WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senators should support U.S. Senator Tim Kaine’s (D-Va.) amendment to remove the Mountain Valley Pipeline provisions from the debt-ceiling deal and ensure the project goes through the same approval process as other major projects.

"Including the Mountain Valley Pipeline in the debt-limit deal is a dangerous precedent and potentially disastrous development for people, wildlife, and water along the project’s route,” said Mustafa Santiago Ali, executive vice president of the National Wildlife Federation. “Senator Kaine’s amendment to remove this unjust provision should be an easy ‘yes’ vote. The Senate should send a clear message that frontline communities matter and that lawmakers should never bypass essential environmental reviews, public health safeguards, community input, and basic legal protections in the name of compromise.”

“This legislation says to West Virginians that our water and our communities are not deserving of equal protections,” said Angie Rosser, executive director of the West Virginia Rivers Coalition. “Congress needs to ensure that environmental laws are applied consistently and fairly, and no communities should be made more vulnerable by giving a pipeline project that hasn’t been able to comply with the laws a free pass. No matter how anyone might view the wisdom of building a mega-pipeline through our mountainous terrain, removing these basic rights is an insult to all West Virginians. We deserve the same protections of our lands and waters as everywhere else in the country.”

"The Mountain Valley Pipeline is a threat to Virginia communities, wildlife, water and lands. It should never have been included in the debt-ceiling deal,” said Mary Rafferty, executive director of the Virginia Conservation Network. “Legislating around the people of Virginia, environmental experts, and public safety advocates is unacceptable. Senator Kaine’s amendment is good policy and would fix a grievous wrong in the debt-ceiling compromise.”