June 19, 2019
OEC Statement on Buckeye XPress Pipeline Proposal To Run Through Wayne National Forest
Columbus, OH — On June 18, 2019, the Ohio Environmental Council, alongside other intervening parties, Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity, submitted comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the United States Forest Service (USFS) regarding the Buckeye XPress Pipeline, proposed to cross the Wayne National Forest in Southeast Ohio.
The following statement can be attributed to, in whole or in part, to Chris Tavenor, attorney for the Ohio Environmental Council:
“In May, FERC released its Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Buckeye XPress Pipeline. The EA is deficient in a number of areas, including its assessment of the project’s potential climate impacts, and its failure to address requirements in the Wayne National Forest’s Management Plan. We are particularly disappointed in the deficiencies in this EA given the Project’s potential impacts to Ohio’s only national forest.
“Without a sufficient Environmental Assessment, neither FERC nor USFS can make informed decisions regarding the project’s environmental impacts.
“The Ohio Environmental Council will continue to watch the actions of both FERC and USFS closely regarding approval of the Buckeye XPress Pipeline.”
Our full comments are available on FERC’s website.