ROANOKE — The USDA Forest Service issued a Record of Decision signed by USDA Undersecretary Wilkes to allow for the Mountain Valley Pipeline project across a proposed 3.5-mile corridor of the Jefferson National Forest.
The Mountain Valley pipeline is a project of Mountain Valley, LLC, to construct and operate a buried 42-inch interstate natural gas pipeline. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission remains the lead agency responsible for the authorization of the 303.5-mile interstate transmission project.
The Forest Service’s decision includes a project-specific amendment to the Jefferson National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) to accommodate the pipeline construction, which requires measures to minimize environmental impacts.
The Forest Service will provide a letter of concurrence for the Mountain Valley Pipeline Project to the Bureau of Land Management. The letter of concurrence will provide the Bureau of Land Management with the terms and conditions, which Mountain Valley, LLC must adhere to.
The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for approving pipelines that cross federal lands under the jurisdiction of two or more federal agencies and will decide whether to issue or deny the right-of-way and temporary-use permit.
If the Bureau of Land Management right-of-way grant and temporary-use permit is approved, a notice to proceed with construction would be issued when all terms and conditions are met.
For more information on this Record of Decision, visit the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=50036
The mission of the Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.
Submitted by the USDA Forest Service