The Roanoker - January/February 2020 - VL59

MVP will be buried at least three feet below
surface, and the project will incorporate multiple
overlapping safety features, including state-of-theart 24/7 remote-monitoring technology and shut-off
valves. These efforts are designed to ensure the
highest level of safe operation.
Environmental stewardship
The Mountain Valley team made hundreds of
adjustments during the regulatory process to minimize impacts on sensitive resources. The result is
a route that has a very small permanent impact on
streams and wetlands.
Mountain Valley has worked with state and federal regulators to develop an oversight program
that is unprecedented in Virginia and demonstrates
the project team's commitment to environmental
responsibility.
Workers begin and end their shifts by reviewing and evaluating a checklist of their specific
environmental duties. Hundreds of inspectors have
been hired to regularly monitor the route to ensure
compliance with approved plans. Federal and state
inspectors also assess erosion and stormwater management controls.
Benefits to the region
In 2018, Mountain Valley provided $15 million to
the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, a state-created
entity dedicated to land conservation, to help mitigate project construction impacts.
The foundation has already begun distributing
those dollars as grants to support an array of local
efforts, including:
*
$1.2 million to purchase 553 acres in Montgomery County for preservation as forested
public parkland that will feature multi-use
trails and education programs
*
$500,000 to purchase 279 acres to complement the Roanoke Valley Greenways plan
*
$915,500 to purchase 808 acres of forest in
Giles County for protection and management
Meanwhile, the region has realized other
benefits. Mountain Valley has donated close to
$600,000 to community groups, organizations and
events in support of education, arts, culture and
the environment. Construction has generated a
short-term economic boost, with pipeline workers
renting homes, apartments and hotel rooms; eating at local restaurants; and purchasing items at
local stores.
As the Roanoke Times reported, Franklin County's
finance director attributed a nearly $1 million in
additional sales tax revenues in the fiscal year ending in June 2019 to pipeline construction activity.
Those results were exactly what supporters,
including the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce, expected to see. And the long-term benefits
will provide even more value by helping the region
recruit and retain employers that need a reliable
supply of natural gas.
Roanoke Gas Company will use a tap on the MVP
at Franklin County's new Summit View Business

CAHAS MOUNTAIN

Park to provide the county with its first supply
of natural gas. The county previously lost out on
economic development opportunities because it
lacked access to natural gas, according to a former
administrator.
More than $7 million in additional new tax revenue will flow into local county coffers annually
once the remaining legal and regulatory issues are
resolved and the project is completed.
The resolution of those issues is expected to clear
the way for construction to finish this year, and will
allow residents, businesses and governments to
share in the long-term benefits of a new supply of
clean, affordable natural gas as it flows through the
Mountain Valley Pipeline.
For more information on the Mountain Valley Pipeline, visit www.mountainvalleypipeline.info.

The Roanoker - January/February 2020

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