On a clear August morning, Katie Whitehead cautiously wades through prickly bushes and knee-high grass to find a thin tree that’s been marked by a pink ribbon.
"This may be the corner of the property," she said, looking around slowly. The property refers to her 169 acre loblolly pine tree farm that's been in her family for almost 100 years.
The pink ribbon was likely left behind by surveyors from Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). The developer wants to build a 31-mile, 30-inch diameter natural gas pipeline. The project, dubbed MVP Southgate, is proposed to cut across her land, running parallel to four pipelines from Williams’ Transco she already has on her property.
The right of way for these existing pipelines is 155 feet wide and half a mile long. Trees can't be planted on top of pipelines. If Southgate is built, Whitehead could lose up to another 50 feet worth of trees.
But her main worry is the impact of natural gas on the climate. Natural gas is mostly comprised of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. According to NASA, methane is the second largest contributor to climate warming after carbon dioxide.
"This country should not be investing in additional methane infrastructure that commits us to gas for decades," said Whitehead, who lives in the small town of Chatham in Pittsylvania County.
MVP Southgate is just one several natural gas infrastructure projects being proposed across the Southeastern U.S. The rise of data centers and artificial intelligence is fueling this high demand for more energy.
In North Carolina, three separate pipelines are proposed to cross Rockingham County, including Southgate, which has been controversial since it was first proposed in 2018.
Officials consider water quality permit for second time
In August 2020, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ, denied MVP Southgate its request for a 401 Water Quality Certification, temporarily halting the project.
"The (state) has determined that work on the Southgate extension could lead to unnecessary water quality impacts and disturbance of the environment in North Carolina," the department said in a 2020 press release.
In response, MVP shortened the route of the pipeline from 75.1 miles to 31.3 miles - 5 of which are in North Carolina. The developer also wants to make the pipeline's diameter wider. Previously, the diameter was proposed to be 16 to 24 inches; now it's proposed to be 30 inches.
The state is now re-considering the project's 401 Water Quality Certification.
MVP argues the project is necessary to meet North Carolina’s growing demand for affordable, reliable, and lower carbon energy. Company representative Shawn Day urged state officials to approve the water quality permit at a public hearing on August 12 in Eden.
"We’re committed to developing and operating this project responsibly and safely," said Day. "We've made significant efforts to minimize or to further reduce environmental impacts. And we are fully mitigating impacts to wetlands and streams."
Most speakers at the public hearing opposed the project. But representatives from the local chamber of commerce showed their support, touting the project's potential economic benefits.
According to its website, MVP Southgate anticipates spending $21 million in North Carolina and providing over 200 jobs.
MVP's track record of water quality violations
Southgate is an extension of MVP’s mainline, which travels from West Virginia to Virginia and entered into service in June 2024. Since 2018, MVP has been fined approximately $2.9 million in both states, namely for water quality violations.
This track record worries Keith Elliot, a recreational assistant with the Dan River Basin Association. Southgate is proposed to cross over the Dan River, along with several other wetlands and streams in Rockingham County.
MVP plans to cross the Dan River using horizontal directional drilling, which means crews will dig down and under the river. However Elliot, who was born and raised in the area, is concerned about runoff sedimentation pollution that may come from land that's disturbed even far away from the river.
"The river’s the low point around here," said Elliot, while standing on the banks of the river. "All of that (pollution) is going to run off into the river. Anytime you introduce more turbidity into the water, you decrease the water quality."
Elliot also noted the Dan River is still recovering from the devastating 2014 coal ash spill.
Safety concerns for Rockingham County
Elliot expressed frustration about how MVP Southgate is just one of three proposed pipelines all set to cross Rockingham County. The other two are Transco's Southeast Supply Enhancement Project and Enbridge's T-15 Reliability Project.
"I feel like these rural counties... we don’t have a lot going for us, other than our rivers and our land and our beauty," he said. "Becoming the power outlet for the rest of the state? I mean, we’ve done a lot already."
The fact that three projects are all being proposed for one area raises safety concerns, said Juhi Modi, North Carolina field coordinator at Appalachian Voices, a non-profit environmental organization.
"It's really important to look at the cumulative impacts of three large diameter, high pressure pipelines in the same rural county," said Modi. "The safety element, I think, is a big consideration."
State officials are accepting public comment on the proposed water quality permit until Friday, September 12 at 5 p.m. Online public comments can be here. (Project number 20181638; Version 4.)
