Thru-Hikers in the Blast Zone: Pipelines Will Intersect the Appalachian Trail

Two pipelines are planned to intersect the Appalachian Trail. The 300-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline will cut across the A.T. near Virginia’s Peters Mountain Wilderness Area. The 550-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline pipeline also is planned to cross the Appalachian Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia’s Augusta and Nelson Counties. Both pipelines will require clearing a 200-foot-wide right-of-way and building new roads through sensitive habitats to service the pipeline.

Beginning in West Virginia, the Mountain Valley Pipeline will span 300 miles from Wetzel County, W.Va., to Pittsylvania County, Va., and will scar views, watersheds, and habitats in George Washington National Forest and in the Roanoke area.

The Mountain Valley Pipeline will also pass through Jefferson National Forest in West Virginia and Virginia before entering the Appalachian Trail National Scenic Trail Corridor and ultimately the Peters Mountain Wilderness Area. In its wake, iconic viewpoints such as Angels Rest will look out across denuded clearcuts.

In addition to the Mountain Valley Pipeline and Atlantic Coast Pipeline, other pipelines are planned throughout the region in North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, and Florida. Protests around each of the pipelines are building momentum.

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2 Comments

  1. lilricky

    Before this becomes a blame the president article, which was intended, those pipelines were planned and approved by the Obama administration.

    • Indeed. Plenty of blame to go around. Pointing fingers not my intention. Simply information sharing. Seems we’ve done just fine without these pipelines for this long. Same with DAPL and K-XL.

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