Developers of the Mountain Valley pipeline pushed back last week against renewed safety concerns, saying the natural gas project was pressure tested and frequently inspected during construction.
Jeffrey Klinefelter, vice president of construction and engineering for Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC, defended the integrity of the 303-mile natural gas pipeline after a recent lawsuit alleged that an inspector of the project was fired after raising safety concerns. The Mountain Valley Pipeline is a joint venture of energy companies, including gas producer EQT.
In his complaint, welding inspector Michael Barnhill claimed he discovered corrosion on three separate sections of pipeline joints. He also said that, after he contacted his supervisor about their state and refused to approve them, he was moved to a different section of the pipeline and they were “later approved and welded into the pipeline.”
Barnhill’s complaint also concerns a pipeline weld that he said was done without an inspector present. While the weld was later cut out and replaced with one Barnhill approved, he was let go that same day, according to his suit.
