Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), and the Conservation Fund announced Monday a joint agreement that will protect the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and enhance trail-related community economic development.
Under the conservation stewardship agreement between the three entities, Mountain Valley has committed up to $19.5 million to help enhance the Conservancy’s work to manage and protect the trail while also helping the Fund secure additional conservation lands for public use. The funds from the agreement will also allow the Conservancy to support outdoor recreation-based economies in Virginia and West Virginia.
“The Conservancy’s mission to protect, manage, and advocate for the Appalachian National Scenic Trail aligns with MVP’s desire to identify sustainable solutions that address MVP’s potential impacts and enhance conservation efforts in the region for the future,” said Diana Charletta, president and chief operating officer, EQM Midstream Partners, operator of Mountain Valley Pipeline. “The Appalachian Trail is a national treasure and, by working together, we will provide beneficial outcomes for the region, the environment, and our communities. This agreement demonstrates that the country can continue to meet its energy needs while also providing a net benefit to the Appalachian Trail.”
The Mountain Valley Pipeline is a proposed underground, interstate natural gas pipeline system that spans approximately 303 miles from northwestern West Virginia to southern Virginia.
Mountain Valley reached out to the Conservancy, the Fund, and numerous other conservation stakeholders more than a year ago to seek assistance to identify and develop sustainability efforts that would complement the group’s infrastructure project. Mountain Valley’s voluntary commitment through this recent agreement is the largest funding package in the Conservancy’s history to advance conservation efforts in a single geographic area.
“Ensuring that lands around the Appalachian Trail are conserved and connected is not only essential to protecting the most famous hiking trail in the world but also critical to preserving a wide variety of additional values,” said Laura Belleville, ATC’s vice president of Conservation and Trail Programs. “Whether it’s conserving high-priority climate-resilient lands or safeguarding iconic vistas from the Trail, this agreement will greatly advance the pace and scale of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s mission-critical landscape conservation work.”