“Today, in a victory for environmental justice, the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board voted 6-1 to deny the air quality permit for the proposed Lambert Compressor Station. The station would have connected the beleaguered Mountain Valley Pipeline to a proposed ‘Southgate’ extension into North Carolina. Had the permit been granted, nearby communities would be subjected to additional air emissions of carbon monoxide, particulate matter 2.5, and formaldehyde — substances known to contribute to respiratory problems, heart disease and cancer. The permit denial is a clear victory for communities working tirelessly to protect their health and homes from corporate polluters — and a major setback for the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
Without this key permit, the Mountain Valley Pipeline and its Southgate extension are unlikely to ever be built. The MVP mainline project lacks necessary federal and state authorizations, has racked up more than $2 million in fines for more than 350 water quality-related violations in Virginia and West Virginia, is years behind schedule and continues to face stiff grassroots opposition. Investors are abandoning projects like this amid growing attention on the true climate impacts of fracked gas, which primarily consists of methane — a greenhouse gas at least 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The United Nations and International Energy Agency both recently found that the world would not be able to meet its climate goals and avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis unless we immediately reduce gas use and replace it with clean electricity”
