COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

HOUSE OF DELEGATES
RICHMOND

TIM HUGO
COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS:
POST OFFICE BOX 13842 EDUCATION (Chair)
ROANOKE, VA 24037 APPROPRIATIONS
PUBLIC SAFETY
Thirty-Eighth DISTRICT

May 7, 2024

Ms. Debbie-Anne A. Reese

Acting Secretary
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20426

Re: Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC’s Request to Place Project Facilities in Service, Docket Nos.
CP16-10-000, CP19-477-000, and CP21-57-000

Dear Secretary Debbie-Anne A. Reese:

As members of the Virginia General Assembly, we respectfully request that the Director
of the Office of Energy, Terry Turpin, deny Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC’s “Request to Place
Project Facilities In Service,” dated April 22, 2024. Mountain Valley Pipeline is still currently
under construction, is not “mechanically complete," has had recent sedimentation problems and
an alarming pipe failure last week during hydrostatic testing. The pipeline has significant
percentages of final restoration remaining and has not met necessary requirements of the October
3, 2023 consent agreement with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
Granting “in-service” status to the project by May 23, 2024 — the deadline suggested by project
developers — would be premature and the request should be denied.

Virginians along the route understandably have years-long concerns about the
construction of the project. Many of those concerns are shared by PMHSA and were outlined in
the August 11, 2023 Notice of Proposed Safety Order from the agency. Concerns within the
NOPSO include the condition of the pipe and inadequate construction and reporting practices.
For many, there are concerns and questions remaining about the integrity of pipe left degrading
for years in the sun, left in standing water and potentially without cathodic protection. For those
along the route and within the blast zone, these concerns are compounded with the existing
geohazards of the route: steep slopes, karst terrain and siting through a seismic zone.

That is precisely why all safety, testing and reporting requirements must be performed as
required by the consent agreement before “in-service” permission is granted. As the drinking
water, farms and livelihoods of many along the route have already been negatively impacted,
adherence to the consent agreement is imperative to minimize further harm. The project is not
yet at a stage to obtain “in-service”’ permission.

DISTRICT: (540) 904-6905 • RICHMOND: (804) 698-1011 • DELSRASOUL@HOUSE.VIRGINIA.GOV

 As elected officials entrusted with protecting the health and safety of our communities as
well as the Commonwealth’s natural resources, we respectfully request that Director Turpin deny
Mountain Valley Pipline, LLC’s “in-service” request at this time.

Thank you for your time and attention to this critical matter.

Sincerely,

Sam Rasoul Ghazala F. Hashmi, PhD

Delegate, 38th District Senator, 15th District

Jennifer Boysko Lashrecse Aird

Senator, 38th District Senator, 13th District

R. Creigh Deeds Barbara Favola

Senator, 11th District Senator, 40th District

Saddam Azlan Salim Mamie Locke

Senator, 37th District Senator, 23rd District
Aaron Rouse Jennifer Carroll Foy
Senator, 22nd District Senator, 33rd District

Elizabeth Bennett-Parker Rodney Willett

Delegate, 5th District Delegate, 58th District

Irene Shin Shelly Simonds

Delegate, 8th District Delegate, 70th District

Joshua Cole Debra Gardner

Delegate, 65th District Delegate, 76th District

Kathy Tran Karen Keys-Gamarra

Delegate, 18th District Delegate, 7th District
Rozia Henson Richard C. “Rip” Sullivan
Delegate, 19th District Delegate, 6th District

Kannan Srinivasan Michelle Maldonado

Delegate, 26th District Delegate, 20th District

Rae Cousins
Delegate, 79th District