Virginia DEQ issues violation for Mountain Valley Pipeline

The company that's building the Mountain Valley Pipeline is facing new citations from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

According to the DEQ, Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC is accused of violating Virginia's Stormwater Management Act and laws related to erosion and sediment control.

In a news release issued Tuesday, the DEQ said the MVP violations revolve around "failure to take corrective actions within required time frames, failure to install (and improperly installed) best management practices in accordance with approved erosion and sediment control plans, release of sediment off the right-of-way, and sediment deposited in surface waters."

The issues occurred in Craig, Franklin, Giles, Montgomery, Pittsylvania, and/or Roanoke counties.

The department issued a Notice of Violation, which requires MVP representatives to respond within 10 days with plans to remedy the situation and how they will prevent similar situations in the future.

The company could face fines as well.

“The Notice of Violation process is standard procedure for DEQ to formally and publicly announce violations and determine a path forward for resolution,” said DEQ Director David Paylor. “The specific results of the NOV will be developed over the coming weeks and once finalized, shared with the public. We are concerned about these alleged violations and we are holding MVP accountable. We expect MVP to abide by the highest environmental standards, and we plan to resolve these issues fully in order to protect Virginia’s water quality.”

Notices like this one don't require work to stop, but the Mountain Valley Pipeline already

due to other issues that arose during inspections of soil erosion techniques and sediment controls.