After Atlantic Coast Pipeline construction began in Virginia with cutting thousands of trees, on March 16 the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality issued ACP a notice of violation for illegal work along streams and wetlands.
Now, ACP has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for permission to extend its tree cutting work by two months, until May 15, jeopardizing sensitive bird species. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation has filed comments with FERC opposing that extension.
CBF Vice President for Litigation Jon Mueller issued the following statement.
“Without proper permits, workers have already cut down thousands of trees across miles of Virginia’s Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Now the pipeline company wants to destroy more trees during a critical season for wildlife, despite the fact that it told the federal government and the state that it would stop cutting trees by March 15 because of dangers to migratory and threatened birds such as owls, warblers, and woodpeckers.
“On top of that, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline has already broken promises to do everything possible to protect pristine mountain streams and the fish that live in them. Just this month, DEQ issued a notice finding that the Atlantic Coast Pipeline had violated state law by cutting trees too close to streams. FERC should not reward such behavior.”
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