Bill Wolf,
Co-Chair Preserve Craig, Inc.
Preserve Craig – Sustaining the Quality of Life We Value
Here is this week’s update — as bulleted news flashes:
- Check out the refreshed Preserve Craig website! www.preservecraig.org – special thanks to our new volunteers. You can meet them in the afternoon at Preserve Craig’s booth at the Fall Festival on October 14!
- The Wilderness Society issued a special report last week about the top 15 special places in the U.S. that are threatened and need to be protected. It joins the Appalachian Trail Commission in calling the MVP a serious threat to our area. The Appalachian Trail crossing on Peters Mountain and the viewsheds we see from Craig County are identified as critical for all Americans to protect. Details are available at Preserve Craig’s website.
- Mountain Valley Pipeline finally posted over 30 massive documents on September 20, which appear to be their proposed erosion control plans. Many of the documents are too large to download, the links are broken, or the files are unreadable.
- These MVP plans appear to be the information that the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is asking for public input on by October 22. This gives citizens less than a month to figure out what the MVP is proposing.
- DEQ is providing over 100 days for public input on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline plans and only about 25 days on MVP.
- Congressman Griffith is now expressing concerns about the MVP project.
- The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) did not vote on MVP at its meeting last week, despite claims to stockholders of both MVP and its managing partner, EQT, that they will obtain FERC approvals at that meeting.
- The US Forest Service did not meet its obligations under the law to respond within 45 days to objections Preserve Craig filed regarding proposed changes to its Management Plan. Those changes would allow cutting old growth timber, building a pipeline in roadless areas, allowing construction and roads on very steep slopes, and impinging on Bear habitat, among other things.
- Preserve Craig retained and has been working closely with two excellent law firms for over two years to help protect the county. One specializes in Forest Service and DEQ matters and the other has extensive experience and expertise in FERC and related issues. Stay tuned for more on this effort.
- Preserve Craig’s focus is now on fundraising to support the legal battle that will be required to protect our water, our special resources, our tourism, and our quality of life. It is a fight we can win.
- Details on these matters, and more, can be found at the updated website.
Preserve Craig, Inc. is a 501C3 nonprofit volunteer public charity formed in 1991 using volunteers and donations to protect our natural, historical, and cultural resources. Tax-deductible donations are welcome online at www.preservecraig.org or by mail to: Preserve Craig, Inc., PO Box 730, New Castle, VA. 24127. Phone: 540-309-9560. Email: [email protected] Check out new website
