a “voluntary stewardship agreement” for $19.5 million. Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC has already paid half of that amount to the Conservancy for its support.
