STATEMENT: Debt ceiling deal provision bad for Virginia, Appalachia

The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed the “Fiscal Responsibility Act” to keep the United States from defaulting on its debt. Included in this deal is a provision to streamline the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline project in Virginia and West Virginia by green lighting permits and exempting the project from judicial review. By a vote of 30-69, the Senate rejected an amendment by Virginia’s Sen. Tim Kaine which would have removed this provision from the final legislation. 

In response, Environment Virginia State Director Elly Boehmer Wilson issued the following statement:

“We are disappointed that the Mountain Valley Pipeline was used as a bargaining chip to avoid catastrophic default. The pipeline repeatedly has failed to demonstrate safety and compliance with the law. 

“By eliminating permitting and judicial review for the pipeline, that portion of the debt ceiling deal will harm Virginia’s environment and Appalachia as a whole. The Mountain Valley Pipeline cuts through some of America’s most iconic terrain and waterways, including the Appalachian Trail and the New River watershed. Dirty, fossil fuel projects have no place in Virginia where we have committed to generating 100% of our electricity from clean energy in the coming decades. 

“We are grateful for Virginia’s members of Congress who voted to protect our environment and remove this provision from the debt deal — in particular, Rep. Jennifer McClellan and Sen. Tim Kaine, who introduced the amendments in their respective chambers. The only thing we can rely on with fossil fuel pipelines is their unreliability, so we will look for other ways to stop this project.”