It’s a Gas. But Not So Natural

Last night  there was a public meeting for sharing information about the current status of knowns and unknowns about the EQT-NextERA Mountain-Valley pipeline proposed to pass through 13 counties of West Virginia and Virginia–Floyd being one of them.

It was a super event, with (just guessing) 120 people attending.

One of the facts mentioned was the very real possibility of a pipeline explosion. Someone asked about the diameter of the  “blast crater” and the answer was that it depended on the size of the pipe and the pressure it was under at the time of the explosion.

So go figure. We’re slated to host a 42″ pipe (we will make bad hosts) and you have to assume it will be carrying as much gas as it can, so will be operating near capacity pressures.

According to the chart, you could expect to be seriously disturbed by extreme heat and powerful shock impacts, if you let those kinds of things get to you, if you live within a thousand feet either side of the 20 miles of this big-as-possible linear bomb under our soil.

Legally, the pipeline–even a 42″ pipe–can pass within 25 feet of your house.  There would be a 75 foot right-of-way, however, and I think they can’t allow structures within that width. Which may just mean three of your outbuildings will be dozed out of the way.

Larger image at Flickr. Image is from Understanding Natural Gas
Pipeline Infrastructure and Impacts / Penn State Extension

Share this with your friends!
fred
fred

Fred First holds masters degrees in Vertebrate Zoology and physical therapy, and has been a biology teacher and physical therapist by profession. He moved to southwest Virginia in 1975 and to Floyd County in 1997. He maintains a daily photo-blog, broadcasts essays on the Roanoke NPR station, and contributes regular columns for the Floyd Press and Roanoke's Star Sentinel. His two non-fiction books, Slow Road Home and his recent What We Hold in Our Hands, celebrate the riches that we possess in our families and communities, our natural bounty, social capital and Appalachian cultures old and new. He has served on the Jacksonville Center Board of Directors and is newly active in the Sustain Floyd organization. He lives in northeastern Floyd County on the headwaters of the Roanoke River.

Articles: 3007

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.