A former welding inspector on the Mountain Valley pipeline is taking its developer to court, alleging he was wrongfully terminated after flagging safety concerns in 2023.
Michael Barnhill, the plaintiff, started working on the contentious natural gas project in August of that year — assigned to inspect welds as they happened and ensure that pipeline joints met regulations.
Barnhill’s employment with the Mountain Valley developers would only last four months. The pipeline runs south from West Virginia’s Wetzel County to Pittsylvania County in Virginia.
He was “terminated, in whole or in part, for raising concerns with and making complaints to Defendants related to safety issues,” including improperly welded pipelines and quality of pipes, his lawyers asserted in a lawsuit.
