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Mountain Valley Pipeline

Staring Down The Barrel Of The Mountain Valley Pipeline

Communities along the ROW are frequently reminded they are collateral damage to MVP. Violations here range from the immediate danger of explosion to the discovery that some of the emergency numbers on the yellow and white poles along the route are wrong, to the lack of courtesy, such as heavy construction work immediately adjacent to a convening church on a Sunday morning. Despite the green-light for the MVP to go in service, on-the-ground work in these endangered communities continues to keep themselves aware and safe. Monroe County, WV is rural Appalachia. Few roads here are 2 lanes wide, and most are a single lane. Cars pass one another by both swerving off to their respective shoulders.

Around The Mountain Valley Pipeline, Farmers Losing Access To Clean Water

There are some who say the water of Monroe County, West Virginia, is the purest and best-tasting in the world — or at least it was in the 1990s. The springs on Peters Mountain, which straddles the border with Virginia, won first prize at the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting four times in that decade, beating out — as farmer Maury Johnson will tell you — the renowned municipal water of New York City. Johnson’s family has owned over 200 acres of farmland in Monroe County for 130 years, in the verdant Hans Creek Valley. Coming around the bend of a two-lane road into the valley, you behold a patchwork of dandelion-dotted pastures where small farmers raise sheep, cattle, pigs, and even a paddock of wide-eyed, statue-still deer. Underneath that farmland is a geological formation called karst, which is found throughout the greater Appalachian region.

Tripod Blockade Prevents Mountain Valley Pipeline Work For Five Hours

Elliston, VA - Early Wednesday morning, pipeline fighter August suspended themself in a tripod blockade on Yellow Finch Lane in Montgomery County, blocking Mountain Valley Pipeline's construction access to Poor Mountain. A rally of supporters gathered on site throughout the morning until Virginia State Police responded with a militarized, armored skid steer to remove August from their blockade. Banners and signs at the protest read, "UNTIL ALL ARE FREE," "WATER IS PRECIOUS," and "DOOM TO MVP!" After over 4.5 hours of blocking the road, August was extracted and arrested. They were charged with 4 misdemeanors and bail was set at $1,500.

Protester Blockades The Mountain Valley Pipeline Access Road

Roanoke County, VA - Early this morning, a pipeline fighter going by the name Mullein locked themself to barrels blockading Honeysuckle Rd, which provides access to the Mountain Valley Pipeline easement. This protest, along with many prior, is located on Poor Mountain, where the Yellow Finch Treesits protected some of the last standing trees in the MVP’s path for two and a half years from 2018-2021. About a month ago, a similar action took place at this same location. Two grandparents had locked themselves to a large wooden opossum, stopping work for the day. "Today, as I sit in the road on so-called Poor Mountain, it is the day after Nakba Day," stated Mullein.

Pipeline Protester Locks Herself To Excavator On Peters Mountain

Lindside, WV - Early Saturday morning, a pipeline fighter using the name Vole locked herself to an excavator on the West Virginia side of Peters Mountain in the Jefferson National Forest, preventing Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) from finishing construction on both sides of the mountain, next to the Appalachian Trail. Banners at the site of the action read, "DESTROY ALL PIPELINES" and "LAND BACK," and a rally of supporters gathered nearby in the National Forest. After blockading pipeline work for 5 hours, Vole was extracted from her blockade and escorted off the mountain by law enforcement.

Married Couple Block Mountain Valley Pipeline In Large Wooden Possum

Roanoke County, VA - Early Wednesday morning, married couple Ted Glick (74) and Jane Califf (83), locked themselves inside a large wooden possum on Honeysuckle Rd in Roanoke County, VA, blocking Mountain Valley Pipeline construction in the area. Ted and Jane prevented MVP's access to the pipeline easement, a work yard, and 2 access roads, for 6.5 hours, before they were extracted from their blockade and arrested. They were each charged with 3 misdemeanors, given bail of $3,000, and bailed out the same day.

Protester Inside Mountain Valley Pipeline Blocks Work For Two Days

Giles County, VA - Early Thursday morning, a pipeline fighter using the name Ricky Bobby climbed inside the Mountain Valley Pipeline (which is 42 inches in diameter) atop Peters Mountain to prevent ongoing construction in the area. MVP security and law enforcement responded to the scene but did not enter the pipe; Ricky left after 2 days and was arrested and charged with 4 misdemeanors. A banner placed at the entrance of the pipe read, "FUCK YOU, MVP." People rallied in support of Ricky's action on the first day at the Jefferson National Forest gate on Pocahontas Rd.

