Resident tells supervisors compressor-station plans lack key environmental reviews, raises noise and water concerns
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Summary
A member of the public told the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors that Mountain Valley Pipeline responses to FERC remain incomplete, that no bat surveys or final stormwater/erosion plans have been submitted for the Swan Compressor Station, and that modeled emergency blowdown noise would exceed a 55-decibel standard at nearby homes.
During public address on Feb. 23, resident Crystal Mello told the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors that she and other community members found Mountain Valley Pipeline's (MVP) recent response to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission incomplete and that outstanding technical work remains for the proposed Swan Compressor Station.
Mello said MVP expects to finish responses by March 20 but that key documents are still outstanding: a biological assessment for threatened bat species and a bat survey have not been completed; final stormwater and erosion-control plans and site alignment maps are not yet available; and coordination on wellhead protection with Montgomery County has not occurred. She said the operational footprint has grown to about 24.7 acres and cited a January 2025 one-day noise survey that, when modeled, showed emergency blowdown events potentially reaching about 57.9 decibels at the closest residences — above a 55-decibel federal benchmark she cited.
Mello urged the board to note these outstanding items and the potential effects on drinking-water coordination, stormwater control and noise for nearby communities. The board did not take an immediate action on the MVP-specific items but received the comment during public address.