Equitrans Midstream Corporation (ETRN), the operator of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), entered into a watershed Consent Agreement on 3 October with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). This agreement strengthens MVP's commitment to pipeline safety and construction transparency as well as its alignment with regulatory compliance.

PHMSA said comprehensive assessments were needed “to identify and remediate any coating deficiencies, potential corrosion issues, and any potential land movement-related effects on previously installed pipe.”

At the time PHMSA noted that its inspectors had been focusing on corrosion control and coating remediation for pipeline segments that have been exposed to the elements and ultraviolet radiation in recent years. Pipeline critics have argued that such exposure has exceeded safe limits, rendering pipeline segments unfit to use.

The new consent agreement names an independent third-party engineering firm — Pennsylvania-based KTA-Tator Inc. — to audit Mountain Valley’s pipeline coating activities. The agreement also accelerates the schedules for inspections and surveys necessary to verify the integrity of the pipeline and key pipeline components for the remainder of the the project's construction, Equitrans Midstream said.

“Mountain Valley will continue to work closely with PHMSA and other regulators to maintain its high standards of safety and environmental stewardship as the project enters its final construction phase,” Equitrans Midstream said in a news release.

Since 2017, PHMSA has spent over 229 days in the field conducting inspections on the MVP, ensuring that the pipe is constructed and installed in accordance with safety standards, including proper coating.

The interstate pipeline is a $6.6 billion, 42 inch diameter, 488-km natural gas pipeline project set to run from West Virginia into Virginia, where it passes through Giles, Craig, Montgomery, Roanoke and Franklin counties before connecting to a compressor station in Pittsylvania County.