By Maury Johnson, MVP Impacted Landowner and Community Advocate — Greenville, W.Va.

GREENVILLE, W.Va. — Maury Johnson, a resident of Monroe County, West Virginia, who has been fighting the Mountain Valley Pipeline since first learning about it, has declared his intention to keep fighting, as he did in this interview last year.

Johnson said, “Giving the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) preferential treatment in legislation that passed in the early morning hours today is anti-democratic and most likely unconstitutional. This legislation, to roll back environmental protection and force the completion of the MVP cannot be allowed to stand. I want to thank Virginia Democrats, especially Sen. Tim Kaine and Rep. Jennifer McClellan for leading the amendments in their respective chambers to remove this provision. I would also like to thank every other member of the House and Senate who stood with the people and rejected this industry written, bought and paid for provision.”

He continued, “The MVP has constantly failed to demonstrate that it can be constructed according to the law. This action by Congress and the White House to attempt to skirt environmental laws, force the issuance of permits and strip the courts of their authority is an abuse of power and a denial of environmental justice and will surely be met with forceful resistance from across the country. Many legislators have cemented their legacy by their vote, whether it was for or against this historically bad provision.”

Johnson concluded, “For me, this fight is not over. Defeating this unnecessary and ill-conceived project that has already degraded water quality not only in my community, but across two states and which will  contribute significantly to the climate crisis if it is completed and brought into service while rolling back our environmental protections will continue to be my life’s mission.”

© Michael M. Barrick, 2023. Trauma Photo by Susan Wilkinson on Unsplash; Outrage Photo by Kalea Morgan on Unsplash