For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021
Media contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
(434) 989-3197 | lfrancis@valcv.org
RICHMOND – Today, the State Water Control Board voted 3-2, with two members absent, to approve an incredibly flawed permit allowing Mountain Valley Pipeline to proceed with construction across water bodies in Southwest Virginia, a decision that ignores a track record including hundreds of violations of Virginia’s water quality laws, and one that flies in the face of robust public opposition.
In response to today’s decision, Lee Francis, Deputy Director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, issued the following statement:
“Throughout this project, MVP has shown no respect to Virginia’s water quality or the Virginians that live in the path of this project. Today’s vote ignores science, overlooks one of the poorest environmental track records in state history, puts an out-of-state corporation’s interests ahead of what’s right for clean water and our environment, and comes even as another state citizen board acted to do the right thing for Virginians by rejecting MVP’s license to pollute earlier this month. While this outcome is disappointing, our work fighting this project isn’t done, and there remain multiple pathways to protecting clean water even if state regulators refuse to.”
About us:
We build a stronger, more diverse, and more engaged conservation voter movement in order to protect the natural environment and improve the quality of life of all Virginians. We envision an equitable and just Virginia, where all communities enjoy clean air and water, open space, a liveable climate, and a democracy that works for all Virginians. For more information, visit www.valcvef.org.
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