Oops!
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality denies that it’s backpedaling on a statement that it would review water crossings necessitated by the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines.
Yet, after saying in April that it would require a separate certification for each crossing, the agency now says it will leave that review to the federal Army Corps of Engineers, which will issue only a blanket permit instead of individual approvals.
Critics contend that it’s an egregious reversal of declared procedure.
DEQ’s latest statement does sound like a bureaucratic effort to wiggle out of an embarrassment. “In hindsight, DEQ should have tried to provide additional clarity,” said James Golden, the DEQ’s director of operations.
The earlier statement, from DEQ spokesman Bill Hayden, that “the ‘individual’ certification looks at each wetland, stream crossing, etc., separately, to determine specific requirements that would be necessary” seemed pretty darn clear already.
- The Daily Progress
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