For Immediate Release:
Friday, June 2, 2023
Contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters
(434) 989-3197 | lfrancis@valcv.org
RICHMOND – Last night, the U.S. Senate rejected an amendment from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) that would have rightfully stripped a provision from the debt ceiling deal to greenlight the environmentally destructive Mountain Valley Pipeline. With the Senate voting to pass the so-called Fiscal Responsibility Act, this project – which is billions of dollars over budget, years behind schedule, and which has violated environmental laws in two states hundreds of times – has secured an unprecedented handout from Congress, one that paves the way for more environmental devastation in Southwest Virginia.
In response to this action, Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, issued the following statement:
“Lawmakers in Congress should never have been given the false choice between economic collapse and approving a sweetheart deal for one fossil fuel company. The Mountain Valley Pipeline’s inclusion in this must-pass bill was incredibly cynical, and we know what comes next: more environmental devastation from an irresponsible developer, and more pain in Southwest Virginia. We are incredibly grateful for the leadership of Sen. Tim Kaine, U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan, and Virginia’s entire Democratic delegation who fought hard to keep the MVP out of this deal. But it never should have come to this – lawmakers in Congress are not permitting agencies or seated judges. With Congress’s thumb now on the scale, the people most impacted by this project, who have been standing up for their communities, have been marginalized. They deserve better.”
About us:
The Virginia League of Conservation Voters serves as the political voice of the state’s conservation community, working to make sure Virginia’s elected officials recognize that our natural heritage is an environmental and economic treasure for all. Virginia LCV works with conservation leaders across Virginia and strives for a conservation majority in state government. We secure good public policies on the state level and hold public officials accountable for their positions on environmental issues. For more information, visit www.valcv.org.
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