“My first reaction was anger,” said Reilly. “They do leak, they do explode, and how can that not deteriorate the value of someone’s property when you have a ticking time-bomb waiting to go off?”

Reilly’s farm is just one small stop on the pipeline’s route. The environmental statement says the Mountain Valley Pipeline would cross more than 1,100 water bodies along its entire route – including more than 140 in Franklin County alone. The statement also says that the path of the pipeline would be visible from more than 50 different key observation points, including the Cahas Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Despite those facts, the statement concludes by saying, “The MVP and the EEP would not have significant adverse cumulative impacts on environmental resources.”

Environmental attorney, Tammy Belinsky, also takes issue with the statement’s findings. She said construction will add sediment to waterways.

“They want us to accept a new normal, a new baseline of more sedimentation in our systems, and that’s the main threat to the aquatic species and it’s the main threat to our water supply systems,” said Belinsky.

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WSLS TV Chl. 10 – Bob Manch – 06/24/2017