Pipeline Fighters Block Mountain Valley Pipeline Construction

Roanoke County, VA — On Monday morning at 5 AM, two people locked themselves to a broken down vehicle on Honeysuckle Rd, blocking Mountain Valley Pipeline's access to the pipeline easement, a work yard, and 2 access roads. They held banners and signs reading, "OLDER THAN THE HILLS - WATER IS LIFE," "DEFEND THIS LAND," and "WATER IS PRECIOUS." Nearly 20 people gathered on site in support of these folks and to resist the Mountain Valley Pipeline. River, an 81-year-old lifelong environmentalist, and Andy, a 63-year-old grandfather and climate activist, prevented pipeline construction on Poor Mountain for 11 hours.

Actions Against Mountain Valley Pipeline During Days Of Solidarity

Beginning on January 29, people across Turtle Island rose up to oppose and fight back against the Mountain Valley Pipeline and its funders, investors, contractors, and collaborators. Folks around the country took autonomous action, organized in their communities, and showed solidarity with pipeline resistance, as well as with comrades facing state repression in Atlanta, and with the people of Palestine.  In the days that followed, organizers stood in solidarity with MVP resistance from hundreds of miles away, rallying outside of the offices of EQT and PNC bank in Pittsburgh, outside of Washington Gas (WGL) in D.C., and outside of Bank of America in Charlotte, and Wells Fargo in San Francisco, Blacksburg, Richmond, and other locations.

Mountain Mamas Resistance To Mountain Valley Pipeline Continues

Early this morning Mama Julz, an Ogala Lakota land defender and water protector, locked herself to a Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) helicopter to prevent the transportation of pipeline workers onto a remote work site on Poor Mountain, where MVP is causing an immense amount of damage pushing the pipeline through rugged lands. Mama Julz prevented MVP's use of the helicopter for multiple hours before she was extracted from her blockade and arrested, along with one other person who supported Mama Julz' action this morning. Both Mama Julz and the supporter were charged with one misdemeanor; both were denied bond and are being held in jail unjustly.

Mom/Author Denied Bail After Halting Mountain Valley Pipeline Drilling

Giles County, VA — Early Monday morning, Appalachian author and mother Madeline ffitch locked herself to a Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) drill on the Virginia side of Peters Mountain in the Jefferson National Forest, preventing MVP from drilling under the Appalachian Trail. Nearby, a rally of supporters gathered on a Forest Service road. Banners at each site read "MOUNTAIN MAMAS SAY NO MVP," "MOMS OF THE WORLD UNITE - STOP THE PIPELINE," and "FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA, FROM THE HOLLERS TO THE HILLS." Madeline prevented MVP from using their equipment and drilling under the Appalachian Trail for nearly 8 hours.

‘Hard-Won Movement Victory’: MVP Extension In North Carolina Halved

Frontline critics of the Mountain Valley Pipeline celebrated after Equitrans Midstream revealed Friday in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that the distance of the proposed Southgate extension project has been cut in half. The partially completed MVP project—long delayed by legal battles until congressional Republicans and President Joe Biden included language to fast-track it in a debt limit deal earlier this year—is set to cross 303 miles of Virginia and West Virginia. The MVP Southgate extension into North Carolina was supposed to be 75 miles, but the filing details plans for a redesigned 31-mile gas project that "would include substantially fewer water crossings and would not require a new compressor station."

Calgary-Based Subsidiary Partners In Building US’ Mountain Valley Pipeline

The Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) is a 482 kilometre (300 mile) pipeline being built across West Virigina and Virginia to transport fracked gas. WGL Midstream, a subsidiary of Calgary-based AltaGas, owns 10 per cent of this USD $6.6 billion pipeline. The Natural Resources Defense Council says: “It has been estimated that the full life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (excluding construction emissions) generated by the MVP mainline alone would be almost 90 million metric tons annually. This is equivalent to the emissions from 23 average U.S. coal plants.”

Pipeline Fighter Grandfather Arrested After Blocking Drilling At Elk Crossing

Webster County, WV — Early Friday morning 11/3/23, pipeline fighter Jerome locked himself to a Mountain Valley Pipeline drill at the Elk River crossing in Webster County, WV. Jerome prevented construction for over 3 hours, at which time he was extracted by law enforcement and arrested. He was charged with 4 misdemeanors, and has been released from jail. A banner at the site of Jerome's blockade read "Doom to the pipeline!" "I am the father of 3 daughters and the grandfather—soon—of 5 grandsons," Jerome stated. "I am horrified by what climate change is already doing to all life here on Earth. And I'm even more horrified that we still envision and construct projects like MVP which will only worsen the warming and deepen the chaos.

Appalachians Slap Back: Pipeline Work In National Forest Halted Again

Peters Mountain, VA — On Monday afternoon 10/9/23, pipeline fighter Ben locked himself to a sleeping dragon in the path of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, preventing tree cutting and clearing in the area. A banner at the site read "Appalachians Slap Back," in reference to a SLAPP suit (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) filed by MVP in September. "This is a pipeline that cuts through every county in Virginia that I’ve ever called home," Ben explained. "I grew up here. I live here. In 2018, people started putting their bodies in the way of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. They’ve been called a lot of things, including outside agitators and paid protesters.
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