State permit gives WVDEP wide ranging inspection and enforcement authority
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) has approved the “Stormwater Associated with Oil and Gas Related Construction Activities General Permit” for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
The permit, commonly referred to as the “Construction Stormwater Permit,” gives WVDEP wide ranging inspection and enforcement authority. The pipeline construction stormwater permit allows WVDEP and its enforcement officers to oversee construction activity along the full route of the pipeline including water crossings, uplands, and every other part of the impacted surface through which the pipeline crosses.
The construction stormwater permit, which is an additional layer of environmental protection that West Virginia has that surrounding states do not have, was created approximately five years ago to specifically cover activities associated with oil and gas related construction.
The letter WVDEP sent to Dominion and the agency response to public comments can be viewed here on the WVDEP website.