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Groups opposing the Mountain Valley Pipeline said last week’s rupture of a segment of the Mountain Valley Pipeline during a pressure test highlights the risks the project poses to communities, while lead developer Equitrans Midstream (NYSE:ETRN) said the event shows the testing process is working “as designed and intended.”
The rupture only released water, since it was undergoing hydrostatic testing, and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality said the incident would not affect any state permit approvals.
The company said it is evaluating potential causes of the pipe failure, but environmental protections are in place at the area of the failure, which is “an active worksite… no different than any other active construction area” on the right of way.
“We have warned regulatory officials that MVP is a reckless company tossing corroding pipes into landslide prone mountain slopes in a rush to meet its contract obligations,” the co-director of the Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights Coalition said.
The breach came as the Equitrans-led (ETRN) developers have asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for an in-service date of June 1, which critics continue to oppose.
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