Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and John Hoeven (R-ND), joined by two Democratic and 21 Republican colleagues, called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) to approve “without further delay” natural gas pipeline projects currently before the Commission for Certification. The letter urges the immediate approval so the proposed projects cannot be slowed by current attempts to strengthen FERC’s environmental justice and climate policies. The move demonstrates the indifference of the authors to the real impacts pipeline projects have on communities, especially low income and communities of color, and on our ability to mitigate the effects of climate change.
“Senator Manchin and his pro-pipeline colleagues should be deeply ashamed of themselves. They were elected to office to represent the people of their states and our nation.With this letter they are taking a firm stance to help the pipeline industry run roughshod over the needs and rights of people, communities and future generations. FERC is a known Rubber Stamp of pipelines, approving over 99.3% of all projects before them for approval.The pipeline companies, with FERC’s help, have stomped on environmental justice, property rights, peoples’ rights, environmental rights, state’s rights, and the rights of future generations to a safe and livable climate,” said Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper, leader of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, and a founding member of the VOICES Coalitionwho organized a Congressional briefing held today to highlight needed reforms to address abuses of power and law by FERC. “Senator Manchin’s home state of West Virginia has been among those hardest hit from pipelines like Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast.The pipeline companies don’t need Senator Manchin’s help; the people of West Virginia and our nation do.The pro-pipeline letter is a stunning abuse of Senator Manchin’s position as an elected official; he is clearly working for the pipeline companies that have contributed so generously to his political coffers rather than the people of West Virginiaand our nation who he is supposed to be serving and protecting,” added van Rossum.